--- title: SSL/TLS Certificate: The Padlock Behind a Website url: https://hdiss.net/glossary/ssl-tls-certificate/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Glossary](https://hdiss.net/glossary/) - SSL/TLS certificate # SSL/TLS Certificate A certificate is what lets your browser show a padlock and the https address. It proves the site is the one named in the address, and it makes eavesdropping hard. A radio tower at sunset. Stock photo: Adobe Stock. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) ## What is SSL/TLS Certificate? TLS, Transport Layer Security, is the protocol that encrypts web traffic. The IETF's RFC 8446 specifies TLS 1.3 and says its design aims to prevent eavesdropping, tampering and message forgery, though the page notes a newer RFC has since replaced it. SSL is the older name that stuck. A website installs a certificate issued by an authority, and the browser checks it when the page loads. The padlock shows that the connection is encrypted and the name matches. It does not say the site's owner is honest. ## Why does it matter on a fixed wireless connection? On your home link, the traffic between your computer and a secure site is encrypted from end to end, so the radio path to the tower carries scrambled data. That is a property of the website, not of the wireless service. If you host a website or mail service with the company, a certificate for your domain is part of running it. The company has not published how it issues certificates, so ask when you call. A browser warning about an expired certificate often comes from a wrong clock on the computer or a site that did not renew. See [SSL certificates in plain words](https://hdiss.net/guides/ssl-certificates-in-plain-words/). ## What should I do about it? If you see a warning for a site you know, check the date and time on your device first. Do not click through a warning on a bank, a payment page or a login. For your own site, renew before the date and make sure the www and the bare name are both covered. Our guide [website hosting basics for a Nevada business](https://hdiss.net/guides/website-hosting-basics-nevada-business/) shows where it fits. Call 775-575-9593 for a hosting question. ### Sources - [rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8446](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8446) (RFC 8446, TLS 1.3, IETF, August 2018; read 2026-10-15; now obsoleted by RFC 9846 per the page) - [hdiss.net/](https://hdiss.net/) (company facts, read 2026-10-15) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) ### Related terms - [Web hosting](https://hdiss.net/glossary/web-hosting/) - [Domain name](https://hdiss.net/glossary/domain-name/) - [VPN](https://hdiss.net/glossary/vpn/) - [Phishing](https://hdiss.net/glossary/phishing/) - [SSL certificates in plain words](https://hdiss.net/guides/ssl-certificates-in-plain-words/) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/)