What’s The Best Way To Choose A VPN Service
To be fair, not all pay VPN services are legitimate, either. It’s important to be careful about which you choose. I’ve put together an always up-to-date directory of quality VPN providers. Some are better than others . But all are legitimate companies that provide quality service.
Beyond my directory, it’s always good practice to a company or product name and read the user reviews. If you see a huge number of old complaints or new complaints suddenly start showing up, it might be that there’s been a change of management or policies. When I’m looking for a service, I always base my decision partially on professional reviews and partially based on the tone of user reviews.
Finally, be sure to choose a service with the capabilities that meet your needs. You may need one or more features only provided by certain services. So, think through your needs as you make a decision.
Use If Youre A Researcher/whistleblower/activist/journalist
These are some of the scenarios where you cant afford to browse the web without a good VPN service. In these cases, its in your personal interest to make your activity and device hidden to the government and your competitors. VPN allows you to manipulate your IP address, cloak your internet traffic, and perform your work without any risk.
Bypass Restrictions In Office/school/college
This is one of the most common problems faced when you are in school or office where you are only allowed to browser just few internet websites. Many organizations believe in blocking social networking websites, torrent connections, YouTube, etc. to boost the productivity of their employees. The same reasons are also given when many services are blocked in schools and colleges. Well, we dont recommend you to break the policies of your organization and school, but one can do so by using spending $6.9 on a VPN service.
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Anonymously Conduct Sensitive Research
Maybe you want to check out a competitors website in detail, but you dont want to be tracked or leave behind any signs that you were there. You might also have to do research that a government would disapprove of. All sorts of research might require you to protect your identity.
A VPN will keep your competitors from realizing that youre checking them out by making your IP address anonymous.
Should You Always Use A VPN
A VPN is increasingly becoming an essential tool for technology users. It provides much greater protection and more freedom to take advantage of all the internet has to offer. But while a VPN is becoming a vital and necessary companion for technology buffs, why and when do you need a VPN? What are the benefits? And do you always need to use one?
A VPN is a vital security measure, as it creates an encrypted tunnel between a remote server and your machine. Yourinternet traffic is routed through this tunnel and shields your data from outside forces. This provides maximum privacy and protection. It also gives you more freedom, enabling you to connect to a server in a specific country and access content exclusive to that location.
But should you leave the VPN running all of the time? For the most part, yes! It will protect your data from hackersand secure your browsing history. This will prevent advertisers or ISPs from accessing your browsing data. But there will be times when you might need to pause it, for instance, if you want to access local content or connect to a nearby device, like a printer. If this is the case, finding a VPN with a pause option will allow you to connect to local devices and websites without disconnecting your VPN.
There are plenty of VPN providers to choose from. However, only a few, such as NordVPN, can give you excellent security, fast connection, secure torrenting, and plenty of streaming options.
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Secure Connection For Remote Work
Businesses today need to consider internet safety more than ever. With more people than ever working from home, sensitive company and customer information is at a higher risk of theft.
For example, say an employee connects to a work computer remotely on a public network without using a VPN. Theoretically, anyone on that public network could gain access to the internal company network, because the employee did nothing to hide their information.
Unfettered access to company files and customer information can be catastrophic to a business. Using a VPN to connect to business-based networks can help ensure that sensitive data is hidden behind the dummy information provided via the VPN.
How Do I Get And Use A VPN
Step 1
Sign up for ExpressVPN
Visit the order page and select the option thatâs right for you. All of our plans are fully covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Step 2
Youâll immediately be invited to download the app for the device youâre using. Getting apps for all your other devices is just as easy.
Step 3
Connect to a VPN server location
Simply hit the On Button, and youâll be instantly connected to the best location for your connection. Or pick one from our global network.
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Enhance Privacy And Security
Enhanced privacy isn’t the same as total privacy, but it’s still important. Using a VPN does not make you anonymous online, which is one of the biggest myths people believe about these services. Rather, **a VPN specifically protects your internet traffic in transit by encrypting it**. So for example, without a VPN, when you fill out a form on a web page and hit enter, you are then sending the information to the person who runs the website, and while that information is moving from your computer to theirs, . When you use a VPN, however, “people using the same network as you will only see military-grade encrypted data if they look at your connection,” according to Caleb Chen, director of external communication for the VPN service PrivateInternetAccess. That means that even if someone intercepts your data, they won’t be able to read it. Privacy concerns apply to your Internet Service Provider as well. In the U.S., ISPs can collect, share, and sell your browsing data and other information without your consent. Using a VPN limits how much information ISPs can collect. Your ISP will see you sending packets to VPN Wakanda, but it won’t see where the packets go after that. Vice versa, it’ll see you receiving packets from VPN Wakanda, but it won’t know their true origin.
With a VPN service running, people using the same network as you will only see military-grade encrypted data if they look at your connection
Caleb Chen
VPN Uses: Avoid Isp Restrictions
For those who don’t have control over their internet provider students, those living with parents, or renters whose utilities are provided for them a VPN could be the only way to access content that’s restricted. While parental control tools certainly have their place, for many they’re imposed when they really have no right to be.
We’re not just talking about adult content, either these controls are often heavy-handed in their censorship and regularly block innocent sites. Also, they can limit in-app purchases and impose restrictions on how much time is spent on the web, and when.
Another section of the web that’s usually blocked by ISPs regardless of whether you’re subject to parental controls or not is torrenting sites. We in no way condone the use of torrents for downloading content that breaches copyright laws, but for legal use, VPNs can give you access to torrenting sites and services.
Whatever your reasons for wanting to bypass ISP restrictions and as long as you’re legally entitled to a VPN is a simple way to get access to the uncensored internet everyone else can view.
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Do They Offer Good Speeds And Unlimited Bandwidth
If you intend to use your VPN to stream, game, or download large files, speed is imperative. And you should never have to sacrifice security for speed.
Youll always want to make sure the VPN you choose offers unlimited bandwidth to its users and high download speeds. We recommend taking advantage of free trials and refund periods to ensure you can get good speeds in your area.
VPNs Make Remote Work Safer
If you work remotely, you probably switch up your workplace quite often.
One day youre making spreadsheets from the living room couch, and the next day youre writing an article from your local coffee shop.
And chances are, you use public Wi-Fi quite often.
As we mentioned before, public Wi-Fi can pose a serious threat to your personal privacy. But with company files it can get worse a hacker can get their hands on your employers data, leading to a security breach at work.
But if you connect to a VPN, your online activity is encrypted, so you can rest assured that no one can access your confidential files.
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What Is A VPN And Why Do You Need One Everything You Need To Know
Whether you’re in a corporate or home office or on the road, a VPN remains one of the best ways to protect your privacy and security on the internet.
Whether you work from a traditional office, home office, your iPhone, or on the road, a VPN is one of the best ways to protect yourself from data breaches on the internet, especially when using public wi-fi networks. But how effective are VPNs, and what’s the best VPN for you? What are the downsides to using a VPN? Our executive guide will answer all your VPN-related questions — including a few you probably haven’t thought to ask.
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A VPN Can Help You Save Money
You might have come across expansive claims about how a VPN can help you save thousands of dollars. You can supposedly do so by finding cheaper subscription plans for software, streaming services, and other apps and programs. Even airfare, rental car rates, and hotel prices could be much lower when using a VPN.
Im not going to scoff at this claim as it does work in theory. Certain pieces of software, streaming service subscriptions, and airline booking rates are priced differently across the world. You can use a VPN to see the differences, and its certainly worth the purchase if you can save big. However, you either have to be very, very lucky or make a lot of trial and error to save thousands of dollars.
There are undoubtedly some differences in prices. That difference will likely get covered in currency exchange rates, bank fees, and other transaction charges, though. Other restrictions might also come into play, like a website not allowing the use of a credit card that isnt from a local bank.
Granted, you may see significant savings in the long-term or if even youre planning a long holiday. Even five to ten dollar savings on everything will eventually add up to a pretty good amount. That said, you might want to re-think things if saving a lot of money is the main advantage youre looking for from a VPN service.
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Popular Reasons For Using A VPN
VPN is not an alien thing for todays internet users. The number of VPN users are increasing every day but a few years back, there were hardly any users of VPN. Even today, there are many people who arent familiar with this term. The rising popularity of VPN raises the questions of what is a VPN and whether you should use one.
VPN is a Virtual Private Network that works as an intermittent service between you and your host site. It can provide a safe mode for surfing the web as it gives you privacy and data security. When used correctly, a VPN helps keep your connections secure and protects your device from prying eyes.
Apart from security, it has numerous other benefits that are making this service worth using. Here are some of the top reasons people turn to VPNs in their home or business lives.
1. Safety and Security
The first and the most important reason people use VPN is its safety feature. It provides an encrypted tunnel for transferring data to and from your device and the host site. This removes all chances of spying and snooping on your data. Even your own internet service provider cant access your data or track your activities.
Whether you are surfing the internet for the purpose of mere entertainment or using it for share important files and information, everything is end-to-end encrypted with VPN. So you don’t have to worry about hackers and cybercriminals.
2. Anonymity
3. Breaking Geo-Restrictions
4. Subsidized Shopping and Traveling
Access More Content With A VPN
When you connect to a VPN server in another location, any sites you visit will see the IP address of that secure server – not yours. So, if you connect to a server in the USA, itll assume youre physically in the USA, too.
This comes in handy when trying to access geo-blocked content on streaming sites, as the offerings can differ wildly from country to country – much like different Netflix libraries.
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Can You Be Tracked If You Use A VPN
Your VPN provider should both encrypt the data you send and receiveyour data and hide your IP address. This means that criminals, hackers, and others wont be able to track your online activities. However, your internet service provider also known as your ISP can determine if you are using a VPN by looking at your IP address. If it doesnt match, your provider will know that you are using a VPN when connecting to the internet. Fortunately, your internet service provider still wont be able to track your browsing activity if you are using a VPN.
Become Free From Government Censorship
Has the government in your country prohibited access to a website thats freely available in other places? Perhaps youre unable to access certain video material due to the biased censorship of an oppressive state.
You can use a VPN to bypass oppressive online prohibitions. Plus, all the data that you send and receive will be fully encrypted. They will be kept anonymous, which means no one will be able to track your activity.
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VPN Protects You Against Identity Theft
It would be best if you had a VPN to protect your identity online. Online thieves can steal your private information, mainly when you use the insecure internet. When your identity is stolen, these thieves can commit a crime in your name, and you will be held liable for such.
With your identity in the wrong hands, criminals can create a new account in your name, file for tax returns in your name, or even rent or purchase a property in your name. A VPN protects you from identity theft by protecting your private information and data. Private data you left after shopping online or banking online will be wiped out once you log out, and criminals wouldnt have access to them.
When using public Wi-Fi networks, criminals may capture your login credentials, especially when you log out. A VPN will protect all information you share across your devices, including your computer, smartphone, and other smart gadgets. All information sent and received on your gadgets is encrypted by a VPN.
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Unfortunately, not all devices can run VPN apps. Your smart fridge, for example, isn’t a likely candidate for convenient app use. If this is a concern for you, you can configure your router to use a VPN connection, or purchase a pre-configured router from some VPN companies. This encrypts data as it leaves your safe home network for the wild web. Information sent within your network will be available, and any smart devices connected to your network will enjoy a secured connection. We haven’t tested this kind of setup, but we’ve come to believe it’s impractical for most people.
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Unrestricted Worldwide Internet Access
Keeping a VPN constantly connected means that you can have access to geo-restricted content from around the world. When you use a VPN, it connects you to a secure server in a location of your choosing, so it can make it look like you are in that country.
So if you want to watch Hulu or HBO Max but arent in the US, a VPN will let you bypass these restrictions from anywhere in the world. It will connect to an American server and create an American IP address to make it appear as though you are in the States, even if youre not. The other benefit of this is that you can switch servers seamlessly, so you can access an American server to watch Hulu, then switch to a British server to watch BBC iPlayer.
Get Around Workplace School Or Other Internet Restrictions
Libraries, schools, and even your employer may keep you from accessing certain sites while connected to their network. For example, some employers may restrict social media sites in an attempt to maximize productivity.
Using a VPN gives you the ability to access the Internet however you see fit.
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Why You Shouldnt Use A VPN
Even if VPNs were able to magically encrypt your traffic, they would be unable to do so. If the endpoint expects plaintext to appear, the only thing you can do is ignore it. A VPN uses a secure connection between a VPN provider and your computer. Remember that a VPN provider may see and mess with your data.