What Is a VPN?
The benefits of the internet and digital technology era are endless. However, every technology has its shortcomings too. It is also true from the internet and other public networks. Therefore, it is essential to protect your privacy in the digital world, especially when using less-secure networks such as the internet. It is where a VPN comes into the picture. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, helps keep your data and identity secure by creating an encrypted connection over the internet or other such unsecured networks. As the name suggests, a VPN allows you to be a part of a secure and “private network” virtually via a public network. In other words, you can access or be part of a local network being in a remote location.
Source: forbes.com
VPNs were created to ease businesses to work remotely. It allowed business networks to connect securely over the internet. For example, suppose the head branch of a company is based in London, and it has its sub-branches in various other locations such as India, China, and so on. In such a case, a VPN can help to establish a secure connection between the head branch and the sub-branches over the internet.
However, a VPN is used for many different purposes nowadays.
Let’s look at some of them.
Why Do You Need a VPN?
Source: howstuffworks.com
A VPN has many important uses, and it is, therefore, crucial to have a VPN.
Let’s see some of the critical uses of a VPN.
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- Helps overcome geo-blocking: A VPN allows you to bypass geo-blocking. Geo-blocking is a way by which access to certain websites is restricted or limited. In some cases, it is because of censorship, whereas, at times, it happens when you try to access a site, say a video streaming site, from a different geographical location. For example, you can use a VPN to stream shows in India or any other available area only for, say, Canadian locations.
- Connect Securely to a Public Wi-Fi: Connecting to a public wi-fi isn’t safe. It can lead to malicious viruses entering your phone or system. Moreover, your identity and information are also at risk while using public wi-fi. Nonetheless, a VPN helps you connect to a public wi-fi securely by masking your IP address. In this way, your identity remains hidden or anonymous.
- Save You from Hackers: You can protect your accounts from hackers using a VPN. Hackers can steal your personal information by tracking your IP address. However, a VPN hides or masks your original IP address. In this way, it becomes difficult for the hackers to identify your IP address.
- Protects Your Online Chats: Although your text messages are end-to-end encrypted in most of the messengers, yet you can’t entirely rely on them. However, with a VPN, you can rest assured about the security of your chats and messages. It ensures the best possible encryption for your text messages and calls.
- Bypass Restrictions on Popular Video streaming Sites: With a VPN, you can freely stream Netflix, Hulu, and other popular video streaming sites without any tension of geo-blocking. You can also use torrents to download your favorite movies, shows, audios, and more, without any restrictions.
As you can see, a VPN has many vital uses. The ease provides Internet browsing and its security by protecting your IP address and personal information. You need to have a VPN.
How to Choose a VPN?
Source: kaspersky.com
You can choose a VPN, depending on your need. VPNs are available for Windows, Mac, Android, and IOS operating systems. You can get both paid and free versions of a VPN, and many paid VPNs come with a free trial. Click here to learn more.
Moreover, you can also consider the following factors to choose the right VPN.
- Not all VPNs are compatible with all the platforms. Hence, you should choose a VPN that works on multiple platforms such as Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, and more.
- Make sure to choose a VPN that gives access to large server locations. In case you are purchasing a VPN to bypass geo-restriction for a particular location, ensure that you select a VPN that covers that location.
- The user-interface and installation process of some VPNs can be quite tricky. Therefore, always choose a VPN that comes with a user-friendly interface.
- Before choosing a VPN, see if it comes with a reliable customer support system. Poor customer support service can be pretty problematic in the long run.
- See if the VPN has the features to bypass restrictions on Netflix and other popular video streaming sites.
- Look for a kill switch and other security options for maximum protection.
In case you are looking for the best windows VPN, you can go for Urban VPN. It is free, and it ensures maximum protection and security. Moreover, it’s straightforward to use Urban VPN for windows. You can simply download and install the Urban VPN application for Windows and start using it by selecting your desired VPN geography.
Conclusion
Source: howtogeek.com
A VPN is a useful technology that helps you connect securely to a public network. It is essential to have a VPN for your devices to keep them safe and secure. A VPN also protects your personal information, keeps your identity anonymous by hiding your IP address, and saves you from cybercrimes such as hacking.
Moreover, it ensures that you don’t have to compromise on your entertainment. How? It lets you browse Netflix and other popular video streaming websites without any restriction or problem of geo-blocking. It further helps boost your gaming experience by stabilizing your connection from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Apart from various pros that VPNs have, it is also crucial to have the facility of a VPN in your devices considering the amount of time that you spend online. With a VPN, you can stay online without worrying about your security, and that’s the main reason you need one.
