What is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) ?
When you surf on the internet, every sites that you visit can trace your IP and may also trace your location, your browser activities are also public when you connect to a public network.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help you connect to a public network, it masks your IP and encrypts all browser activity. Therefore, it helps you with your privacy.
How does a Virtual Private Network (VPN) work ?
When you connect to a network using VPN, all your request first goes to remote VPN host and from there it sends the request to the network.
VPN V/s Proxy Servers
A proxy server only hides your IP from the public network, where a VPN also hides (encrypts) data that you send and receive. Proxy servers are only useful for web requests, where VPN works for all kind of network requests.
Advantages of VPN
VPNs can not only secure your access to internet / public network, but can also give you some more benefits like …
- You can access content that is restricted to a geolocation.
- Some online subscriptions offer lower price for specific locations.
- As your requests are encrypted, you can access those websites faster which are generally throttled by Internet Service Providers !!
Choose the best VPN out there …
You can choose the best one you based on the features mentioned below :
Privacy
The main purpose of VPN is to protect your privacy, make sure that it does not log your data on their systems. It is a good habit to read Privacy Policy before using any online platform.
If you are interested to know what are privacy policies, read our blog on Privacy Policy !
VPN Protocol
All VPNs use different method for connecting to public network, these methods are called protocols.
Choice of protocol determines your speed of access and flow of data. If you want to know in depth about VPN protocols, read CyberNews’ latest blog on VPN protocols !
Available Server Locations
Many websites on the internet can only be accessed through some particular regions. So, if you are out of India and you want to access a website that can only be accessed within the country, you should choose the VPN, that has a server in India.
Data Limits
Check if the VPN has a maximum limit over the data usage or data bandwidth, avoid VPNs that affects your data access experience at large scale.
Other Miscellaneous Features
If VPN somehow disconnects, it should ideally disconnect you from public network and thus saving your private information from streaming on public network. Also look for the price-service balance. Paid VPNs are comparatively more trustworthy and gives you priority in compare to the free VPN users.
Too Long, Didn’t Read (TL; DR;)
Online security is going to be an important point of concern in upcoming days. Luckily, There are many VPN based mobile apps, desktop software, browser plugins available. If you are also concerned about your online security, use VPN to protect your privacy and choose your VPN wisely !
