All kinds of Internet users have different questions regarding VPNs, Some of them get confused about it and they have queries like, what is a VPN connection? What is VPN used for? What does a VPN do? How to get a VPN? People are looking for some uncomplicated answers to these types of questions.
In this article we will simply try to make you understand what exactly VPN is, what are the uses of VPN, its importance, some special features of VPNs and what are the best VPNs available in the market for 2019.
Actually, the internet has a love affair with acronyms, the short forms, do you know that your ISP gives you an IP so that your computer or mobile device gets connected with the DNS using a URL which is then coordinated by the ICANN, what? Are you kidding me?
The reality is that the average internet user does not understand all this, and if you are part of that group don't worry, it's not critically important for you to understand all that.
But there is one acronym which has now become important and we believe everyone who uses the internet, computer or any mobile device should definitely know about it, it's called VPN, which stands for Virtual Private Network.
What is a VPN? and why is it important for internet users to have a VPN?
Well, VPNs are private network servers across all public and open network servers, if you are not using a VPN, your internet devices make use of a public network servers which are unsafe for you, your data and for all your online activities, but if you use a VPN which is a set of private network servers you get a complete security and privacy while using the internet.
VPNs by building a secure tunnel and encryption will protect your sensitive data, your internet traffic, and activities from all kinds of cybercrimes which are increasing massively. A VPN service provider also offers many different benefits to its users.
Why use a VPN?
It seems like almost every week there's a front-page news story about somebody's email getting hacked, identity stolen, privacy exploited and many other hacking activities and cybercrimes taking place all around the world.
This is our new reality, it's more important for us to secure our computer and mobile devices nowadays than it is to lock our doors first. If you have known anybody who has had their identity stolen, you should know that it is not very easy to get it back, it takes years, sometimes more than a decade to recover from identity theft.
It's not only about identity theft, but there are also various other complications that you might face if you do not get a secure network connection for your internet devices.
Even such a major company like Facebook got their data breached and had to face cyber attacks many times, so as an individual it becomes extremely important for us to protect ourselves while being a part of the internet ecosystem.
So what can you actually do to protect yourself online, there are some few numbers of measures which you can take, such as updating your social media security settings, creating long secure passwords, but one of the most secure and easiest steps you can take is, you can start using a VPN.
VPNs are one of the most highly effective cybersecurity technology which has been developed for public safety, online privacy and security, and this is only because cybersecurity has now become mainstream due to the ever-increasing number of internet users and as well as internet crimes.
VPN secures your data to keep it safe and it also adds a layer of privacy to protect your identity and by using various security and encryption protocols VPN becomes your digital safeguard.
Without going too much into detail, here is a simple way you can understand how VPN really works.
While you make use of any computing device like a mobile phone or a laptop, imagine that the cloud is the internet, so normally your device gets connected to the internet directly using your Internet Service Provider, while this connection may be fast, it is rarely secure, it is open and very easy to be tracked by anyone, including hackers, spammers, government authorities and even your own internet provider.
But when you access the internet using a VPN connection, imagine that your connection is routed to the internet via a secure tunnel to servers located in different locations, sometimes in a different city, sometimes in a different country, these are the virtual private servers for you and not an unsafe public server which you are still using.
At this point these private servers access the internet on your behalf, the benefit here is that you are not only keeping your data safe, you are also keeping your internet activities protected and you are also masking your location by making the internet think that you are located where the private servers are located.
So when your connection is private, nobody can keep an eye on you, when your connection is secure you do not get attacked by cybercriminals and hackers and also when your location is hidden, VPN gives you access to all kinds of Geo-restricted contents, websites, platforms, and censorship.
Other than this VPN apps has many other benefits for every type of internet users all around the world.
Initially, VPNs were developed for corporations that needed to protect their sensitive data being sent over public and private networks, but ever since Wikileaks became a household name, the personal VPN market has rightly grown by leaps and bounds. Every individual now prefers to use a VPN for their betterment.
Before you use a VPN service you need to understand that all VPN security encryption is not the same and the free VPNs are worse because of many reasons.
If you have heard about VPNs before you might be familiar with terms like OpenVPN, PPTP, 256-Bit Encryption, it is again not important for you to understand all these connection protocols, just know that the higher bit encryption rate is better than the lower bit encryption rate.
In fact, using some form of VPN encryptions is better than nothing at all.
Now in the real world, what does it look like to use a VPN?
With a VPN you can use the internet or Wi-Fi at your favorite coffee shop and be confident that all the passwords you are typing or the websites you are visiting can't be intercepted by a hacker sitting at the corner sipping a latte.
A VPN can also trick the internet into thinking that you are in a different country, for instance, you may be logging on to your computer in the United States, Los Angeles, but with a VPN you can spoof your location to any other world’s location like Chicago or Paris. NordVPN is a top-notch VPN brand with servers located in 5,700 different locations worldwide.
VPN is important if you travel a lot for personal or business purposes. It keeps you secure and you can also get access to any type of online streaming services and websites that restricts content based on Geo-locations and censorship.
VPN can provide you with many different benefits and also offer many other features and functionalities which can be used for multiple other purposes, like, you can get some extra discounts when you shop online, while you can also carry safe internet transactions with the help of a VPN.
Now you might be wondering if VPN is so important why isn't everybody in this world using it, the fact is that out of 5 billion internet users, nearly 1 billion of them are using a VPN provider as of 2019.
Some Internet users do not understand its importance because of the following reasons:
- Most people don't realize that something as simple as a public Wi-Fi network outside their home puts their security at serious risk, it's scarily easy to snoop on devices when you use a Wi-Fi network. Even your home Wi-Fi is not as secure as you might think it is.
- Some people don't like using a VPN because they believe VPN slows down the internet speed, which is mostly not the case when you use devices and routers which are compatible with VPNs. NordVPN is an industry leader when we talk about speed.
Using a VPN is really simple which can be used by anyone just by installing an app into your mobile or computer device. Every VPN provider offers an app for all kinds of devices and platforms like a VPN app for iPhone, Android, Windows, I Mac, Linux, Google Chrome, internet routers, SmartTVs, and every other iOS device.
A Single VPN account of NordVPN can be used by up to 6 different devices at the same time and it cost a few bucks per month.
There are also some free VPNs out there, but as you know nothing comes for free, these free VPNs, either display tons of ads, or they sell your data and information to third parties which is exactly the opposite reason for using a VPN. There are many other dis-benefits of using a free VPN.
Paid VPN services aren't crazy expensive, there are some very few VPN providers which are extremely affordable, they offer reliable service with great features, powerful and secure servers with robust speed, three of the industry's leading VPN providers are listed below for you to check.
Allow us to conclude this post about VPNs with these thoughts:
- A VPN connection is not an internet connection. It is a secure way to access the internet with complete privacy and security.
- A VPN is really easy to use even if you don't consider yourself "tech-savvy". You only need to install an app to start using a VPN.
- If you use any public Wi-Fi, if you use internet banking, if you travel often or if you slightly care about your own security, privacy, and data, you should seriously consider a personal VPN service.
If you are looking for some good VPNs to get yourself secured online, we have a few recommendations for you. We have reviewed many different VPNs and discovered the best VPNs available in the market by considering various important factors about VPNs. Too many options can actually confuse and make it difficult for you to try the best one for yourself.
These Are The Top 3 All-Rounder VPNs For 2019:
1. NordVPN
- Fast Servers
- Double Data Encryption
- Tor-renting/P2P Allowed
- Strict No-Log Policy
- Apps For All Devices And Platforms
- Unlimited Usage
- Connect 6 Devices
- No IP/DNS Leaks
- Money-Back Guarantee
- Free-Trial And More
Check NordVPN’s Pricing
2. ExpressVPN
- Supports All Devices
- No-Logs
- Fastest Servers
- Simple To Use
- 5 Simultaneous Connections
- 3 Months Free With Yearly Plan
- Premium VPN
Check ExpressVPN Pricing here
3. OutByte VPN
- Leading Security Platform
- Connect 6 Devices
- Unlimited Data Protection
- Private Internet Access
- Apps For iOS, Android, And PCs
- Ads-Free Platform
- Superior Customer Support
- Money-Back Guarantee
- Free-Trial Available
As we all are living in the golden era of the internet, everyone needs to protect themselves from internet crimes and have a secure online presence, which gives us freedom in totality.
We also request you to please share this article with someone whom you think also needs internet security.
NordVPN is one of the best VPN platforms for almost every internet user. NordVPN is recommended by many VPN experts and tech publishers as well. Visit NordVPN here to get your discounted rates and always keep yourself secured online.