How and why you should use a VPN ?

What is VPN ?

You may know what a VPN , virtual private network  is a network that is constructed using public wires usually the Internet to connect to a private network, such as a company’s internal network. 

There are a number of systems that enable you to create networks using the Internet as the medium for transporting data. It secures the private network as these systems use encryption and other security mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access the network and that the data cannot be intercepted.
  

There are three main network protocols for use with VPN tunnels. These protocols are generally incompatible with each other. They include the following:

 IPSec – A set of protocols developed by the IETF to support secure exchange of packets at the IP layer. IPsec has been deployed widely to implement VPNs. IPsec supports two encryption modes: Transport and Tunnel.

PPTP – The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol is a technology for creating VPNs, developed jointly by Microsoft, U.S. Robotics and several remote access vendor companies, known collectively as the PPTP Forum.

L2TP – Layer Two (2) Tunneling Protocol is an extension to the PPP protocol that enables ISPs to operate Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

 Why you should use a VPN ?

 A VPN can actually keep your ISP  in the dark about what you’re doing. Take a look  at Microsoft’s diagram: the ISP can see the tunnel but they can’t see what’s going on inside the tunnel.

This also comes in handy at places like a hotel, airport, or coffee shop. You’re putting yourself at risk any time you use their unencrypted public WiFi connections. If you connect to a VPN immediately after, however, you can surf safely.

A VPN connection can also help you get around ISP throttling and protect you from invasive tracking while you surf.
There are other benefits to using a VPN, too, but anonymity is not one of them. Using a VPN enhances your privacy and security, but you should never assume that your activity couldn’t be traced back to you if someone really wanted to do it.

 

How to choose a VPN provider ?

First, let’s get the big question out of the way. The bad news for anyone used to free services is that it pays to pay when it comes to a VPN. There are tons of free options from reputable companies, but these are usually a poor substitute for the paid options.

Free services usually allow a limited amount of bandwidth usage per month or offer a slower service. Tunnel Bear, for example, offers just 500MB of free bandwidth per month, while CyberGhost offers a free service that is significantly slower than its paid service.

 What kind of logging does your VPN provider do & What are the acceptable terms of use for your VPN provider :

All VPNs have to do some kind of logging, but there are VPNs that collect as little data as possible and others that aren’t so minimalist. On top of that, some services discard their logs in a matter of hours or days while other companies hold onto them for months at a time. How much privacy you expect from your VPN-based browsing will greatly influence how long you can stand having your provider maintain your activity logs—and what those logs contain.

Thanks to the popularity of VPNs with torrent users, permissible activity on specific VPNs can vary. Some companies disallow torrents completely, some are totally fine with them, while others won’t stop torrents but officially disallow them. We aren’t here to advise pirates, but anyone looking to use a VPN should understand what is and is not okay to do on their provider’s network. 

 The VPN provider offer their own application that you can download and install? Unless you’re a power user who wants to mess with OpenVPN, a customized VPN program is really the way to go. It’s simple to use and doesn’t require any great technical knowledge or the need to adjust any significant settings. 

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