What
is VPN?
VPN, or Virtual
Private Networking, is becoming a popular Internet security technology that is
basically an added layer of security for private and public Internet networks.
A VPN allows users – individuals or group entities – to send and receive data
while maintaining secrecy and anonymity for its private network.
Having a VPN is
like creating a “secret tunnel” for any network to enjoy access to private
internal systems. It also means that users can browse in complete anonymity
online and access content not allowed by an ordinary ISP (Internet service
provider) such as Netflix or BBC’s iPlayer.
Why
is VPN a must these days?
In many
countries, privacy is of utmost importance. Thus, when using a VPN, you prevent
your ISP and government from seeing your Internet history. VPN’s are also
emerging as popular tools for those conscious of their freedom of speech rights
in order to avoid censorship by their employers, by third parties, and by the
government. Therefore, even if you write negative reviews against your
employers anonymously on another site, your employer won’t find out.
VPN can also be
used to either hide or “geo-spoof” the exact location of a user. Users can
customize their location settings to either bounce off their location from
different countries or to be able to use overseas services not available to
specific countries because of legal or licensing issues, such as TV streaming
services.
VPN’s can also
protect users against hackers since the technology protects when using a public
Internet hotspot or third-party networks. This is important with business trips
that necessitate using public Wi-Fi in places like coffee shops or open office
networks. When using VPN, cybercriminals will find it difficult to penetrate
into your gadgets, and even preventing phishing and malware attacks.
What
VPN service should users choose?
In reality,
there are over 400VPN services all over the world, some specializing on mobile devices only.
We did our research and found at least 3 of the best.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the
best all-round VPN service for speed, privacy, and unblocking. It has 1800 plus
number of servers, 148 server locations, and at least 30,000 IP addresses. Maximum
devices supported are 3.
§ 15
months - $6.67/month
§ 6
months - $9.99/month
§ 1
month - $12.95/month
§ Wide
range of secure VPN apps
§ Superb
24/7 live customer support
§ Ultra
fast VPN servers in 94 countries
§ Only
supports 3 connections
IPVanish
This VPN service
is awesome for torrenting and other P2P traffic. It has 950 plus number of
servers, 60 server locations, and up to 40,000 IP addresses. Maximum devices
supported are 5.
§ 24
months - $2.87/month
§ 12
months - $6.49/month
§ 3
months - $8.99/month
§ No
traffic logs
§ Excellent
download speeds
§ Configurable
software
§ No
free trial
VyprVPN
Another service
that’s great in performance and security is the VyprVPN. It has 700 plus number
of servers, 73 server locations, and over 200,000 IP addresses. Maximum devices
supported are 3-5.
§ 12
months - $5/month
§ 12
months - $6.67/month
§ 1
month - $9.95/month
§ Very
fast performance
§ Good
value annual plans
§ Powerful,
configurable clients
§ Monthly
plans are more expensive