What Are VPNs And How To Use Them To Your Advantage

What's worse, your location and the information you keep on your electronic devices can be easily accessed through the internet. Luckily, you can easily prevent this by using a VPN. Check out this article to find out more about VPNs and how to use them to your best advantage.

Basics of VPNs

From the moment you fire up your computer, it's connected to the public internet. You won't even need to enter your search engine, and anyone could have access to all of your data. When you do begin browsing, your internet service provider and the websites you access will track all your movements, as will the hackers. 

A Virtual Private Network, or VPN, encrypts your information and sends it to the public network in a modified way. Essentially, it creates another IP address, making it appear like you are browsing from a different location. Your actual IP address will always stay hidden from unwanted eyes. VPNs often offer a physical geolocation for a new IP address from another country, which can come in handy when traveling or trying to obtain information that's blocked in your country. 

When browsing from public internet services, such as your local internet coffee shop, you are at even a greater risk of someone stealing your virtual data. These networks usually don't have much security, so you should only access them through a secure VPN.

How to Choose a VPN

Different VPN providers offer different benefits, so your choice should depend on the reason you need one in the first place. Here are some factors to consider when opting for a VPN:

1. Privacy protection: If you want your data fully protected, it's recommended to use a VPN that doesn't keep connection logs and your IP address at all. VPNs that do keep your IP address can pose a security hazard if they are breached. 

1. Security Benefits: A safe VPN can prevent anyone from accessing your sensitive personal information. This feature is particularly useful if you are making online payments frequently. Try looking for a VPN service with a kill switch to sever your internet connection if a VPN fails automatically.

1. Functionality and pricing: While the price might be a limiting factor when choosing a VPN, you should really put more focus on the functionality. If you are looking for a reputable VPN with reasonable pricing, at www.vpnbrains.com, you can find recommendations for every type of device you use. A VPN with a couple of simple services could be a good option if you have a tight budget.

1. Location encryption: As this is a feature you will probably count on a lot, it's important to choose a VPN that allows you all the benefits of changing your physical location. Besides traveling, you can use location encryption to unblock websites and streaming services restricted in your country.

1. Speed restrictions: Depending on the type of VPN you are using and the physical location of its servers, your internet speed might be limited. You can avoid your connection slowing down by choosing a VPN that's based as close to you as possible or at least offers a relatively close server.

Be aware of the Downsides 

One of the main issues users usually have with VPN is speed. Because you are reaching a public server through a VPN server, your connection will probably be slower than with a direct connection. You can have similar problems with the served load as well. During peak hours, VPN servers often get overloaded, preventing you from accessing the internet safely. Try to avoid those hours, even if you have a good VPN provider.

Streaming sites, such as Netflix, have a way to detect VPNs. As they have the right to do so due to licensing rights, they can restrict or even deny access to their site. In this case, you will probably have to find another way to watch your favorite shows. 

As you can see, VPNs are a valuable tool for hiding your internet activity and much more.  It's not only a matter of privacy, after all. The security of your data, finances and even life can be in question. Whatever your reason might be for choosing one, you won't regret it. Hopefully, this article provided you with enough information about VPNs and how to get the most out of them.