VPN

The Best Secure VPN: What is a VPN, When to Use One and How it Works

Have you ever been on a public Wi-Fi network and worried about what other people might be doing with your data? The best way to protect yourself from this is to use the best secure VPN or virtual private network. But not all VPNs are created equal. Many different factors make one better than the others, and it’s essential to know them to choose well.

What is a VPN and How Does It Work

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is an encrypted tunnel from your device to a VPN server. When you enter the tunnel, all of your data travels along with it. No one else can access it except for those on either end of the connection – you and whoever or whatever computer hosts the VPN server. It’s like having someone guard over what you do online so only people who are supposed to see it get to look at anything.

A VPN does more than protect privacy. They also allow maximum bandwidth on public networks by encrypting traffic rather than sending everything in plain text as unencrypted packets. This property means that if there’s congestion on a network due to too many devices trying to use it, using a VPN can lower network usage.

A VPN is handy when you’re trying to access restricted content on the internet. Many people want to do with their newly found anonymity is downloading blocked material in their country. Such content includes YouTube videos or podcasts. With a good VPN, this becomes possible without worrying about being tracked by your ISP and government authorities because all traffic coming from these servers is encrypted.

When You Should Use a VPN

Using a VPN is essential when using a public network or when you are in a hostile environment. Suppose you are using a public network, such as one at the airport or any other coffee shop. In that case, it’s best to use an encrypted VPN to protect your data. You may not be sure whether you can trust the company providing the Wi-Fi service with your information. That’s because they don’t have a high reputation for privacy (or if there is no way of telling). Then, it’s best to avoid logging on without protection and find another connection point instead.

A secure VPN encrypts all traffic coming from both outside and inside sources by default. As a result, nobody will be able to read what these packets contain – this includes government authorities who might try tapping into unencrypted connections as well. The only thing they’ll see is that traffic exists but won’t be able to read it.

The Best Secure VPN for Different Needs

  • VPNs are useful for several purposes:
  • Protection on public Wi-Fi networks.
  • Protection against hostile governments.
  • Accessing content restricted to specific locations.

The best secure VPN for most people is ProtonVPN. It has many servers in many countries worldwide. This spread allows you to access geo-restricted content on different streaming providers such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. It also supports Tor over VPN functionality. This ability means your IP address will not leak out if you want to use the internet anonymously at public Wi-Fi hotspots. Furthermore, with unlimited bandwidth and up to five simultaneous connections per plan (at no extra charge), we think ProtonVPN is an excellent choice for network security.

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Best VPN for Home Network Info: Essential Privacy and Security Features to Look for in Home VPN Services

There are many VPN services out there for all types of web users and business users. If you just want something to protect your own home network, you have plenty of choices. Whatever you do, don’t just assume that a free service is fine for personal use. It’s always a good idea to avoid a free virtual private network “service” since they are less reliable and sometimes come with ads. The best VPN for home network will cost some money, although it doesn’t have to be a lot.

Home users have different reasons for wanting their home internet network to be secured. Why let your ISP snoop and keep logs and sell your info to advertisers? Why take any risks of hackers getting around your router vulnerabilities? What if you want to upload or download torrent files?

It doesn’t matter what you want this kind of service for, the important thing is choosing the right one. You probably have at least a basic understanding of what VPN services are. They allow you to change your IP address to a far more secure server without having to physically leave your home. You can connect to a virtual server on the other side of the country, or on the other side of the world. This kind of service also allows you to bypass geographical restrictions on video and other content.

Best VPN for Home Network With Anti-Malware

Another great thing about VPNs is that some of them use anti-malware software. This is definitely a good selling point. Even though it should not track your data itself as it travels through the tunnel, it should still be able to detect malicious code. This will provide your home network with an added layer of malware protection on top of whatever antivirus program you already have.

Probably the main reason why most people use VPN connections is to download files via torrent programs. This can be useful even if you are downloading legal torrents, because ISPs can be throttling the connection and making the downloads extremely slow. While VPNs aren’t always fast themselves, they can still sometimes be faster than your regular internet connection if you ISP has a bad habit of throttling or putting limits on bandwidth.

It’s ideal to choose a VPN provider that has a 100% no logs policy and has a large user base – especially if you plan to share torrents. This will make it extremely difficult or even impossible for a single user to be identified.

Out of all of the options, your best VPN for home network choice will be something like ProtonVPN. You’ll get all of the security, privacy, and freedom you need.

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Trusted VPN Providers: 5 Tips for Determining if a VPN Service is Truly Trustworthy and Reliable

Many VPN companies are trustworthy for the most part, but there are some that aren’t as transparent and don’t provide a 100% no-logs policy guarantee. The one thing to really watch out for are the “free” VPNs. They have to make their money somehow, so who knows what kinds of underhanded tactics they might try and use. How do you know which ones you can really rely on? What do the most trusted VPN providers offer to make them stand out from the other?

Here are a few features and protocols to look for when comparing various services:

1. Strong, military grade encryption. Only choose a company that encrypts its network traffic with AES-256, uses HMAC with SHA384 for message authentication, and uses 4096-bit RSA with key exchange. If you don’t fully understand what this means, just know that it is VERY strong encryption and it’s guaranteed to keep your network traffic completely private and protected.

2. As for the strong protocols, look for VPN protocols that are known to be absolutely secure, such as IKEv2 / IPSec and OpenVPN. The provider should be transparent about its protocols, and have a long and consistent track record in security.

More Trusted VPN Providers Tips

3. When many people evaluate the trustworthiness of a VPN, they often forget about the actual physical location of the hardware involved. There is actual hardware when it comes to VPN services. When doing research on trusted VPN providers, take the time to read about its physical security and where its infrastructure resides. The best places to have the hardware are secure former military bases and underground data centers. You don’t have to know the exact location, but at least have an idea of what kind of secure facility the physical infrastructure is kept in.

4. There should be DNS-Leak prevention. Not only must your browsing traffic be protected, but your DNS queries should be as well. The ideal VPN service will NOT rely on third-party DNS providers, but will route the DNS-queries through the encrypted tunnel, and make sure that your activity will not be exposed by any leaks from DNS-queries.

5. The “Kill Switch” is a plus. While it’s not necessarily something all users need, it’s still good to have for those who are involved in torrenting and other such activities. This kind of application will automatically block all network traffic in the event that you suddenly lose connection with the virtual private network server. You won’t have to worry about your privacy being compromised by your true IPS address getting exposed.

These are all features you’ll find with only the most trusted VPN providers. If there is one that offers all of these as well as affordable rates, it is ProtonVPN. Discount pricing is sometimes available, depending on which subscription plan / level of service you choose.

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Best Paid VPN Guide: Important Features and Details to Look for When Choosing the Right VPN for Your Needs

VPN services are gaining in popularity all across the world as internet users are getting tired of being snooped on by their ISPs and other entities. Those who are looking for a solid virtual private network solution should be careful with their selection. Most experts agree that the “free” ones are definitely NOT good and are lacking in many ways, including in security and privacy. Like it or not, you’ll have to pay for one if you want a truly reliable and honest service. What is the best paid VPN, though? How does it stand apart from others?

It really depends on your specific needs. Some of these platforms focus more on P2P sharing, some put LOTS of extra focus on security and anonymity (for journalists who want to hide their research and contacts and anyone else in a profession that requires extra cyber security), some focus on video streaming, some focus on speed, and so forth.

Many users look for ways to get around region-restricted content. Are you getting tired of “This content is blocked in your country” messages whenever you click on a video? If you want to watch videos in other countries that you can’t watch in your own, then the best paid VPN for you will help you get around that.

No matter what you want to use a virtual private network platform for, make sure you understand how the technology works and that that particular platform guarantees that you get that level of security. When connected to one of the virtual servers, your internet connection should be routed through encrypted through tunnels. There is no way any person, organization, or even the VPN provider itself will be able to eavesdrop on your connection, as all outgoing and incoming data should be completely encrypted.

Best Paid VPN Speed and Location

Speed is another important thing to consider – especially if you are going to be streaming content or participating in torrenting / P2P sharing. If a particular VPN company is getting a lot of negative reviews and complaints about being slow, then it probably isn’t the best paid option. However, if there is a free trial, you still might want to consider trying it for yourself.

As for the locations of the servers, the more available in as many countries as possible around the world, the better.

One place you might want to start your search for the best paid VPN is ProtonVPN – especially considering it has three levels of “paid VPN” services, including Basic, Plus, and Visionary. There is also a free version, but the speeds are only medium and you can only connect to a few different servers on a single device. For the best deal, look into ProtonVPN Plus discounts.

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Trusted VPN Services: Top 5 Secure, Trustworthy Services worth Looking Into

Are you looking for the best VPN possible or your computer and mobile phone? There are hundreds of these services in 2019 and not all of them are worthy of trust. It’s not going to be worth using a virtual private network service if they are just going to keep some kind of logs or data and sell it anyway. How do you know which provider you can trust? Well, to help you get started, here is a list of 5 trusted VPN services.

Hotspot Shield

According to AV-Test, this service is #1 for not only security, but for speed and ease-of-use as well. It’s often praised in reviews for having some of the fastest servers around. You can easily hide your real IP address, and have a peace of mind that all of your web traffic is encrypted with military-grade technology. Hotspot Shield does not keep activity logs. There are over 3,000 global servers and a 45-day money back guarantee, which is a longer period than most other VPN services offer.

Pure VPN

This company offers impressive pricing and HUGE discounts for new users. Users get features like 24/7 tech support, split tunneling, network of 2,000+ servers to choose from, internet kill switch, and secure Wi-Fi. All you need is one PureVPN account and you’ll be able to connect up to 5 computers or devices simultaneously.

Kaspersky Secure Connection

Since it’s already one of the biggest leaders of all types of cyber security in the world, it’s no surprise that Kaspersky offers trusted VPN services as well. It offers a guarantee that absolutely no logs or records of any kind will be kept. Choose between a premium monthly subscription or yearly subscription. There is also a free version, but it only offers 200 – 300MB of bandwidth per day.

Tunnel Bear

Tunnel Bear usually makes it in these types of lists – for good reasons. It’s very easy to use and offers server options in 22 countries. All you have to do is open the TunnelBear app, click on your country of choice, and “flip the switch”. The service will work quietly in the background and won’t cause any problems as it keeps your data secure.

ProtonVPN – One of the VERY Trusted VPN Services

While not as well-known as some of the other companies on this list, ProtonVPN definitely offers some of the most trusted VPN services. There are hundreds of servers in 50+ countries, and the number is growing all the time. This is a Swiss-based company that offers all of the advanced security features, multiple subscription plans and prices, and a 30-day money back guarantee. You really might want to give this one a try.

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Trusted VPN Guide: How to Identify the Trustworthiness of a VPN Provider

If you’ve been researching virtual private networks, you probably know that not every provider is trustworthy or as transparent as they claim to be. This is why you must carefully select a company after taking a look at its privacy policy and terms and conditions. Nobody likes to read this stuff, but you should at least spend a couple of minutes looking over it before deciding if the company offers trusted VPN services.

The best ones are going to offer a no-logs guarantee, and won’t care what you do while you are connected to one of their servers at all. After all, the primary reason for paying for a VPN is for security and privacy. Fortunately, most PAID virtual private network services got customers covered from the security angle. It’s the so-called “free” ones you’ll have to watch out for the most. The “Free” providers will need to make their money somehow, even it means selling user data and logs to third parties for marketing purposes.

Don’t worry, though – just because you’ll have to pay for true VPN security doesn’t mean that you’ll have to pay a lot. There are plenty of affordable solutions out there. You shouldn’t have to pay more than a few dollars a month. Usually, the more months you purchase a subscription for, the bigger the discount you’ll be able to get. Just look over the pricing and subscription options for each company.

Encryption of a Trusted VPN

Also, a trusted VPN will have strong encryption, protocols, and forward secrecy. Opt for a company that has the highest strength encryption possible to protect your internet connection. All of your network traffic should be encrypted with AES-265, and “key exchange” should be done with 4096-bit RSA. Ideal VPN protocols should be secure (OpenVPN and IKEv2 / IPSec).

In which country is the provider based? A Swiss-based company is usually a sign of trustworthiness and privacy. There is also physical security to consider. Where is the critical infrastructure located? The best companies will go out of their way to hide their hardware and datacenters in an underground, fallout shelter. While this might seem over the top, it’s truly a sign that VPN provider is as serious as possible in protecting its customers’ privacy and anonymity.

Not only should your browsing traffic be protected, but your DNS queries as well. A trusted VPN will root DNS queries through the encrypted tunnel and will not in any way rely on a third-party DNS provider. ProtonVPN is a company that offers a DNS leak prevention guarantee. There are different levels of services for users to choose from. Use ProtonVPN discounts to help you save. There is also a 30-day money back guarantee.

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Best Fast VPN: Guide to Virtual Private Network Speeds, Protocols, and Server Options

There are often speed issues when it comes to VPN services. This is because it can take some time to encrypt data while it travels through the tunnels. You might not notice this difference when doing basic things like browsing and sending emails, but you’ll likely notice if you try to stream videos, play games, or take part in some P2P torrenting. In order to avoid speed issues, it’s best to try and find the best fast VPN for your needs.

Server location plays a role in speed. The further your information has to travel to and from the server, the slower the connection will be. This is why you must look for a virtual private network provider that offers a high number of servers in as many countries as possible. Also, your line speed and your own internet plan can affect internet speed.

There is also stability. No matter how fast a VPN connection is, it’s not going to do you much good if it lacks stability and you keep getting kicked off. While every company will have a bad day, or just a few bad hours, there are some that are far more stable than others. Check and see if there are any servers dedicated specifically for a certain type of activity, such as P2P or Netflix, and that only users who want to do those things are allowed to connect to those servers. Most resources are used for those servers to ensure that they achieve the fastest speeds possible.

Offers of the Best Fast VPN

The best fast VPN will offer you the choice to switch to UDP instead of TCP (protocols). TCP is sometimes set as default with certain operating systems. It is often faster than UDP, so check that it is the one you are using. On mobile devices, however, it might be ideal to use the IKEv2protocol if it is available, as it is faster on Android and iOS applications.

Avoid using Tor VPN servers unless you absolutely need to, as the Tor network is often slow and the VPN connections to them can also be slow as a result.

Security should never be compromised for the sake of speed. For instance, PPTP is a very fast protocol, but it is not very secure and will not give you the privacy you may require. Only use it if it is available and you are doing something that doesn’t require as much privacy.

When it comes down to it, one way to find the best fast VPN is to use free trials. ProtonVPN is a good company to start with as it offers different levels of service at different prices. Even its “Basic” plan promises fast connections, although you would only be able to use it on two devices. If possible, use ProtonVPN promo codes to help you get a good deal on the Plus plan or Visionary.

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Buy Cheap VPN Guide: How to Choose a VPN Service That Meets All of Your Needs

There are many VPN service providers that offer solutions for home users and businesses. Whatever your reason(s) are for wanting to stay safe and private on the internet, you’re undoubtedly wondering where to buy cheap VPN. You’re not going to find any truly good, reliable services for free, so that aside right now. You will, however, find some good deals with decent providers.

The most important thing is to make sure that any virtual private network meets all of your requirements. There is no point in spending money on a service that does not do exactly what you want. If you want a VPN for business, then choose one that comes with extra security, unlimited bandwidth, “travel mode”, and the ability to use on an unlimited number of computers and devices. Ping time is important for business users as well. The lower the ping time (milliseconds), the better. This is because a low ping is vital for real-time applications like VoIP and Skype to work properly.

If you want to be able to access Netflix and other streaming sites and view all content without restrictions, then look for a VPN that offers specialized, fast streaming servers that will allow you to stream Netflix content in all regions of the world.

Look for Strong Protocols When You Buy Cheap VPN

Strong protocols and forward secrecy are very important for those who want to buy cheap VPN that will make them untraceable on the internet. There should be encryption cipher suites featuring “Perfect Forward Secrecy”. This means that all encrypted traffic cannot be captured and decrypted – even after your session. Should the encryption key from a prior session become compromised, none of the user’s activity can be captured or traced. With each and every session, a new encryption key is generated, and no key is used again for more than a single session.

If you are concerned about geographic restrictions, then look for a virtual private network service based in a country such as Switzerland. This is because Swiss internet is among the most private in the world, and remains outside the EU and US jurisdictions.

Finally, you should look for a VPN that has a guaranteed no-logs policy and DNS-leak prevention policy. Not only should your browsing traffic be protected, but your DNS queries should be as well. Your DNS queries should be routed through the encrypted tunnel with a guarantee that no browsing activity will be exposed by leaks.

What is your best option when you buy cheap VPN? One good service to start with is ProtonVPN. There are Free, Basic, Plus, and Visionary subscription services available. The Basic Plan is okay if you just need access to some fast servers for P2P. However, it’s best to go with at least the Plus subscription if you want advanced security and privacy features. Look into ProtonVPN discounts to help bring down the price of Plus and Visionary plans.

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VPN Provider Reviews: Tips on What to Look for When Researching VPN Services and Security Features

One way to determine the best virtual private network solution for your needs is to read reviews, and look at user ratings. There are so many things to consider when it comes to any service relating to cyber security, and VPNs are no different. You can learn about various features, pros, cons, and other details by reading VPN provider reviews.

Not all reviews are obviously going to be legitimate, so make sure you read the ones from verified buyers. Otherwise, you never know if the one you are reading is from a real user. Anybody can try to say anything about any product or service these days. Reviews from verified buyers are what you need to mostly keep an eye out for.

Of course, it helps to have an idea of what you are looking for in a virtual private network service yourself. What one person might complain about might not be that big of a deal to you. If someone complains that a particular service doesn’t work with Netflix, and you don’t plan on using a VPN to watch Netflix anyway, then that is a complaint that you can overlook.

Consider the features that ARE important to you, and find out what people are saying about those particular feature when reading VPN provider reviews.

The Importance of Encryption in VPN Provider Reviews

Strong encryption is extremely important when it comes to protecting your internet connection. All of your network traffic when connected to a VPN should be encrypted with AES-256, with superior key exchange and message authentication technologies. Strong protocols that are known to be secure, like OpenVPN and IKEv2 / IPSec, should be used. You’ll want to pick a provider that will give you a peace of mind that your VPN tunnel is protected and secure.

Transparency is another important issue. If you and other users have trouble finding details regarding a particular service, such as who is running it, in which country it is based, its log policy, DNS-leak protection, location list of servers, etc., then it’s a good idea to avoid such a provider. Also, do a bit of research to find out which VPN companies have a positive reputation for fighting for online privacy on behalf of its users, and how they contribute to the open source community.

The ideal service will also have positive reviews about its speeds. Speed is an issue with a lot of VPN accounts, and not all of them are capable of providing users with optimal performance.

One particular service for which you’ll likely find a lot of positive VPN provider reviews is ProtonVPN. It utilizes the strongest encryption, yet still manages to provide good speeds. It also offers all of the top security protocols and encryption technologies mentioned above. Try it out for free, and then decide whether you want to upgrade to ProtonVPN Basic, Plus, or Visionary.

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Top Rated VPN Services: What are the Best Services for You to Choose From?

You’re probably already familiar with VPNs, or you wouldn’t be searching for the top rated service. A virtual private network, of course, is a computing or mobile service that allows users to hide their location, IP address, and identity from the rest of the internet, and to connect virtually and anonymously to another server from other places around the world without actually having to physically be there. The top rated VPN services are the ones that provide a good variety of servers from all different regions, have decent speeds, offer strict no-logs policies, and have the best security protocols in place.

What *are* the best services for virtual private networks? Here is a quick rundown of some of the highest rated ones that meet the criteria mentioned above.

ExpressVPN

Nearly 200 server locations in 94 countries, unlimited speeds, and 30,000 IP addresses are some of the reasons why ExpressVPN is a good choice. It offers support for multiple devices and 24/7 live chat just in case any issues arise. Prices are reasonable and a free trial is available. It’s also easy to use with a one-click start-up option.

Hotspot Shield

This quality of this service is backed up by its hundreds of millions of loyal users. It offers “internet access around the world with no borders”. Although it is free to use, it’s still better to upgrade to the full version, since paid users get the most out of this service. You can even try out the paid service for 7 days with the free trial. This is a US-based service with servers in Russia and China.

Avast Secureline

It’s not a surprise that Avast offers one of the top rated VPN services, as it is already an established name in the internet and computer security industries. Reasons to try Secureline (there is a free trial period) is because of its 256-bit AES encryption and excellent protocols (OpenVPN / IPSEC and IKEv2). There is great usability on both the desktop versions and the mobile app.

PureVPN

This VPN is often referred to as a “great all-rounder”, with its reasonably priced service, 2000+ servers across 140+ countries, and its ability to work with Netflix and other popular streaming services. It also comes with the extremely important “kill switch” feature that many people find useful. It’s possible to have up to 5 simultaneous connections with PureVPN.

ProtonVPN

Of the top rated VPN services, this one is not the flashiest, biggest, or cheapest, but it is still a great choice as it divides the servers up uniquely and evenly among subscribers, and still manages to offer server features typically only seen in the largest VPN solutions. Headquartered in Switzerland, which has some of the strongest internet privacy laws in the world, ProtonVPN offers different tiers of subscription and features options: Free, Basic, Plus, and Visionary.