5 things you may not know about VPN

If you aren’t completely technologically ignorant, it’s impossible not to have encountered the term VPN before. Chances are you have already been recommended one or maybe you’ve observed someone using a VPN – at your workplace, a friend, or a family member perhaps.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Networking which basically creates a point-to-point, private, virtual connection which allows you to browse on public networks with all the inherent benefits of a public one.

VPNCoffee can assist you in locating the finest VPN for you. They are aware that varied requirements may necessitate the use of multiple VPNs. They provide articles about the best VPNs for all of your needs, whether you’re torrenting or watching geo-restricted Netflix content. We can also assist you in selecting a VPN for any platform, including Android TV.

This list shall help you make up your mind in case you are on the fence about getting a VPN subscription or unsure about what the exact underlying benefits of a VPN service can be:

1. Access to inaccessible content: Perhaps the most common reason why most users jump on the VPN bandwagon, VPN largely eliminates accessibility issues faced with streaming platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, or Spotify. Licensing agreements for content vary from time to time across regions and it’s probable that you may not be able to access your desired show or album from a different region – say if you are abroad on a holiday or a business trip. The other application would be gaining access to content that was previously available in your home region but has been removed from your library.

All of this is essentially achieved by using your VPN to set your browsing location to the region which allows the viewing of the content you are looking for. Although do keep in mind this practice may be deemed illegal in certain countries or lies beyond the end-user agreement of the service you wish to use. So do proceed with caution. 

2. The privacy factor: This, perhaps one of the important reasons why you should consider getting a VPN service in the first place. The primary job of a VPN service is to provide you with added privacy and security (more on that later).

A VPN masks your digital footprint – which is essentially your complete browsing activity. It includes things such as your real-time location, browsing history, device information and IP address.

This is due to the No-Logs policy of a VPN service provider. What this does is prevent the release of any personal information that you do not wish to disclose otherwise by preventing tracking of data – this applies to websites, your search engine, or even your ISP. 

This prevents you from getting bombarded with spam emails or advertisements based on your browsing history from both known and unknown websites or having your internet speed throttled by your ISP upon carefully observing your data browsing patterns (explained later). 

3. The security factor: This can be considered an inherent extension to the privacy benefits of your VPN and is just as important. Thanks to 256-bit encryption, your data is always secure from prying eyes – whether you’re sending or receiving it.

Since your digital footprint isn’t allowed to be tracked by websites and your search engine, this drastically reduces the chance of your browsing data or personal information ending up on unsafe websites and eventually in the hands of cybercriminals who may try to exploit your personal details to their benefit.

Due to the reduction in advertisements and spam emails, the chance of opening infected attachments laced with malware is also averted – which by the way is one of the most common reasons for a malware infecting a device. The other most common reason for privacy risk and introducing malware on your system is by accessing public networks such as free Wi-Fi at restaurants, parks, hotels, or airports. This is also addressed thanks to robust data encryption. 

Good VPN services are often offshoots of large companies which have tons of experience in internet security. Take Bitdefender for example – they have one of the best Mac antivirus solutions on the market and naturally, their strong cybersecurity expertise also extends to their VPN solutions. 

4. Avoid throttling of streaming speeds: With the advent of cheaper data and so-called unlimited data plans, certain mobile data service providers were found to restrict data speeds for certain websites or apps which are prone to high data usage such as YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime video.

Since the throttled speeds were way below the advertised limit of subscribed data plan itself, this allowed companies to make more profits by reducing the amount of data spent by the subscriber on these websites. A VPN provides anonymity from your ISP by encrypting your outgoing internet traffic allowing you to stay immune from such practices. 

5. Additional benefits: These may vary according to your VPN service provider and are not primary benefits associated with a VPN service – although Bitdefender provides them regardless:

• Allows multiple devices – A single subscription allows secure browsing on up to 10 devices. The device OS compatibility includes Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
• Stay protected from targeted attacks such as DDoS or distributed denial-of-service attacks – in which cybercriminals disrupt the normal functioning of your web resources by spamming dummy requests to your server, saturating its bandwidth. This leads to a slow or unresponsive website and can be highly detrimental to your business.
• Try to avoid dynamic pricing on travel websites by trying to book tickets by changing your home location.

To conclude, a VPN service has many benefits than being a mere tool to provide access to your entertainment needs – in fact, as elaborated above, it serves more important purposes which are extremely helpful to every person reliant on the internet for work, business, education, or entertainment alike.