With digital devices becoming increasingly involved in our daily lives, the regular hacking incidents, unauthorized access, data breaches, ransomware attacks, and more are also increasing. While it is impossible to reduce the usage of computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets, it is time to beef up the security of our digital devices by monitoring how they interact with the internet.
So when it comes to the Security and Privacy of your computer, apart from installing an Antivirus software or Internet Security Suite, one should consider using a Virtual Private Network or a VPN software on your Windows computer to stay anonymous, safe & secure, and to protect your privacy. You may argue that VPN may be required only at commercial networks or at offices – but the reality is that in today’s time, is that it has become imperative that one use it even on a home computer.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is essential to staying invisible or anonymous on the net. VPN software encrypts all the data that your PC sends so that it is unhackable. And now that the US Senate has voted to let ISPs sell your Web Browsing History, it has become even more important to use a VPN.
What is Virtual Private Network or VPN
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. As the name suggests, a VPN creates a private network that works over public networks like the Internet. Corporations mainly use it to protect their sensitive data. A VPN is widely used to access the data on a computer that is not physically on the same LAN. However, it is also an effective way to secure and encrypt communication when using an untrusted public network.
When you use a VPN software, your IP address is replaced or masked, thus making you invisible. All the data that you send is encrypted. In short, the VPN server acts as a Tunnel and stands between your computer and the website. The ISPs too are therefore not able to trace you or track your browsing history.
Detailed read: What is a VPN, and Benefits of using VPN at Home
How Virtual Private Network works
To use a Virtual Private Network, you have to launch a VPN client. Several VPN software products are available on the market.
Once you have launched the VPN software on your machine, you need to log in with your credentials. This establishes a connection with the remote machine. The VPN connection confirms whether both PCs on the network are authentic and allows the connection between them. The communication between these two PCs is encrypted and secured.
A virtual private network secures the data shared between the two PCs and the internet connection on your PC. Thus, it ensures that any data sent or received by your PC is encrypted and secured.
Why use a VPN for security and privacy
As mentioned before, VPN creates a secure and encrypted connection between computers. Hence, the data always remains hidden from prying eyes. Any traffic between your PC and a private server remains unseen. Hence, seeing this traffic or even modifying it is nearly impossible. Of course, the VPN can see and record all your activities. However, unlike browsers or other entities on the Internet, VPN software does not typically log or share this data.
In general, a Virtual Private Network is used by people for several purposes. Some of these purposes are with good intentions, while others may be considered illegal by law. These include:
- Taking the remote connection of an organization’s private network
- When using public Wi-Fi, protecting the data
- Hiding BitTorrent piracy
- Hiding from government censorship or surveillance
- Accessing Netflix library from other countries
However, one of the most prominent and common problems being faced today can be tackled using a VPN. All Internet Service Providers mass-collect data about what you do online. This collected data provides all sorts of information about you, such as what you like, sites you visit, where you live, what do you wear, where you work, and so on. Sometimes this information is sold to the online marketers – and this is done without your consent.
And then there are the dangers of free WiFi which we are so used to now. When you connect to a public Wi-Fi network your sensitive information such as bank account passwords, online logins, and email passwords can be hacked easily, as these networks are not safe – and that is why we recommend that you follow these WiFi Security Tips – one of which is installing a VPN.
Read: How to choose the best VPN?
What features should you look in a good Virtual Private Network
When selecting a VPN, you need to look for some of its features. An efficient VPN must offer various features, good connectivity protocols, server location, and affordable prices. Apart from a general category of free and paid VPNs, some VPNs are good for occasional use. If you want to use a Virtual Private Network for prolonged use, you can select the VPNs that work around the location restrictions.
TIP: Use Freegate anti-censorship software to bypass internet censorship & browse freely.
Which VPN is good for you
That’s a critical question that you must ask. You will have to see your requirements and then decide which one to go for. Are you concerned about privacy or security? Or is geoblocking more of a concern and you want to be able to view blocked sites. Or maybe you are more concerned about bypassing restrictive networks. How strongly do you want the data you send to be encrypted. Is it important that your VPN does not log your data? Your answers to such questions will help you decide.
VPNs use different types of Protocols to establish connections. It’s best to choose a VPN that supports OpenVPN and avoid using other protocols like PPTP if you are concerned about privacy.
Read: Hardware VPN vs Software VPN.
Not all VPNs are good, so it is important to install only the popular ones. You can read reviews of some of the VPNs on our website. I have also encountered this excellent study, which compares several VPN software and lays out their pros and cons in a tabular chart. Not all comparisons you see on the internet may be genuine, but this one looks pretty dependable.
There are several popular ones available like ProtonVPN, NordVPN, Traceless.Me VPN, TunnelBear, Freelan Open Source VPN software, VPN One Click, Ultrasurf, TOR, Betternet, Jumpto Browser, Hide.Me, strongSwan, Psiphon, Avira Phantom VPN, Hotspot Shield VPN, Globus Free VPN, SecurityKiss, Spotflux, Neorouter, Hotspot Shield, Hola Unblocker, Windscribe VPN, etc.
I suggest that you install a free VPN software first, try it for a week or so and see if you like it and if it works fine on your computer. Sometimes a VPN software may just break your internet connection. So, try a couple of VPNs each week and then decide which works best for you.
If you can invest some amount, you should go for a paid VPN version for your security – but the free versions are fine too. Most free VPNs give you a set amount of free data every month. But some allow you to increase this quota. TunnelBear gives you 1GB extra free data every time you tweet. Windscribe VPN gives you 10GB of free data every month – but currently, their promo will give you 50GB of free data per month for life!
Go invisible on the Internet!
I honestly feel that it is time for you to adopt VPN software, even if you are a home PC user. It may all look complicated to some of you, but several VPN software like ProtonVPN, TunnelBear, etc. are really easy for you. All you need to do is click on the Connect or Disconnect buttons. I have used Cyberghost, Traceless, and TunnelBear and find them easy to use – but I am sure there are several other good and easy-to-use ones too.
We’d love to hear your comments on this post or your experience using VPN software.
