VPN technology was developed over 20 years ago as a tool for creating an encrypted private network on top of a public network (the Internet). This is necessary to create an analog of a local network via the Internet. People and devices that are not physically located in one place can use the same network. Over time, this technology found a different application - people hid their real location using VPN. To do this, they set up a standard VPN server with traffic routing to the Internet. 20 years have passed and now we have an enormous amount of VPN services that implement this scheme. How to choose from such a variety? We will help you with this!
First, we would like to give general recommendations, and then, depending on your needs, our advice will be different.
General recommendations
You need to answer the question: "Why do I need a VPN?". What are the options?
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Get access to blocked sites
Why?
Some sites block entire countries. They check the location of your IP address and prohibit access to the site.For example, you can get access to Craigslist (a site with ads in the USA) only if you have the US IP address. Other examples are Netflix and YouTube which have limited content available in the limited amount of countries. Social networks, political and news sites, are also blocked.
What to do?
You should take a trial subscription and check the connection. So you will be sure that the servers are not blocked in your country and there are no problems with access to the resources you need. In addition, you need to pay attention to the connection speed, cost of services and ease of use.
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Download torrents
Why?
Sometimes there is a situation when information is no longer for sale or lost for another reason. For example, books that are no longer selling. In such cases, peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent come to the rescue, but in some countries, they are prohibited.
What to do?
Look for instructions on how to download files from peer-to-peer networks. Then take a trial period and check whether the sites you want to use are available. Try to download any file to check the speed.
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Convenient geo-oriented surfing
Why?
For different countries, the search engine may produce different results. This is important if you investigate the information field of another country, for example, for a marketing campaign.
What to do?
Look at the availability of servers in the countries you need. Options for changing the IP address and the output server without reconnecting provide additional convenience.
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Get a static IP address
Why?
You have several devices and you are actively moving. Networks and IP addresses are changing. Sometimes, this is enough to track your movements. In addition, logging in on some sites from different IP addresses may cause suspicion and your account will be shadow banned. Sometimes, access to a resource is allowed only by IP address. In all these cases, it is important to have a static IP address.
What to do?
It is necessary to check whether it is possible to choose an IP address when connecting to a VPN service. With most services, you can select only the connection server, but not the IP address. If this possibility is present, then the case is in the bag. Use the same IP address. If there is no such option, then you need to find out if the VPN service sells dedicated IP addresses and purchase it.
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Protect your data from interception
Why?
Your provider can intercept traffic. Owner of a public Wi-Fi network to which you are connected can intercept traffic. Owner of any network through which your data is transmitted can see your traffic.
What to do?
You need to pay attention to what kind of encryption the service uses. 256-bit encryption is basically unhackable at the moment, so this is your goal. Services that offer encryption more secure than 256-bit use it as an advertising move. In addition, the stronger the encryption, the lower the connection speed.
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Hide your real IP address to avoid disclosing your identity
Why?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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What to do?
It is necessary to check the following features, namely:
- KillSwitch option in an application that blocks your internet connection while you are not connected to a VPN
- Additional options that enhance your security: change your system time to server time, additional protection against DNS leakage, IPv6 blocking (if not used) and others
- DoubleVPN, which allows you to connect via 2 VPN servers
- Articles on the site or blog that enhance user education in information security
- Adequate technical support that will consult you on service issues
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Use VPN for corporate purposes
Why?
If your employees are in different locations, use different providers, but you need everyone to have an encrypted connection to the network and stable addresses regardless of location. VPN service can help in solving this problem. The best way to do this is to rent IP addresses or entire servers in the infrastructure of the VPN service.
What to do?
You should look at the website of the service whether it is possible to purchase dedicated IP addresses and dedicated servers or text about this with technical support.
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Intensive work with resources that can lead to your IP address blocking
Why?
For example, this can happen when cheating in voting, frequently visiting a website or signing up several accounts.
What to do?
In this case, VPN will help and you need to look at the number of servers and addresses. But there is a subtle point: services that offer many addresses actually offer proxy under the guise of a VPN or have very similar IP addresses within the same subnet which is too noticeable and easily blocked. You should also check the unique features of the service. It is possible he has the functionality for your needs embedded in the application.
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Speed up Internet connection
Why?
There is a chance that a route to the requested resource via the VPN server is shorter, or the speed along a route through the VPN server is higher. This can be useful if, for example, you play a game and have a high ping.
What to do?
You should take a trial period and try different servers and protocols to see if there will be an increase in speed or a decrease in ping. If the trial period is not enough to test the service, you can write to technical support with a request to extend it.
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Earn money on affiliate programs
Why?
Sometimes the service offers an opportunity to earn money. There are two most common schemes. In one case, you need to bring a person and you will be awarded a certain percent from his purchases. In another case, you can become a reseller: the VPN service provides you with its infrastructure, and you create a website and engage in attracting customers. This option is more profitable than the first one but you will need to work more intensive at the same time.
What to do?
To make money on a VPN service, carefully examine all the information on the site of the service, and establish contact with technical support.
When working closely with a VPN, there are many nuances, but only a few services on the market can provide something non-standard. If the service is needed occasionally, or it is required for minor actions, then sometimes you can just get by with a trial subscription or purchase a subscription for a short term.
