Basically, you NEED a VPN as a basic privacy precaution for any online activity on wireless networks. MakeUseOf provides a list of top VPN providers that you should check out if you’re considering signing up to a VPN service.
Once you’ve subscribed, and you’re set up with your virtual private network, you probably think “that’s it, all sorted.” But you’d be wrong. You’ve only just made your first baby steps into the world of VPNs.
Here are seven ways you can enhance your use of a VPN, and use it like a boss.
1. Set Up Your VPN on a Router
One of the most important things you can do with a VPN account is to set it up on your home router. The reason for this is simple: once set up, no other devices on your network need VPN software installing (unless you use public Wi-Fi).
However, there is a problem: not all routers support VPN accounts. As such, you may need to purchase a new router specifically for this task. While this may seem an unnecessary expense, the privacy benefits are considerable. Specific VPN routers are now available online, such as at Amazon.
If this isn’t practical, there are other solutions. For instance, it’s possible to set up a computer as a dedicated VPN between your modem and your router (or, if they’re the same device, between your router and your devices). Probably the best solution for this is a Raspberry Pi — if you don’t already own one, however, buying a VPN router isn’t much more expensive.
Free VPNs are great, right? Well, actually, no, they’re not. Free VPNs may seem like an excellent alternative to paid solutions, but in truth, you’re still paying.
In every single way, a paid VPN is better than a free one. Functionally, a free VPN does not cut italongside a subscription. They’re slower, less versatile (for instance, free VPNs don’t support torrenting), and more often than not display adverts based on the information you’ve used to sign up.
Avoid!
3. Pay Annually for Better Value
You can subscribe to a decent VPN service with almost any budget. Almost all services let you pay monthly, but if you really want to keep your costs down, pay annually!
This may need a bit of fiddling around with your account settings, but if annual payment is available, you’ll find your VPN offers at least a 10-percent saving. It’s definitely worth paying that fee in advance to make the saving.
While we’re on the matter of paying for your VPN, several options are usually available. For instance, major credit cards and debit cards can all be used to subscribe. Similarly, you might pay by PayPal, or one of its many alternatives.
ome VPNs, meanwhile, accept Bitcoin as a payment option. If you own a sizable amount of Bitcoin, this represents a minor fraction of the cryptocurrency’s value.
4. Use the Mobile VPN Client
Sadly, not every VPN service offers a mobile client. But if you’re subscribing to one that does, you should take advantage of it. It’s all very well extolling the dangers of using public Wi-Fi without a VPN, but people tend to view this purely as a laptop problem.
The issue here is that many shopping malls are mobile internet blackspots either intentionally, or by design. Your only option, therefore, is to access the public Wi-Fi on offer in these places. Stores are increasingly offering free Wi-Fi to potential customers in order to learn more about them. Remember that advert on your phone when you signed into public Wi-Fi in your favorite fashion store?
5. Don’t Let VPN Encryption Drain Your Laptop Battery
You probably know that a virtual private network uses encryption. And that the encrypted data travels from your device (or router) to the VPN server, then onto the destination website unencrypted (unless you’re using a HTTPS service).
Encryption can be heavy going on your computer. It can certainly impact the performance of your laptop battery, and if you run a VPN client on your mobile device, the battery of your smartphone or tablet. You don’t want your device battery to empty faster than usual, do you?
The solution to this is rather basic. You’ll need to employ a portable battery solution to recharge your device during or after VPN use. Regular charging is not ideal for batteries, but it’s a tradeoff between privacy and convenience. We’ve looked at several rechargeable battery packs at MakeUseOf over the years. My own favorite is the RAVPower 27000mAh Portable Charger, which will recharge a laptop, and is available from Amazon.
However, smaller alternatives are available, ideal for smartphones and tablets.
6. Learn How to Use Your VPN Software
There’s little point subscribing to a VPN service, installing the client software, and then leaving it to run. Accessing your virtual private network delivers so many advantages, from beating government censorship to keeping your torrent activity private. VPNs can even deliver benefits to online gaming.
In many cases, these advantages are gained by switching to a particular server. For instance, to watch region-blocked streaming media, you would need to use a server based in the appropriate country.
While some VPN clients make it easy to perform particular private tasks (such as CyberGhost), others offer less explicit features. The result is that you will need to gain familiarity with your VPN client; doing so will enable you to appreciate the full range of features on offer.
7. Book Cheaper Air Travel
We’ve briefly touched on the costs of subscribing to a VPN service. But do you know how to use a VPN to save money? With a VPN enabled, you’ll be able to deal a blow against tracking cookies. Unfortunately, online marketing services have developed other ways to identify you. Going forward, this particular advantage may die out, but for now, switching servers to different locations around the globe to book holidays can yield notable savings.
For instance, agencies selling air travel will offer prices based on your location (if not your previous buying patterns). Many people using VPNs have reported making savings by switching to an overseas server to purchase air tickets. Others still have made similar savings from arranging hotels, day trips, theme parks and other excursions.
Could your VPN pay for itself? There’s only one way to find out!
Be the Boss of Your VPN!
These seven tips should illustrate the importance of fully getting to grips with how to use your VPN. Here’s a reminder:
Set up your router with your VPN account
Avoid “free” VPN services
Save money by paying annually
Use a mobile VPN client wherever possible
Don’t let your VPN drain your mobile device
Understand how to use the VPN client and service
Save money when booking air travel and hotels
In short: a VPN isn’t simply a privacy tool. It can save you money, and generally improve your life. Don’t just subscribe, install, and click “Connect”. Get the full benefit, understand what your VPN can and cannot do, and be the boss!
Are you getting the most out of your VPN? Feel like switching to a different VPN provider? Tell us below.
If you use a modern home Wi-Fi solution like the Google Wifi or our favorite mesh system, the AmpliFi HD, you’re undoubtedly enjoying lightning fast internet all over your home. It’s great for phones, tablet, and other light-duty devices, but we have a better recommendation for your PC, streaming devices, or anything else that needs the fastest and most reliable connection possible. Wiring your house for Ethernet is a pain in the neck, which is why devices like the TP-Link AV200 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit are so fantastic. You get the same reliability and sustained speeds as you would with cat5, but you don’t need to install anything at all. Plug one box in near your router, another box near your PC, and you’re done!
Here are the highlights from the product page:
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(Reuters) — The vote by the U.S. Congress to repeal rules that limit how internet service providers can use customer data has generated renewed interest in an old internet technology: virtual private networks, or VPNs.
VPNs cloak a customer’s web-surfing history by making an encrypted connection to a private server, which then searches the Web on the customer’s behalf without revealing the destination addresses. VPNs are often used to connect to a secure business network, or in countries such as China and Turkey to bypass government restrictions on Web surfing.
Privacy-conscious techies are now talking of using VPNs as a matter of course to guard against broadband providers collecting data about which internet sites and services they are using.
“Time to start using a VPN at home,” Vijaya Gadde, general counsel of Twitter Inc, said in a tweet on Tuesday that was retweeted by Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey.
Gadde was not immediately available for comment. Twitter said she was commenting in her personal capacity and not on behalf of the company.
The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives voted 215-205 on Tuesday to repeal rules adopted last year by the Federal Communications Commission under then-President Barack Obama to require broadband providers to obtain consumer consent before using their data for advertising or marketing.
The U.S. Senate, also controlled by Republicans, voted 50-48 last week to reverse the rules. The White House said President Donald Trump supported the repeal measure.
Supporters of the repeal said the FCC unfairly required internet service providers like AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc to do more to protect customers’ privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc’s Google or Facebook Inc.
Critics said the repeal would weaken consumers’ privacy protections.
VPN advantages, drawbacks
Protected data includes a customer’s web-browsing history, which in turn can be used to discover other types of information, including health and financial data.
Some smaller broadband providers are now seizing on privacy as a competitive advantage. Sonic, a California-based broadband provider, offers a free VPN service to its customers so they can connect to its network when they are not home. That ensures that when Sonic users log on to wi-fi at a coffee shop or hotel, for example, their data is not collected by that establishment’s broadband provider.
“We see VPN as being important for our customers when they’re not on our network. They can take it with them on the road,” CEO Dane Jasper said.
In many areas of the country, there is no option to choose an independent broadband provider and consumers will have to pay for a VPN service to shield their browsing habits.
Private Internet Access, a VPN provider, took a visible stand against the repeal measure when it bought a full-page ad in the New York Times on Sunday. But the company, which boasts about a million subscribers, potentially stands to benefit from the legislation, acknowledged marketing director Caleb Chen.
VPNs have drawbacks. They funnel all user traffic through one point, so they are an attractive target for hackers and spies. The biggest obstacle to their routine use as a privacy safeguard is that they can be too much of a hassle to set up for many customers. They also cost money.
“The further along toward being a computer scientist you have to be to use a VPN, the smaller a portion of the population we’re talking about that can use it,” said Ernesto Falcon, a legislative counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which opposed the bill.
(Reporting by Stephen Nellis and David Ingram in San Francisco; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Peter Cooney) via VB
