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VPN Service Introduction
A VPN service is a way to maintain anonymity online as well as unblock sites that you want to have access to when you can’t connect to them. Finding the right VPN relies on access to thorough reviews. Here are some reasons why you might need a VPN and how these reviews use criteria that make sure you find the exact one that you’re looking for.
Review Criteria
- Anonymity – This measures how far the VPN provider will go to make sure that your information isn’t available to third parties who come snooping for it.
- Price – The cost for a VPN service should match up with the number and quality of service it provides, and this is why it’s important to look at it.
- Reliability – If a VPN service is going down all the time, then it’s next to useless. The amount of uptime a service provides should be a big factor in whether you decide to go with them or not.
- Speed – Services that make your Internet slow to a crawl when you connect to them are also often not worth your time. The exact amount of speed you get out of a service will make a big difference in terms of whether it will be enough to facilitate your regular Web habits.
- Support – It’s always frustrating when you can’t get some aspect of a VPN service to work, but when the service has decent support through email, phone, live chat, forums or some other mechanism, it can make this problem much less of one. How a service ranks in terms of support will say a lot about how usable it is overall.
VPN REVIEWS
Why People Use VPNs
VPNs, or virtual private networks, are growing in popularity both in the United States and around the world. The reasons why people use VPNs are as varied as the individuals who use them. Some use VPNs because their privacy is of the utmost importance to them. They want a way to prevent ISPs from monitoring their Internet use and browsing through their activity. They feel that freedom to privacy is a fundamental right, and they see VPNs as a practical way to exercise that right.
Why Should You Use a VPN?
There are two main reasons to use a VPN service, although they are both related. The first reason is because you want to keep your online activities secure and anonymous. Government agencies, hackers, and other parties all like to spy on what people do on the Internet for various reasons.
A VPN establishes a secure connection between you and the provider so that outside entities can’t see who you are or what you’re doing. This is especially useful at hotspots, for example, because these connections aren’t safe to use due to the fact that others at the hotspot can snoop on your connection.
The second reason to use a VPN is to unblock sites such a video streaming services that only work in certain countries. By making it look like your IP is from the country in question, you can bypass blocks entirely.
What is a VPN
A VPN is a virtual private network that enables its user to create a secure connection over the public Internet with a private network that is situated in a remote location. A VPN will hide, or mask, your IP address. An unshielded IP address, especially when used on a public Wi-Fi network, puts the computer and the users privacy at risk. A VPN allows an individual to surf the Internet anonymously, using encrypted forms of transmission.
VPN Protocols
- PPTP – A fast, easy-to-use protocol. It is a good choice if OpenVPN isn’t supported by your device.
- L2TP/IPsec – A good choice if OpenVPN isn’t supported by your device and security is top priority.
- OpenVPN – Recommended protocol for desktops. Highest performance – fast, secure and reliable.
- Chameleon – Great for VPN users being blocked in countries, or if you are experiencing bandwidth throttling.
VPN Tools & Resources
- DNS Leak Test – Offers a simple test to determine if you DNS requests are being leaked.
- SpeedTest – Test your Internet connection bandwidth to locations around the world.
- What is my IP – IP address lookup, location, proxy detection.