![]() ![]() The IP address will detect the visitor’s location and which version of the website to show. Other visitors may see the page in the French language with prices in Euros. Some visitors will see the page in English language and prices in USD. Say you have an online store with lots of international traffic. With many VPN’s, you can select the location settings to a different part of the globe like Australia or Canada. Many of us make online purchases with a credit card, do online banking, use Venmo, log onto social media accounts and dating apps, share photos of our kids, and plenty of other personal data we’d like to keep hidden from prying eyes. In addition to blocking your IP address, there are many reasons to consider VPN use. Think about it as your home address for the network.) When you’re on a VPN, the VPN will hide your IP address. (Your IP address has information about how you connect to the Internet. You can’t be tracked online when you use a VPN. Re-read the above section on not falling prey to hackers.īut seriously, there are plenty of other benefits. In fact, free public WiFi networks are a common scam for hackers. But, how do you know that “caribou_coffee_shop” is the coffee shop’s courtesy public WiFi? Any hacker could be setting up that network, and using it to trick users into using that connection and providing sensitive information as they search the web. Logging onto a free, open network like “caribou_coffee_shop” is free and convenient, right? It will save your data and often give you a faster connection speed. When you think about it, VPN is the opposite of public WiFi. Some do certain things better, like speed, mobile friendliness, open source options, data encryption, or network compatibility. You can read more on them if you’re interested, but you don’t need deeper info to have a general understanding of how VPNs work.ĭifferent VPN protocols have different functionality. PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN, SSTP, and IKEv2 are five of the most common VPN protocols. A VPN protocol is used to move your data through the tunnel (your walk) and then another VPN protocol is used to secure that data. No one would know where you went or what you did. Sounds creepy, right? But if you could switch on a VPN before leaving for your walk, it would mean that when you stepped out the front door you were going for a walk in a secure tunnel. They can see where you go, how long you’re gone, how far you walk, and who you meet with. When you leave your house to go for a walk, anyone can follow you. Here’s a different way to think about it. You may be thinking, wait! Isn’t my Internet activity already private and secure? Why do I need this? When you turn on your VPN (usually as simple as clicking a menu dropdown option), it encrypts all of your Internet browsing activity through a secure channel or encrypted tunnel controlled by the VPN company. Encryption just means that it changes your information into a special form of code that outsiders (hackers) can’t read. And before that computer even sees your Internet footprint (all of the data you share while using the web), it encrypts your data. This one computer then protects all of your data. This one computer takes on all of the risk for you and for the 99 other computers. Instead of connecting 100 different computers to the internet, all of these 100 computers only connect to one computer. ![]() This protects your privacy (blocks your true geographic location) and blocks out untrustworthy Wi-Fi connections trying to snoop on your activity and your data. Then, when you search the web you’re doing so with the server’s connection. It connects your Internet device (smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs) to another computer (server) on the Internet. ![]() What is a VPN?Ī VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a way to make your Internet activity more private and more secure. And if you’re already ahead of the curve, just go straight to the list of our top 10 best VPN recommendations. Learn about VPNs in easy-to-read, plain English. We’ve put together some common FAQs on VPNs. If you’re trying to figure out which VPN to get (or even what’s a VPN), check out this helpful overview. All promotions are subject to change without notification. Promotions are accurate at the point of publishing and only available for a limited time. ![]()
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