You may have come across the term VPNs; if you ever work remotely, it’s likely that you use one to access your apps, files and documents from home. However, VPNs can also be used to keep your internet traffic private.
Wait, what’s a VPN?
A VPN, or a virtual private network, is a secure connection between your computer or device, and a server. When you use a VPN, your public IP address (which is essentially the identifier for your device) changes to a different IP address - because you have effectively changed locations.
What else do VPNs do?
VPNs are also incredibly useful if you’re worried about privacy, and want to keep your location private when you’re online. If you’re worried about websites collecting your data, or taking note of your location, then a VPN is a great way to stay secure. However, a VPN isn’t a replacement for antivirus software; a VPN just keeps your internet traffic private.
Ok, I’m interested. How do I choose a VPN?
If you’re interested in using a VPN for your business, our support engineers can help. However, if you’re just interested in a VPN for personal use, there are a whole host of options out there. Some of them require a monthly fee, and some of them are free. We’d recommend doing your research before installing one, as some can be filled with pop ups and nasties of their own. However, we have found our favourite paid for, and free VPNs.
Our favourite subscription VPN - NordVPN
NordVPN is everything you could ask for in VPN. It’s got over 5000 servers, which means fast speeds for its users, and 60 different locations to choose from, which is great if you want the internet completely free of borders. It’s not too pricey, at time of writing you can get it for £2.29 a month if you sign up to 3 years.
You can also secure up to 6 different devices with a single subscription; incredibly useful if you’ve got the whole family to secure, or have a multiple devices of your own. There’s a 30 day money back guarantee.
Our favourite free VPN - Hotspot Shield
If you’re just looking for something suitable for casual use, and you’re not going to be using a VPN everytime you go online, we’d go for Hotspot Shield. It’s got 25 different locations, which is pretty good for a free service, and 2,500 servers - so again, you shouldn’t be struggling too much with speeds.
With Hotspot Shield you can secure up to 5 different devices, but you are limited to 500MB of data a day; so, great for casual use, but not if you’re a heavy user. They do ask for your credit card details at sign up, so make sure you cancel the subscription to premium before the 7 days are up.
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