Have you ever considered how anonymous you really are online? Although being able to track internet users is useful when it comes to criminals and the likes, are regular people who are doing no harm right to want to remain anonymous? Or, do you want to stay anonymous for a reason, such as accessing geo-blocked sites to stream video when in another location such as on vacation? Although being tracked online through your IP address can sometimes be nearly impossible, there are a number of things which you can do to make it easier.
All types of organizations irrespective of size require a secure remote communication setup. A virtual private network is a popular tool used commonly by Internet surfers to protect their privacy. VPN providers create an encrypted tunnel where data passes through before being submitted on the web.
Since the data is encrypted, it is impossible for interceptors to read and understand it. There are some VPN providers to choose from making it hard for people to determine the best VPN service. Here is a description of the criteria to use in your search for the best VPN services.
Today, the internet is becoming more accessible than ever before, and there are VPN reviews available. Internet service providers are too working hard to help users remain secure. After the realization of the importance of VPN, many individuals and companies are acquiring the virtual connection to protect their data and avoid many forms of internet risks.
Most big companies employ the use of VPN to protect their data when accessed remotely. Application of these networks reduces internet risks by a large percentage. A data loss or leak to a large corporation can result in massive irrecoverable damage. Workplace trends as well are quickly changing with the emergence of portable devices such as laptops and iPads. As a result, extra caution is necessary for companies to protect their data from hackers and phishers.
At an individual level, a lot of information is shared in the public network through laptops, smartphones, and other communication tablets. People share their family details, education materials, financial information and several private information that can be harmful in the wrong hands. As a result, network security is vital to protect such information.
VPN use combined and dedicated encryptions and connected protocols to generate virtual P2P connections. The P2P makes it hard for hackers to access any information in the network because of its complex encryption. In case they access any information in the network, they are unable to siphon any information from the network. VPN bypasses proxy, which makes impossible for the actual location of the user to be determined through internet protocol address.
Most VPN providers allow their clients to spoof their own location, which is usually fake addresses. Users, however, need to be careful with VPN service review, some give false information. Virtual networks allow people to use false internet address and even concealed information both on government premises and corporations.
Managing virtual internet is a very simple task. There are numerous VPN providers across the world. A user only needs to subscribe to the network and download the necessary software. Virtual networks are initiated by first connecting to the public network through ISP then VPN connection with the client software.
Some VPN service reviews show that client software automatically grants the user a secure connection. Additionally, there are other features such as the software user can set his/her own location, establish a random internet protocol generation and control the length of time spent in any particular location. It should be noted that different VPN providers’ offers a unique level of security level and users are advised to carry out a thorough investigation before selecting a provider.
As networking technology, a VPN helps a user create a secure connection that functions within a public network. This public space may be the Internet or any other network that you get from your service provider. A VPN is used by large entities such as corporations, governmental departments, and even educational institutions. A user gains remote access to networks and consequently to information in a secure manner.
Compared to Wi-Fi spoofing, Firesheep, and Honeypot attacks, public networks are the most cesspool. However, when a person is working remotely and accesses sensitive information such as company information, important private information, and family data, doing so in an unsecured public network can be harmful in any of the cases.
Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows users to access data privately and share it remotely in the public networks. From different VPN review, the network works much like the firewall to protect important information. In one VPN review, the author indicated that Virtual Private Network technically is a Wide Area Network (WAN) with its front end carrying out the same functionality, appearance, and security as a private network.
Are you considering using a virtual private network, because if you are you will want to read up on VPN reviews? You will find that there are a lot of pros to reading a VPN review. This article will go more in-depth about why you should take the time to read reviews, as well as other useful information.
So, what do VPN services secure?
The VPN creates a private network for small businesses or those who work from home. For large enterprise companies, a network of servers linked to client machines forms the VPN. IT administrators do not need to be on the business premises. Access to a VPN through remote access allows IT managers to log into secure systems and do daily maintenance tasks.
For the everyday internet user, a VPN gives access to a private network so any online activity is kept hidden from unwanted eyes. WiFi spots have become targeted by cybercriminals as they are often unsecured and easy to hack. If you access a WiFi spot protected by a VPN connection, the level of encryption is high enough to prevent any attempts to hack your system. Many VPN reviews will highlight this crucial advantage.
VPN services give 100% encryption while a computer connects to the internet. Any prying eyes watching for data to steal, find only a miscellaneous data stream as the privacy protection hides your identity. No matter what you need to do, whether email someone, or browse a website, the VPN protects your activity.
How To Choose A Reliable VPN
No matter your technical know-how, certain factors are easy to understand and remember when choosing a VPN service.
- Review VPN services with computers located around the globe and not in just one location.
- Ask the service how many servers are on the VPN network. The performance level is impacted by the number of servers supported on the network.
- No matter the web site location, VPN services should as a priority be able to unblock it.
- VPN services require compatibility with any number of ISPs globally. Ask about compatibility with different ISP networks.
- Ask for a demo of the network. This will become your source for privacy protection. If it turns out to be a complex system to understand, you will call support teams more than you wish. The IT support team supports the VPN. It is their job to be technical and have high levels of IT knowledge. You just want to run your business and be secure. Check the VPN interface is user-friendly and intuitive. Check the interface can be used with ease no matter your location.
- Look for VPN reviews and bad feedback. Read over reviews online about the VPN services being considered. Any bad reviews, or bad feedback, look at the VPN reviews and read them. Perhaps it is only a minority or a large group of complaints. Look for reviews on the turnaround time on support tickets. If you are stuck without a working VPN, how fast can the support team fix the issue?
- Lastly, the price and refund policies. As long as the above points are checked thoroughly, the VPN service you find will be suitable though do compare prices as well. Check the terms and conditions show a clear path to gaining a refund if you become unhappy with the service.
Security Tips for Frequent Travellers
DNS Proxy Server
A DNS proxy server is one of the easiest methods in which you can remain anonymous whilst surfing the web. It works by changing your IP address to a DNS IP, and also works for any device in your home, including mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, gaming consoles and smart televisions along with regular desktop and laptop computers.
Not to be confused with a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a DNS proxy server is faster, and often also offers heightened internet speed and reliability for users, as well as security settings. With a DNS proxy server, it’s also possible to unblock geo-blocked content on websites such as Netflix or HBO. Check out Smart DNS for more information.
Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network (VPN) works in a similar way to a DNS proxy server, however, it’s often slower. Virtual private networks have been used in the past for anonymity online and for unblocking geo-blocked content, and although they do work for this purpose, many users have experienced a deterioration in internet speeds due to the amount of data which needs to be processed. However, if it is simply anonymity online which you are looking for, a VPN still makes an ideal choice.
Secure Webmail
When it comes to viewing emails, staying anonymous often means staying secure. If you are using a popular email service such as Gmail or Yahoo!, you may wish to consider using a secure webmail extension, which will bring OpenPGP encryption or similar to your webmail service.
These extensions can encrypt and decrypt any emails which you send through your webmail service, meaning that the encrypted text will never reach the webmail servers. However, in order to read emails sent through this service, recipients will also need to install the extension.
Go Incognito
One of the most basic options for privacy which you will be able to take advantage of as an internet user is the Incognito or private browsing option offered by the majority of popular internet browsers, such as Google, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer. All of these browsers have a private browsing mode which can be found in the settings menu.
With this private browsing mode activated, your computer will not store cookies or internet history on your computer. However, although this feature has its uses, they are quite limited and do not securely hide your identity as your IP address remains the same.
Avoid Social Media
The amount of information and data which social media sites store about their users is quite shocking. The main social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus have harvested a large amount of personal information from their users, some of which you may be surprised to find out. On Facebook, information such as the people who you have spoken to, the events which you have or haven’t attended, and each time you have logged in and out of social media are documented.
There is a similar kind of data collection for the majority of social media sites which you may be using. However, if you are unwilling to give up this kind of information to social networking companies, the only sure-fire way to ensure that the data is removed is to completely delete your account. However, you should be able to access the data which the network holds about you before you make a decision.
Destroy Cookies
Cookies are small bits of code which are automatically downloaded from a website and stored on your system. Cookies allow websites to easily ‘remember’ whether you have visited there before, allowing the website to then alter certain variables depending on your activity on your last visit.
Although this can result in a better experience, some cookies can be potentially intrusive with the details which they store. Although destroying cookies may not do much to help you stay completely anonymous, it can stop websites from tracking your activity.
Reviews Can Reveal The Quality Of Services
You may not have time to read each and every review you come across. Therefore, it is a good idea to visit a site that finds out what the best VPN 2014 websites/services are. A good review site will reveal the quality of each service that it is reviewing. This makes choosing the perfect VPN easier than ever, so always choose a site that scores a VPN service by the quality of service they provide to their customers.
Here Are More Reasons To Read Reviews
There are many VPN services out there today, and finding the best one to use is very hard. This is exactly why you should read reviews. It has already been mentioned that you can check the quality score of a VPN service, as well as the prices and you can compare multiple ones. However, a good review site will have tried all of the VPN services that they have reviewed, and this is why you will be able to trust their recommendations.
How to consider a Company Review
There are numerous things a good review website will review. Some of these include supported protocols, the location of the servers and the supported OS. These three things are extremely important for you to know about, but there are also more things a site should review.
IP types, supported devices, and customer support are some of the other things that should be reviewed. Customers will want to make sure that they deal with a VPN service that cares about them, and will provide them with nothing but the best customer support.
Compare Multiple VPN Services
Reading a few VPN service reviews will give you a good idea of how good a company is compared to other businesses. For example, once you have read one VPN service review, you can go ahead and read a few more, which will allow you to see what service offers the most for your money.
Technical support
Check on how easy it is to contact them. They should be available during all hours of the day and throughout the night to deal with any problems likely to arise. They should have adequate knowledge of technical stuff to provide solution suggestions where the problem seems easier to solve. Technical staffs who meet these criteria will assure you that your VPN connection will be dealt with as fast as possible in the event of a breakdown.
Reliability
The reliability of the VPN services is important since it will guide you in determining the quality of services you are likely to receive. Confirm the number of users who have mentioned the downtime of the VPN provider. Check through reviews on the Internet to find out what other previous users think about the VPN connection and how often it gets disconnected. Alternatively, you can confirm these facts with your friends and family members who are using or have used VPN connections before.
Connection speed
Just like everyone takes into consideration their Internet connection, the VPN connection speed says a lot too. No one enjoys waiting for a long time before a simple page opens. Check for VPN providers with speeds that favor the type of activity you want to be handled. A computer meant to stream movies will require a strong VPN connection as compared to that meant to surf the Internet.
Find Out The Price Of VPN Services
You should take the time to read reviews about VPN services because you will be able to find out how much money they charge. However, you will be able to read in-depth reviews, and then come to a conclusion as to whether or not some companies are charging too much money for their services, or if they are charging a fair price.
VPN account setup procedure
Most customers are not familiar with the technical aspects of setting up a VPN connection. As a result, the setting-up procedures should be easy to follow. A good VPN connection should be up and work within five minutes of setup. A simple connection will assure you that you do not need to hire an expert to handle all your connection requirements.
Verify the VPN protocols
It is necessary to confirm the VPN protocols if you are more concerned about encryption of the data you send over the network. Restrictive firewalls do block the VPN connections. You will be forced to scout for a secure connection if you have them on your computer.
There are specific protocols that are integral to the functioning of a VPN service, and you will have these by default. However, each one of them has their good and bad points depending on where you will put these protocols to use. It is important that you evaluate your requirements and choose your service accordingly.
Bandwidth limit
Confirm whether your bandwidth has a limit. Watch your bandwidth requirements and check out whether the set limit will interfere with your work. You can opt for an unlimited bandwidth if your daily tasks require a significant bandwidth and revolve around daily connections to the web, downloading movies and streaming live. An unlimited bandwidth is cost-effective with huge data requirements as compared to the limited bandwidth.
Malware Security
Considering the fact that a VPN system is based online, you will still be open to online attacks. You have to ensure that your service provider has adequate measures in place and that you open the site from a secure HTTPS source. This is especially useful if you have a service that provides online shopping services, and you have heavy traffic from users buying on your site.
Read VPN Policy Thoroughly
No matter which service provider you choose to go with, in the end, it is essential that you read through the agreement document in its entirety. Look for hidden charges or aspects that make you liable for extra payment. Request a breakdown of the various headings under which you will be making your payments. Also, look into the privacy aspects of the services you are planning to take.
Uninterrupted service
Whether you are using the best free VPN service or are investing in one that has a regular plan, it is essential that you have seamless service. This will ensure that you have constant connectivity and that you will not suffer from the negative consequences of downtime.
Locations Availability
It is important that you examine all locations and exits for your prospective VPN system. This is especially needed if you are planning to connect to international locations. Sometimes, a VPN system won’t work over international connections.
No external logging in While remote access is a feature of VPN services, your service provider has access to your information, so as an additional safety step, ensure that you find a provider who will not log any of your activities online.
If you are serious about finding the best VPN 2018 has to offer, then you need to turn to a review site that is legit, and one that you can trust to provide you with nothing best the best reviews. If you use such a site, then you will be on your way to finding the best VPN service to use.