VPN?
 

Hello,
First post. I was listening to ARR when the topic of using VPN's came up. Several of the hosts indicated that they use VPN's to securely connect to the internet.
Does anyone on here have any experience with VPN providers? I'm interested in using one, however not all VPN are built the same.

Thanks in advance.

Alex

One thing which that ARR episode failed to emphasize is that your choice of VPN provider is very dependent on where you are.

There's a Chrome extension called Hola VPN (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...fbnlmeio?hl=en) which I've used myself, it lets you mask your browser as coming from a country of your choice - for example, it let me buy train tickets in New Zealand a lot cheaper. (They have different pricing for local IPs, even though the cheap tickets can still be bought with foreign credit cards!)

But if you've got a more serious use in mind - such as circumventing Google/Facebook service blocking in mainland China - you need a VPN that's specifically designed for the market you're in. It has to be one that's got a nice big ingesting hole close to where you are located, and a nice fat pipe to wherever the tunnel is coming out into the wider Internet. While I was traveling in China, I used my office VPN service - and yeah, it worked, but interconnection speeds between the Far East and Europe/USA are terrible on an ad hoc basis, so the tunnel between my laptop/phone and my office in Estonia ran over a length of string and two tin cans, if you get my drift. If you're using a commercial, paid VPN that's specifically targeting China users, they're a lot more likely to have sorted that problem.

I've used VPNUnlimited by KeepSolid Inc in various countries and found it works well, but can slow the transmission sometimes.

Unfortunately the BBC and some other content providers seem to have got wind of VPN use to get round geofencing and have blocked it.

You would think that you'd be able to watch BBC iPlayer with a VPN, but no. Their software looks at how many connections are coming in from a single IP and will then block it.

So look for a VPN like NordVPN that has multiple IP address options for each country and shows you the loading per address.

I always use Expat Network to access the UK catch-up services.
It's about a tenner a month, easy to set up and easy to cancel.

Amazon Prime is the same I suspect - I sometimes get bounced off and sometimes not.

There can be benefits to using a VPN - for example, Morocco blocks access to Google Earth, so if you want to use Google Earth in Morocco, you would need to begin the process by having a VPN.

On the other hand, there can be significant disadvantages to VPNs. The first one that comes to mind is that if you have a slow internet connection to begin with (not uncommon in lesser developed countries), the VPN can make it painfully slow.

I've done an awful lot of international travel, and never found it necessary to use a VPN - though I have tried using them on several occasions. I'd rather put up with the occasional headaches found with local connectivity than the cost & headaches associated with VPNs.

Michael

Since we do everything with our smartphone/notebook, we should protect us.

Many Wlan Hotspots are very weak abroad - for security purpose.

The Owner of the Hotspot - or any other using the same Wifi - can sniff what you are doing. Many Websites use SSL encryption like the Hubb. But you just use one without and your Username/Password is available in cleartext.

Too SSL has some "weakness" and different impementation strenght.

When you are using a single Password for any website - you maybe dont care.

If you use the similar Password for Email, Forum other Plattforms - your Data are definitive in trouble.

Your Provider (Mobile / DSL) is able to see what you are surfing, what are your interests and so on. From your favorite Porn Model to favorite bike.

Your Provider can (or has to) block Website or Plattforms like Twitter, Facebook, Websites (like done in Iran, China and other countries) - or even Egypt (when the locals are on the street). When you travelling abroad - informations are very important - when the political situation get worse.

With a good VPN Provider you can choose - which country you are in, can use the Internet with the "habbits and laws" of the country you choose.

It is not anymous - but more secure than using the internet without. If the network is very slow, sometimes is VPN the quicker way - because it is used for business purpose world wide - and youtube watchers -dont get the most power (QOS)...

Surfy

I see there is a new TV ad from Norton365 and they mention using a VPN but its not clear whether it's something they actually provide or are they protecting it when you use one?

A VPN is included with Norton's offering. So not a bad deal all around. We use Norton on all our machines.

A VPN is essential for your own data security when connecting to public wifi hotspots.

I've had great results with NordVPN for accessing streaming services worldwide.

I've had great results with Express VPN for streaming services worldwide and for Google services in China.

Both work great when using public wifi like airports, hotels, cafes.

Both NordVPN and Express VPN have publicly scrutinised privacy and security policies and are a pretty safe bet.

I would never use a free VPN. You should never use any VPN without researching their security reputation. There have been many scam apps that redirect you to ads, inject malware, track you (and sell your activity data to advertisers), and don't even encrypt your data.

There have been cases of VPN apps that used victims phones as botnets for things like spam, eating up your data allowance, and ones with ransomware that locked victims phones and demanded payment.

Pick carefully.