A VPN or a Virtual Private Network is an extremely useful tool for your online life. It has become somewhat of a necessity nowadays. A VPN consists of a tunnel from where your encrypted data travels downs and keeping you more safe and secure, and anonymous on the internet. With cybercrime growing rates, these programs allow us to protect our privacy online. As this is one of the more significant features of a VPN, these tools can do more than this.
There have been more curiosity in using VPNs as a first line of online security in the modern world. It not only keep you safe online but also help you stream anonymously and unblock all types of content. From your favorite TV programs to restricted websites, there is nothing that a VPN cannot fix.
A VPN is a fantastic tool for travelers, torrenters, shoppers, TV streamers, and many more folk besides. There are some VPN uses you might not be aware of. So, in this blog, TechNinjaPro is going to highlight eight specific things you can do with a VPN.
How a VPN works?
For people who are unaware of what a VPN is, here is a short introduction. The way a normal browsing session works is that the user’s IP address sends a request to the service of the local internet service provider. This is processed and sent to the server of the website, which needs to be accessed.
However, there is a catch. Internet service providers are known to keep logs of browsing sessions. Everything, including the websites visited, time spends on each page, information entered, clicks, etc., is tracked and stores. We do not have to explain what this information could mean in the wrong hands.
Even if the user’s worst nightmares do not come true, there is a high probability of specific information being gathered and sold to marketing companies.
Virtual Private Networks offer users the ability to browse the internet without leaving any trace whatsoever. Here are some of the most stimulating things you can do with a VPN.
- Avoid ISP Tracking and Throttling
- Online Shopping
- Public wifi Security
- Privacy From Websites Gathering Data
- Anonymous downloads
- Streaming blocked content
- Keep Your Chats Private
- Beating Hackers
- Accessing a home network
- Campus Connection
1. Avoid ISP Tracking and Throttling
ISPs are increasingly interested in tracking their users, as we have seen with the growing controversy in recent times over in the United States. The starting example of what they do with any tracked data targeting advertising is more than enough reason for users to seek anonymity.
One of the first things to which an ISP can gain access is user location. With the help of the latest technique, user location can be tracked, and a lot of important information can become accessible. This information can be then be used in whatever way the service provider wills. With the end to net neutrality, these service providers have the authority to regularize the internet as they wish to put users at risk.
With a Virtual Private Network, the actual IP address is first sent to the secure virtual servers of the programs. These virtual servers are spread across the world, and therefore, determining the user’s original location becomes almost impossible.
In addition, the internet service providers have limited servers, and to optimize bandwidth for all connected users, they regularly throttle speeds. While in a normal browsing session, this is hardly noticeable. It becomes annoying when you are streaming your favorite episode on Netflix. This is the most common instance of throttling because various users are watching these programs simultaneously. A VPN can efficiently deal with this problem by helping you connect to dedicated servers worldwide congestion is low.
2. Online Shopping
Online shopping not only needs you t enter your credit card or PayPal account details on the connection being monitored by your internet service provider but also puts you at risk for marketing profiling. This is how personalized ads end up on the websites you browse. A VPN can help you secure the connection for you by making your location and browsing data completely invisible. This way, you can be confident that your personal information remains safe.
- Let’s say you are traveling abroad and need to order something from your favorite online brand to arrive at your address when you get back. Unluckily, when you go to the online website, you end up at its country-specific site.
- But if you are using a VPN server in your home country, you will be able to access the US, UK, Canadian sites as if you were present locally and use your home bank account to ship your home address.
3. Public wifi Security
Many placed offer free wifi access, including hotels, libraries, schools, airports, and coffee shops, to name a few. It is regular to use these wireless hotspots to check your email, which needs your password and other insightful data to be transmitted. Unfortunately, it is not mainly challenging to intercept this wifi network traffic.
At home, the router has a password and uses encryption protocols to keep traffic safe. However, public wifi hotspots provide completely open access to all. When you are using such an insecure wifi hotspot network, it is an excellent idea to use a Virtual Private Network, so your traffic is encrypted, which means if it is intercepted, your data will be scrambled.
4. Privacy From Websites Gathering Data
Many websites, forums, surveys, and applications use specific methods to extract relevant data from users. This data can range from simple email addresses to personal data like buying preferences or bank account details. Users are vigilant in providing their financial information anywhere on the internet.
So, these websites use several tactics; for instance, the page seems like a reliable interface for a bank when it is just a trap. The data collected through these channels is used for customer profiling and marketing or more complicated cyber crimes.
As a VPN covers the identity of a user, it blocks these sites from gathering any information from users through the location of their IP addresses and browsing sessions. Although, keeping a lookout for unreliable sites seeking personal data is a user’s responsibility. Here a VPN can help you secure browsing sessions to avoid such websites effectively.
5. Anonymous downloads
Peer-to-peer downloads and torrents are continuously growing in popularity. These can be used for banned copyright-violating downloads. There are various legal use cases, such as downloading an open-source software like LibreOffice, a free substitute to Microsoft office. These restricted downloads are followed by torrent trackers, monitoring systems that can collect a literal treasure trove of data on their users over time.
While the most evident concern is that this data could be turned over to the authorities, this data might be sold to the highest bidder. This type of data collection is based on IP addresses. Using torrent via a VPN is the most effective and straightforward solution to avoid any potential issues.
6. Streaming blocked content
Geo-restriction refers to when online content is blocked based on the user’s location. This is often done in TV programs or movies, so for example, access to iPlayer is blocked for those outsides of the United Kingdom.
But, there are times when this can be an actual spike in the side, such as when you travel abroad and cannot view the latest installment of the series you are watching on Netflix because it is geo-blocked.
A VPN with servers located in the right country can solve the issue and consider these locations based on anticipated usage when selecting a VPN provider. If you are unsure which provider to choose, look for our blogs about the best Netflix VPN or overall best streaming VPNs.
7. Keep Your Chats Private
Amongst the various drawbacks of tracking IP addresses, social media sessions of users are open for spying. Anyone from the internet service provider to any hackers who have the respective resources can access your social media accounts and take a peek at your chats.
This bothers a large group of public because chats are something we like to keep private at all times. This is not possible through unprotected browsing sessions, but with a VPN, this threat becomes neutralized. You can use social media as much as you want without having to worry about any of the data going out into the open.
8. Beating Hackers
An Unprotected IP address is like a jar of candy that is left open, will attract all kinds of insects. Hackers are always looking to cause damage to IP addresses to find out a lot of information about the users.
Hackers usually have disturbing intentions and want to cause financial damage. They are best at what they do, and the tools they use are sophisticated enough to beat the security systems of some of the most secure companies in the world.
A VPN provides a certain level of protection against these elements by fooling them by covering up user IP addresses.
9. Accessing a home network
The chances are that your primary system is at home, complete with various files and data on it for work, personal, and entertainment purposes. You might have a NAS setup with a ton more files on it. Whatever the case, you may need to set up remote access to your system or NAS to get all those files or folders, but remember that a connection is best made using a virtual private network to keep this access safe and secure.
10. Campus Connection
Whether the campus is a university, college, or a larger workplace, these organizations have many computer resources to benefit their employees or students. But the likes of colleges and businesses also need to safeguard their important data, so any off-campus remote access should be suitably protected with a virtual private network performing this job efficiently.
Conclusion
Yes, there are a lot more amazing things you can do with a VPN. There are a variety of VPN services available in the market, but like everything in life, not all are the same. A VPN is one of the most helpful cybersecurity tools you could have. It helps you hide, protect, unblock, stream, speed up internet access and save you a lot of money.