13 Pros and Only One Trick for Using ExpressVPN
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tl; Dr
In terms of speed, security, privacy, and features, ExpressVPN stands out. It’s everything one would look for in a solid VPN service and it offers this at a reasonable price – if you’re willing to log in for long periods of time each time. Learn more.
ExpressVPN is one of the biggest and most popular names in the VPN business. Founded in 2009 and operated by a BVI based company, they have been offering security and privacy for a long time now.
While it’s by no means the cheapest service out there, I think there is a lot to look forward to in ExpressVPN. The sheer amount of features combined with a huge spread of server locations makes it hard to beat.
What we love about ExpressVPN
1. A Unique Opportunity in Privacy
The service is operated by Express VPN International Ltd. , a company based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). While normally a company should not give any different rating to their products, in this case I should not agree.
As you can see, it is important to note here that the “British” in the title is noun at best, since the British Virgin Islands are self-governing. In fact, its entire legal system is its own legal system and is in no way related to or subject to the United Kingdom.
It is also important (from a VPN perspective) that there are currently no data retention laws in the BVI. Even if a foreign interest is trying to compel a BVI company to provide records in connection with an investigation, that order must come from the BVI court. The legal process is long and tedious, and at the end of the day, if the offense being prosecuted is not an offense under BVI law, there can be no case.
2. Network lock keeps your identity safe
Based on this privacy factor, ExpressVPN also has a kill switch (network lock), which turns on if the VPN server’s internet connection drops. If this situation arises, the kill switch will cut off all data traffic to and from your device immediately. This is to ensure there are no data or IP leaks, as the VPN tunnel has been compromised.
As an example, let’s say you have Network Lock enabled and you torrent. If the connection to the VPN server drops for any reason, all your online activities will be stopped. At least until you connect to another VPN server.
To test this, I tried to download a simple file, and in the process, I turned off my VPN software. I immediately got an error message from the file server informing me that the download was blocked.
2.1. DNS Leaks: Is ExpressVPN Really Private?
To make sure the network lock is working, I also made sure to test for DNS leaks. If Network Lock doesn’t work, running the DNS Leak tool will let me know. ExpressVPN has a tool that you can use for this purpose, or alternatively, there are also other third party tools like DNS Leak Test.
All you have to do is visit the site and it will automatically test your connection. Match their test to the VPN server you connected to. If they match, you’re fine.
3. No-registration policy
This relies more on the premise of privacy rather than security. When we say login, we are discussing the data that is collected about you during your internet sessions. This will likely include information such as your IP address, the URLs you visited, etc. In general, all your activity is on the Internet.
As one of the best VPN service providers worldwide, ExpressVPN explicitly states that it keeps no logs of your activity. According to them, they have “carefully designed our VPN apps and servers to definitively remove sensitive information.”
This includes:
- IP addresses (source or VPN)
- Browsing history
- Traffic destination or metadata
- DNS Inquiries
The company summarizes its position and policies very precisely in one sentence:
As a result, ExpressVPN can never be forced to provide customer data does not exist.
Let’s put this in perspective again. If the VPN service provider does not keep this type of information, there is no way they can provide it if any attempt is made to force them to do so (eg through a court order).
4. Split tunneling – choose which network devices to protect
If you decide to run ExpressVPN from your router rather than running apps on individual devices, then Split tunneling is something you may need. It allows you to access the Internet and at the same time use another device on the network, such as a remote printer. ExpressVPN for your router can support this and can be configured to your liking.
For example, you can configure to protect all your computers on the network to pass their traffic through the VPN but leave the printer open for normal traffic. If you share it, someone else can still use this printer.
5. ExpressVPN is fast!
I’ve tried 5 different geographic locations and have noticed a deterioration in service the further away from my real location. Under normal circumstances, I can get close to the full speed of 500Mbps that my ISP has advertised.
ExpressVPN Speed Test – US Server
ExpressVPN Speed Test – Server EU (Germany)
ExpressVPN Speed Test – Server Africa (South Africa)
ExpressVPN Speed Test – Server Asia (Singapore)
ExpressVPN Speed Test – Australia Server
6. Encryption at the government level
Among the most important features that a VPN offers, we have already come to privacy and speed. Security is another key element and when it comes to VPNs, there are two aspects to that; The type of encryption they use to secure your data and the protocols they use to transmit your data. ExpressVPN 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256).
This encryption standard protects many government secrets around the world. Splitting it, a 256-bit key means there are plenty of possible combinations to try to crack before anyone else can read your data.
7. Choice of many protocols
VPNs rely on two main components to keep your identity and activity secure. One is the encryption I discussed above, but there are also means of passing data, which is done via a secure tunnel. Each type of tunnel has different characteristics but mainly depends on a combination of compatibility and speed.
Take for example L2TP compared to PPTP. Both are a tunneling protocol, but L2TP provides better encryption (128-bit vs. 256-bit).
ExpressVPN gives you a choice of different tunneling protocols. You can be as paranoid and expert as you like, or simply let ExpressVPN do the picking for you. Each protocol of course has its pros and cons, so you need to know which one is best in terms of speed and security for yourself.
8. Huge number of server locations
As mentioned earlier, ExpressVPN maintains servers in 148 cities across 94 countries. They are categorized under four main areas: Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. However, not all of them offer the same tunneling protocols.
Although ExpressVPN offers a choice of 7 different security protocols, not every server on its network supports all of these protocols. Fortunately, their large number of servers means that even if you come across one that doesn’t support the protocol you want, you’ll likely be able to find an alternative nearby.
9. 3X devices and easy to setup
Each ExpressVPN subscription supports 3 simultaneous Internet connections.
For home, you can just set it up on your router and you’ll be covered. If you’re out and about, I can’t really see you using more than one laptop, smartphone, and tablet (even if it’s at the same time).
Once you sign up for an account, you will be given a password to use on your account – please change this as soon as possible. Once you do that, you will be taken to the help page and you will be given a choice of where you wish to install the VPN service.
There are detailed instructions (along with videos!) on how to set up ExpressVPN with almost all devices known to mankind. Well, this might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I’m sure almost all mainstream devices are out there.
Just follow the guides, little grasshopper. Furthermore, even if you run into any issues, remember the great customer support I mentioned earlier? Just reach out and touch someone.
warning
If your ISP is using PPPoE to connect to the internet, you will not be able to easily install a VPN on your router. You will need an additional router to manage the VPN connection. The only possible way around this is to update your router’s firmware to a specialized type like OpenWRT, which can manage two different WANs simultaneously.
10. You can pay with Bitcoin
While VPN providers offer a theory of privacy and security, I often wondered how to do this, as there must be a financial impact if users pay by credit card, or even PayPal. However, thanks to the crazy new cryptocurrency, providers have jumped on the bandwagon and now ExpressVPN accepts BitCoin payments.
With this method, you can really remain anonymous since there is no way for the payment to be traced back to you.
For those who do not have BitCoin yet, you need two things; a) a BitCoin wallet and b) some BitCoin. Investopedia has a helpful guide on how to buy BitCoin.
11. Torrenting is allowed!
Peer-to-peer file sharing is something that has been discussed for a long time around the world. Many large companies are pressing ISPs to track and punish P2P users for everything from software piracy to DMCA violations.
Using a VPN removes the threat of persecution for P2P users, but the problem is that some VPNs will not allow or restrict P2P activities. There is no such problem with ExpressVPN even though they have a page that teaches their users how to set up a torrent client on their service!
I was able to get as much speed in my torrenting on ExpressVPN as I usually get, which is pretty cool (at least on the 50Mbps line);
12. Access any Netflix region content
Once again, another company that is trying to restrict the access of its users is Netflix. This company locks down users by region, allowing different region users to access different content. ExpressVPN also helps Netflix users access from anywhere and teaches you how to do so on their service. Learn how to unlock Netflix contents.
13. Great customer support
I had issues trying to set up ExpressVPN on my TP-Link Archer C7, so I had a good excuse to try customer support. My destination was their support database, which unfortunately didn’t help much in my case.
Next, I tried their Live Chat service, which was amazingly fast. Within seconds, the customer service assistant called my chat and we were on our way. During the service conversation, the customer service assistant was knowledgeable and helpful.
Although we couldn’t resolve the issue through chat, I was guided through the process via email (to move images back and forth) and once they were done they sent me a copy of the entire chat transcript. Talk about the service!
Now I’m not technically illiterate, but I can see how useful a set of these processes are for VPN beginners.
I definitely rate their support system first!
What we didn’t like about ExpressVPN
The cost is too high
While it’s true that ExpressVPN is often rated as overpriced (and to some extent, I agree with you), I’d like to talk here about an alternative to build theory – you can choose two out of three; Cheap, good and safe. What would your choices be when it comes to looking for something that compliments your security and privacy?
An ExpressVPN monthly subscription will set you back…
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