Do I need a VPN at home?
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A VPN adds a layer of protection to your online activities by building an encrypted tunnel between your traffic and anyone trying to spy on you. VPNs are useful when you’re out and about, using Wi-Fi networks that aren’t your own. A VPN can also help protect your privacy at home, and it may even allow you to access streaming content that might not be available otherwise. With most of us spending a lot more time at home than we’re used to, it’s more important than ever to understand when you need (and don’t) use a VPN at home.
What a VPN can’t do
For a VPN to be useful, it is important that you understand its limitations. Its main function is to protect your internet traffic and make it difficult for monitors to track online activities back to you.
Even with a VPN, advertisers and hackers may still be able to collect data about you. We recommend using a tracking blocker, such as EFF’s Privacy Badger. The blocking capabilities built into browsers like Firefox are also important to protect your privacy.
PCMag also highly recommends using antivirus software on your devices, enabling two-factor authentication wherever available, and using a password manager.
Threats abroad
Outside of your home, it is difficult to determine which secure networks you encounter. If you’re in a coffee shop, for example, how do you know which Wi-Fi is legitimate? Unless the SSID is posted somewhere, you’ll just have to guess. Clever bad guys will create access points with familiar names, hoping to trick people into communicating. Once the victims are online, the bad guy performs a man-in-the-middle attack, allowing the evil attacker to monitor all of your web traffic and even intercept some of it.
The attacker doesn’t even need to trick you, they just need to trick your phone or computer. Most devices are configured to reconnect to familiar networks by default. But if an attacker uses the same name for a popular Wi-Fi network — think Starbucks or Boingo Hotspot — your devices may connect automatically, even without your knowledge. This is easier than you think, since many companies have easily guessed the names of Wi-Fi networks.
Both attacks require a lot of guesswork, but a good attacker won’t bother. Instead, they will configure their evil access point to switch SSIDs to match those requested by the hardware. True, this is a strange attack, but it can be implemented successfully. At a Black Hat conference a few years ago, a security vendor discovered an evil access point that changed its SSID 1047 times, tricking 35,000 devices into connecting.
These are the situations where you definitely need a VPN. An encrypted tunnel set up by anyone on the same network as you – even the person who manages the network – blocks you from seeing what you’re going to do.
Threats at home
For the most part, we can make sure that our home networks are secure. It’s unlikely that a bad guy broke in, replace your router, and then wait for the good stuff to come in. For one thing, that’s just too much work. But on the other hand, attackers need more than one hit to make the attack worthwhile. They will want to gather as much information as possible from as many victims as possible. Unless you live above an airport, there is unlikely to be enough foot traffic in your home to warrant an attack.
But there are threats to consider when you’re at home. The biggest one is from the company that provides you with internet access. The US Congress has allowed Internet service providers to sell data about users and their online activities to anyone who is interested. ISPs say this information will be anonymous, but the idea is still troubling.
ISPs aren’t the only ones interested in what you do online. The fallout from the 2013 Snowden leaks revealed that NSA surveillance is more widespread than previously thought. A VPN makes it difficult for an outside observer to hook up your internet traffic. Keep in mind, however, that there are many other ways it can be tracked online, and a VPN will not protect all of them.
VPNs can be fun too
At least half of a VPN’s uses are not for personal protection. It is for video streaming. This may sound strange, given the negative impact of VPNs on upload and download speeds, but it makes sense.
Not all streaming video content is available everywhere. Each streaming service has a contract to deliver shows and music that are sometimes limited to certain regions. For example: If you want to watch Star Trek: Discovery In the US, you must have a CBS All Access subscription. If you live outside the US or Canada, you can watch it on Netflix. Personally, we recommend paying for Star Trek, but that’s another problem.
This is where VPNs come in. You can use your VPN to tunnel to a remote server and access content that is restricted in your country. This trick is also useful for sports fans who are looking for matches or commentary that is not available at home. Sometimes the best games aren’t available for American audiences, or the American coverage is so annoying that die-hard fans would rather see how the BBC or CBC handle games. Note however that many companies, especially Netflix, are adept at detecting and blocking VPN use.
Find a flexible VPN
VPNs are all about securing your traffic from prying eyes, and that’s a problem sometimes when you want to see your traffic. If you live in a particularly smart home, you are likely to have some problems using a VPN.
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A good example of this is Chromecast, Google’s simple way to get content from your phone or computer onto your TV. If your VPN is turned on, you will not be able to cast video or media to Chromecast. That’s because a VPN prevents your device from connecting to other devices on your local network. You will have to turn off your VPN if you want to use this device or other similar applications.
One solution to this problem is to look for a VPN that offers split tunneling. This allows you to set which apps, and sometimes URLs, should use a VPN connection, or which should not use a VPN connection. Some VPNs make it easier by allowing local area network (LAN) traffic, which means the device using the VPN can still talk to devices on your network.
Alternatively, you can install a VPN on your router. This way, all the data from your local network is routed to the internet via a VPN, giving you complete protection without causing any fuss at the local level. Setting up your router to use a VPN can seem daunting, but some VPN companies will sell you a pre-made router if you want to give it a try. However, this solution does not work for everyone. It’s probably best left to people who have a specific DIY allergy.
While many people use VPNs to stream online content, many (if not most) streaming services are very good at blocking VPN use. One possible solution is to purchase a static IP address from your VPN provider. These “clean” addresses are not associated with VPNs, giving you a better chance of bypassing previous attempts to block your access.
Speed will always be an issue with VPNs. When the VPN connection is active, your web traffic passes through more devices and more fibers. The result is increased latency and slower transfer speeds. Not all VPNs are the same in how much they affect your connection, but you will see some effect.
Do you need a VPN at home?
In fact, the answer to the question of whether you “need” a VPN in your home will come down to your own preferences. There are many good reasons why a home VPN is a valuable addition to your security and privacy arsenal, but the most important is whether or not you will use it. If you get too frustrated with low internet speeds, or running streaming devices, don’t use a VPN at home. An unused tool is not useful to anyone.
A Congressional decision to allow ISPs to sell anonymous data about their customers is a huge incentive to use a VPN. That’s why we recommend keeping your VPN running as much as possible, even at home. Note, however, that we also recommend turning it off when, for example, you need to cast content to your TV. Security is important, but so is it Star Trek.
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