What is a VPN, what does it do, what is the meaning of a VPN and more explanation
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VPN is an acronym you’ve likely heard of with considerably more regularity in recent years – there’s also a global VPN day now – but you may still not be sure who the person really is and ask: “So what? is being VPN, anyway? “
In simpler terms, a VPN – or Virtual Private Network – is a way to keep you safe and anonymous online, while also helping you learn about apps and services that may have been blocked wherever you are. very easy!
How do you do all this? That’s what we’ll tackle here, explaining the basics of what a VPN is, what it does, and the most common VPN uses, as well as looking at how it works in greater depth. We’ll also discuss why you’d want a VPN service – and in fact the potential downsides of a VPN – and how to get one of these to work if you want to. And in the end, we assure you that you will fully understand what a VPN is and which one to get.
Meaning of VPN
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. As this name suggests, a VPN service creates a type of private network – a link between your device and a remote computer somewhere else in the world that is owned by the VPN provider (commonly known as a VPN server). This link is usually referred to as the “tunnel” and your data travels to it encrypted, giving you security. The linked server effectively becomes a “virtual” part of your home network, and thus is a virtual private network.
What is a VPN… in 30 seconds?
When you connect to the Internet, you are constantly sending and receiving data back. You might request an image, for example, and then receive that image as a download. Normally, data from your device travels directly to the Internet and is effectively bare, and can be seen by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), or possibly others if it’s intercepted.
When you use a VPN, you install client software on your device, and this ties into the software on the VPN provider’s server elsewhere. These two apps create a link – an encrypted “tunnel” – between them, and your data goes down instead, before heading online.
This way, your ISP, or anyone else who might seek to intercept and view the data, will not be able to understand it because it is encrypted. Furthermore, it appears that the origin of the data is the VPN server – the exit point of your “virtual network” – not your own device, and this has benefits in terms of online anonymity.
(Image credit: Pixabay)
What is a VPN and how does it actually work?
Based on what we just discussed, a good VPN will likely have thousands of servers, located in dozens of countries all over the world. When you start the VPN client software on your device, you choose to connect to one of these many VPN servers via the encrypted tunnel mentioned above.
Incidentally, this encryption can come in a number of different forms, known as VPN protocols. Any of the best VPNs available will use a very secure modern protocol, as you’d expect, with it often being OpenVPN (but there are other good options including the new WireGuard, as well as some providers that have their own protocols, like NordVPN’s NordLynx and ExpressVPN’s Lightway mentioned above) .
So the benefit of strong encryption is the very tight security, and the advantage of choosing thousands of servers is the ability to change your location with all sorts of options. As mentioned, a VPN connection will make it look like the VPN computer (the server) is the source of your data, not your computer. So, for all intents and purposes, you’ll actually look like you’re residing in this location – hiding your real location and anonymity. Moreover, you can access content that may be blocked in your country (we will discuss this shortly).
For a more in-depth look at exactly how all this happens, check out our dedicated article on how a VPN works.
What is a VPN and why do I need it?
There are many uses for a VPN that you can take advantage of, besides the obvious boon to bolstering your security – since your data is encrypted, even if it is somehow exposed or intercepted, it means nothing because it’s mixed and incomprehensible. This means that you are safer even in the most dangerous online scenarios, such as using public Wi-Fi which can be unsecured and a potentially suspicious display due to various reasons.
As we’ve seen, staying anonymous online is also a disguised advantage of a VPN, masking the true identity (and location) of your computer, and stopping any actions being tracked to you. This is not only useful for people who might be involved in, say, copyright infringing downloads – which we obviously don’t condone – but also for those who would prefer not to be tracked by advertisers or other third parties.
Unblocking content is another important thing we just touched on. Since a VPN can allow you to appear in a different country, you can access services that may be geo-blocked. For example, if you live in the UK, and you want to stream a show on US Netflix that isn’t shown in the UK, you can simply connect to, say, the New York server of your VPN. This means that you’ll look like you’re using a computer in New York, and thus can watch US content (in theory – VPNs aren’t 100% bulletproof in this regard). No wonder so many people search the web for “best Netflix VPN” day in and day out.
A VPN can also be used to bypass content restrictions if you live in – or visit – a place where the authorities impose censorship (so that you can still access your social media sites while on vacation in a country where it is prohibited, for example).
There are also small additional bonuses, as using a VPN can save you money in certain circumstances, for example, booking a flight. You may get cheaper fares by appearing to be from a different country, because airlines can adjust their prices depending on where they think you’re from (factors like frequent viewing of the same flight, said: if you see the price go up when you visit again, it may be Force you to buy – but the anonymity that a VPN provides stops this kind of tracking).
(Image credit: ExpressVPN)
What are the disadvantages of a VPN?
The first obvious drawback of using a VPN is that it can slow down the performance of your internet connection. This is especially the case when using servers in remote countries, where server distance is important.
While this may sound drastic, the truth is that in most cases, any performance impact will likely not be noticeable – certainly with the best VPNs we fully test for performance in our reviews. Even with a more average speed VPN, with some careful selection of servers, you probably won’t notice much difference, if any, in everyday computing either. The main scenario where you might want to turn off the VPN is online gaming, which is a very sensitive area in terms of latency. Although gaming VPNs definitely have their uses too!
Another potential thorny area is that while using a VPN means that your ISP can no longer snoop on your data, instead this data passes through the VPN provider’s system, and an unscrupulous VPN can run fast and lose your data. Every VPN will insist that it keeps your privacy (hardly saying otherwise – which is why you sign up, after all!), and claims to keep no “logs”. They are small pieces of recorded data relating to the Service, which can – but hopefully not – include how you use it.
A clear “no logging” policy is essential to watertight privacy, but how can you trust that a VPN keeps its word, and keeps no logs potentially infringing on privacy? One sure way is to choose a VPN service whose security levels and security policies have been independently audited – some of the major providers already do.
In short, most of the potential drawbacks of VPN adoption can be precisely altered by choosing a highly rated and reliable provider.
How do I get a VPN?
After deciding that you want to take the plunge into using a VPN, the first step is to choose a provider. You’ll find plenty of instructions on this, and we have a great resource in our Best VPN Services roundup.
When you make the choice, it is simply a matter of heading to the VPN provider’s website, where you can sign up for a subscription plan. Annual plans offer the best value – especially multi-year contracts – but of course you stick more in these cases. Some providers will offer a free VPN trial of some sort, which is great for giving the VPN a spin before you ever commit (also keep an eye out for the money-back guarantees, which can work effectively as a trial).
There are also free VPN services, but they are often limited in many ways, or have other hidden costs.
Once you have registered and created your account, you will need to download and install the VPN client app. Simply launch the app and you can connect to the VPN server and immediately benefit from tighter online security (plus all the other benefits we’ve covered here). When you first launch a VPN app, there may be a bit of setup to proceed, but don’t worry – we’ve got you covered on that front with more tips on how to set up a VPN here.
Compare the best overall VPN services by price:
Is it illegal to have a VPN?
No, there is nothing illegal in using a VPN. However, there may be a bit of confusion about this area because some people use VPNs to cover up the fact that they are doing something illegal. It is clear, however, that VPN use is not illegal – it is the activity that breaks the law, and this will remain true whether or not the offender is a VPN user.
While in the vast majority of countries it is perfectly legal to use a VPN, the caveat is that quite a few regulations around the world have banned VPNs. If you travel to these places – or live there – you will obviously have to respect the law or you will likely face the consequences. VPN use in China is the most visible example of a country where VPNs are banned, but even here, there are no actual reports of travelers visiting arrested for using a VPN.
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