What is a VPN and How can you get it?
Today, VPN is very popular among the business users as well as the home users of the Internet due to the security and privacy features offered by commercial VPN services around the world. In this post we are going to learn What is a VPN and how you can get it for your home use. Business users use the commercial and expensive VPN services. For example companies hosting their applications and data on the AWS cloud uses AWS VPN for enabling their employees to access the servers.
VPN is also very popular among the home users as it offers secure, privacy hiding, fast internet and many other features. If you are a home user and looking for the information on the VPN services then this page is for you. Here we are going to explain everything you need to know about the VPN Services.
The term VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, which is a secure network created over the Internet or less secure network. It allows the users to securely connect to the remote servers as it's in the same network. It can also be used to access the Internet using the VPN server instead of your own Internet network.
What is a VPN or Virtual Private Network?
Let's see what a VPN is? VPN is another network technology which is used to create an encrypted connection from the host machine to another machine or server on the Internet. To make a secure connection to the host machine, the Internet is required. So, in VPN we actually make a secure connection to another network using the encryption technology. When you make a VPN connection to another network, the other network will appear as it's in the same network as your computer.
VPN is very promising for the users as it prevents unauthorised people from eavesdropping on the traffic from the user's computer to the network you connected with VPN. This technology is widely used among the corporate users, but it's popularity is also increasing among the home users mostly for accessing the Internet securely.
VPN is actually extending the other network (or corporate network) through the use of encryption technology to achieve the encryption during the data transfer over the Internet network. Here traffic is encrypted between the device or host machine to the server machine and this makes data private when in transit.
In the VPN all traffic is encrypted between the host machine and the server. If you question is if the traffic is encrypted? Then the answer is Yes, the traffic is encrypted in the VPN connection.
What are different types of VPN?
Here are the types of the VPN:
Remote access - In the type of VPN host computer connects to a local area network. The example of such a VPN is an enterprise network where employees' computers are connected to the corporate network.
Site-to-site - The site-to-site VPN is used to connect two networks. This type of VPN is used to connect two geographically separated networks. When two or more office networks of a corporation are connected then a site-to-site VPN is used.
Extranet-based site-to-site - Such type of network is used to connect intranet or extranet networks. Such a VPN is used to connect to the network of other organisations.
VPN for Internet access?
If you want to hide your privacy and access the internet fast then you can use free or paid VPN services to access the Internet. In this case you can use the commercial VPN to connect to the VPN server and after connecting to the VPN, all your Internet traffic will be routed through the VPN server. This way you can access the Internet security through VPN and hide your privacy.
Such a VPN is useful when you don?t have access to some websites in your country and you want to securely access such websites. You should check VPN access laws in your country before using such VPN services.
This way of accessing the Internet is also known as ?Internet access through VPN proxy?. In such cases you will connect to the VPN server of your VPN service provider and then access the proxy as an internet gateway.
How to get a VPN?
There are few free VPN services that you can use in your home and use as Internet proxy. Free VPN comes with limited features. VPN service providers provide the installer software that you can download and install in your computer. After installation you can enter your username and password in the VPN access software. This software will then validate your credentials and then allow you to access the Internet from the VPN proxy.
You can also buy commercial VPN services to access the Internet secretly while maintaining your privacy. Commercial VPN services come with many features and it's beneficial to access the Internet using such services.
You can get a VPN, copy the downloaded installer software to a directory in your computer and install it on your computer. After installation open the application, login with your credentials and access the Internet over the secure network. You can choose plans as per your requirements.
What are the uses of VPN?
Lets see the uses of VPN for the users. VPN is actually widely utilized by individuals who require secrecy and privacy in connection with surfing the web. Home users are mostly using the VPn proxy for accessing the Intenet. The uses of VPN are quite varied and it is used by individuals who want to protect their internet activities. The VPN has a variety of uses that can be classified as following:
1. Protecting the IP Address of your laptop
IP addresses are generally used to establish your position when surfing the internet, especially using public Wi-Fi and broadband connections. However, this can be an invasion of your privacy as other users can capture your IP address to track your online activities and identity. VPNs help in keeping your IP address private, when you are connected to public Wi-Fi or broadband connections. In such cases VPN proxy is very useful and it is being used by a large number of users around the world.
2. Protecting the Internet from viruses and spyware
Most of the online activities that happen to an individual is by means of accessing their own files by their respective web browsers. When using the internet, viruses and spyware get introduced into the internet which then spread online. A VPN helps in protecting your activities from malicious code and cyber spies as it encrypts the data that is sent back and forth between your computer and the internet. VPN may also provide the anti-virus capabilities to protect you in a much better way. Using VPN to access the Internet gives better protection against viruses.
3. Protect your online activity on the other hand
Users who get connected to public Wi-Fi or broadband connections may share their internet activity with other users, especially when browsing the internet using their own laptops. When a user shares his internet activity, he is giving the opportunity to other users to capture his Internet activity and use it against him. A VPN helps in maintaining the privacy of your online activity. You can use VPN to protect your laptop, and your online activities. VPN proxy will help you in protecting yourself from a wide variety of threats.
4. Protect your online activities while travelling in airports
People can use VPN to protect their travel activities in airports, and the Internet is the most secure place to travel to. VPN helps in protecting your online activities in airports. When you use a VPN on your laptop, the other passengers on the same flight may not be able to access your online activities. If you are using the public WiFi then it's better to use the VPN to protect yourself from various types of Internet threats.
5. Protect your online activities when travelling in hotels
If you?re staying in a hotel, and you want to be safe when browsing the internet, always connect to a VPN before accessing your accounts. Your online accounts and activities can be leaked and accessed by other hotel guests. A VPN offers you more anonymity and privacy when you connect to public Wi-Fi or broadband connections. A VPN can also be used to watch the television streams that are provided to you by the hotel. So, it is advisable to use the VPN while accessing the Internet from the hotel room if you are connected using hotel WiFi.
6. Protect the contents of your emails
When you use a VPN to connect to an email service account, you can access your email provider?s servers. This helps you keep your emails protected from hacking attacks where your email communications are stolen or compromised by hackers.
7. VPNs help in improving the security of your online presence
A VPN can help in improving the security of your online presence by protecting your identity in the online world. When you connect to a VPN, all your online activities are encrypted, and they are not being tracked online.
8. VPNs help in providing data security
If you use a VPN, you can use the internet to download unlimited amounts of data based on the plan your VPN service provider is offering you.
There are many benefits of using VPN proxy to access the Internet either from your own WiFi or while using the public WiFi. VPN protects you from the various types of Internet threats. It also projects your data and maintains your privacy.