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What Is A VPN, What Is It For And How Can It Be Used

VPN

What is a VPN ?

VPN networks are technologies that allow your computers with Internet connectivity to exchange data, both receive and send, with a public WiFi network as if it were a private WiFi network , with all the advantages that this can offer.

VPN connection uses a remote server hosted somewhere in the world arranged by a provider so that you can connect to it and use its IP address as if it were yours.

What do you win with that? Well, you manage to hide your real location from your internet provider . And why do you want this? Among other things, this allows you to skip the famous geoblocks and enjoy exclusive content .

But they not only allow you to skip geo-locks to enjoy, for example, Facebook (China case) or Netflix and its exclusive content; It also offers you a plus of security , since they use an encryption system that protects the information you send and receive.

Thus, when using a VPN connection , even if some person or other entity manages to capture your information traffic, they could not see what you upload and download.

What are VPN networks used for?

Initially, VPN servers were used, most of all in the business environment, designed for when employees needed to work from home, or anywhere outside the office , keeping full access to the same information that could be accessed from their office, with the certainty and tranquility of having a completely secure connection.  

That was in its beginnings, but over time, other more diverse and general uses were found, open to all kinds of people who enjoy the Internet. One of those uses, and perhaps one of the most famous, is to circumvent the censorship applied by governments and Internet providers .

One of the ways you can circumvent Internet censorship is bypassing geoblocks. These geographical blocks have become a tool for both “protection” and marketing by various entities.

One of the most famous cases are those of platforms such as Netflix or YouTube, platforms that have set as a requirement that you are in a specific country to enjoy certain content. VPN servers allow you to use the IP address of a server that is located in that country, deceiving Internet providers, giving you access to such content .

Let’s see definitively what are the uses of VPN connections in various areas:

Accessing the private network of a company from a public place, such as a café or a plaza, can be considered at best crazy and irresponsible. Not by the site itself, but by using a connection open to the public, even if the connection is protected by a password, since it can be intercepted in many ways by malicious people, giving them access to that valuable information.

The use of a VPN server reduces the risks on the part of the worker and the company , since access to the network is protected by encryption.

Following the same concept, it can be applied in cases where content is blocked in your country, such as Facebook in China. If not for the VPN services , people in China would not be able to use this social network.

Imagine that you need to access your bank accounts and you can only do it through the WiFi network of the nearest café. As it is a public network, there is no way you can completely trust it, so you would put the integrity of your data at risk, since anyone can capture your data and take your accounts.

Avoid spending those bad times using a VPN service that protects your data by an encryption system . So even if your data traffic is captured, they won’t be able to access more than a bunch of meaningless symbols .

Advantages and disadvantages of using a VPN.

Now that you know what a VPN is and what it is used for, now we have to see what its strengths and weaknesses are. So you can know when you can use it and which is better than not.

In favor:

Against:

How to use a Virtual Private Network?

In today’s computers you can connect to a virtual private network without installing additional programs. Of course, if you want, you can hire a VPN service to have greater coverage and benefits. Follow these steps to use a VPN :

In Windows 10:

On MAC:

On Linux:

To make use of a VPN server you must have installed a package called “network-manager-vpnc” and follow these steps:

Also Read: Top 5 Free VPNs You’ll Want To Use

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