Explain VPN, Virtual Private Network to a cranky old guy.

Ole Joe Clark

Ole Joe Clark

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To the computer guys and gals on the forum: Per the title, please explain the what, why, and which ones you prefer, of the VPN's. I am reading about them and trying to learn enough to make a decision on a Virtual Private Network.

I am only interested in the security, privacy, and traceability of my internet connection. I am not interested because I will not do illegal or stupid stuff on the net.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
 
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That's exactly what a VPN does. It basically makes your computer invisible. The various browsers usually have free VPN as a part of their package of add-ons. No need to buy a VPN connection. I use Opera's VPN, and right now, this message is coming from somewhere in Sweden while I am in Texas. The only downside is that the VPN connection can slow down the transmission speed a little.
 
From a non-computer guy:

It encrypts your data on your computer before sending it over the internet to a server where it is decrypted. This server has a secure connection to the internet it uses to send your data to it's final destination.

Most useful when a secure internet connection is not available. Such as if the only thing available is a public WiFi with no password, or a public one where the password is widely known.

Generally it makes tracking you more difficult because everything looks like it comes from the server you hook up to. So for traceability and security it's good. Privacy is another issue and while it can help it's not a cure-all by any means.
 
DWalt said:
That's exactly what a VPN does. It basically makes your computer invisible. The various browsers usually have free VPN as a part of their package of add-ons. No need to buy a VPN connection. I use Opera's VPN, and right now, this message is coming from somewhere in Sweden while I am in Texas. The only downside is that the VPN connection can slow down the transmission speed a little.
Click to expand...

Opera is owned by the Chinese....just sayin'...
 
From IP8 (IP8.com):

What You Need to Know About Your IP Address
An IP address is a unique number attributed to all your online activity. It's an identifier that helps the system tell your device apart from the billions of devices on the internet.

Your IP address is how you get all your personal information (chats, VoIP calls, emails, etc.) sent directly to your device, whether you're on your mobile phone, laptop, or office computer.

Where do you get an IP address?
So, every device has a unique IP address. But how are these IP addresses assigned? Who gets to choose what address goes to your device? Your Internet Service Provider does.

IP addresses are managed globally by a body known as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) via five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) who allocate blocks of IP addresses to the Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Your ISP assigns an IP address to your device.

What information does my IP address reveal?
While there isn't much the average curious person can find out about your online activity through your IP address, your personal information isn’t entirely safe from websites you visit.

If you were to send an email from your home or office, a person with savvy internet skills (e.g. a hacker) and the right tools can use your exposed IP address to find out (with good accuracy) the approximate location it was sent from.

Moreover, your personal information can be tracked by third parties like your ISP, advertisers, hackers and even government agencies.

In the case of cybercrime, law enforcement authorities might obtain a subpoena to enable them to track a user through their IP address.

In that instance, they can take that IP address to the ISP to get more information about the user like legal name and home address.

How can I hide my IP address?
One of the best ways to ensure your online anonymity is by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN is great because it gives an added layer of protection to your IP address. Many people use VPNs to maintain online anonymity.

Which VPN Service is the best ?
You may want to check VPN Review sites like VPNRanks.com - Ultimate destination to find the perfect VPN! before installing a VPN
 
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glenwolde said:
Opera is owned by the Chinese....just sayin'...
Click to expand...

True, since 2016 it is owned by a Chinese investment group, but the Opera software company is chartered and headquartered in Norway and its operations are regulated under a fairly strict Norwegian digital privacy law, not Chinese. I have used Opera for about 15 years and consider it the best (but I do keep several other browsers on my desktop as backups). Nothing could be simpler than the Opera VPN, it is totally transparent to the user. You can turn it off or on with a mouse click.
 
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I highly recommend Private Internet Access (PIA) for around $3 per month when you sign up for a year or more. The encryption (scrambling) part of the VPN provides security by preventing your regular internet service provider (or anyone else) from listening in on you. The privacy / anonymity is achieved when your connection is combined with a whole bunch of other people as it comes out of the other end of the VPN tunnel and back into the regular Internet before it connects to your ultimate destination. Good VPN service providers keep no logs and allow themselves to be audited routinely by third parties to prove that very point.

Be aware that using a VPN is only one part of a privacy and security strategy on the internet. Proper password management, browser configuration (blocking cookies and other trackers), and using a secure email provider (such as ProtonMail), are other critical actions that must be implemented.

Personally, I have Private Internet Access VPN service configured with 256-bit AES military grade encryption running on DD-WRT firmware within my primary WiFi router - thus automatically putting every device in the entire house on the VPN. Computers, phones, laptops, set-top boxes, cameras... everything gets an anonymous encrypted connection to the outside world and comes out at the other end via a server in Canada. It's fast, safe and secure.

Sent from my SM-G930U using Tapatalk
 
Leon,

Here's the most basic analogy I can come up with for you:

Say you wanted to walk from your house to the mall on the other side of town to go shopping. The route from your house to the mall goes through a real sketchy neighborhood that you want to avoid because you might get mugged. So instead of walking on the streets you dug a tunnel that runs only from your house to the mall with no other entrances or exits that only you can use.

A VPN is like that tunnel - a direct connection between you and the VPN's host computer with no other entrances or exits.

From their host computer you can buyfrom/look at/visit any other place on the internet (i.e. - shop in any store in the "mall") and if anyone tried to track you they could only get as close to you as the VPN's computer (the end of the tunnel at the mall) and no further because they can't get into the tunnel to follow you home.

Here are a few tips about VPNs:
1. They range in cost from free to ridiculous;
2. The best (and most costly) ones give you a lot or unlimited data and a lot of hosts to connect to depending on where you are. The free ones can limit your data or the number of hosts which can really slow down your internet speed.
3. Almost all will have a free trial period - use it. This will help you decide if their service meets your needs.
4. Good VPNs will also allow you to install their service on several other computers, tablets and phones as well so everything can be protected.

Good luck!
 
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I tried Nord a couple of years ago and really noticed a slow down especially using a wireless device in my house. My wired devices were slower but not too bad. I discontinued the service. Have things improved?
 
Jeff423 said:
I tried Nord a couple of years ago and really noticed a slow down especially using a wireless device in my house. My wired devices were slower but not too bad. I discontinued the service. Have things improved?
Click to expand...
Yes, most Wi-Fi routers now on the market have much faster processors that can quickly encrypt/decrypt the VPN directly from within the router if this is how you choose to configure your network. I recommend the Linksys WRT32X and the Netgear R7800. Both are well supported by DD-WRT and OpenWRT firmware,.and have fast dual-core processors with plenty of memory.

Bottom line performance using this technique should yield a 17ms ping, 24ms latency under load, and 80-130+ Mbps throughput... more than enough to stream multiple 4K videos, play 4K online gaming, half a dozen voice calls, multiple downloads, live security cameras, and multiple web surfing sessions, all SIMULTANEOUSLY. [emoji6][emoji106]

Sent from my SM-G930U using Tapatalk
 
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It's been awhile since I ran a speed test on my system. Without VPN, Ping is around 10, upload and download are both around 50 Mbps. With VPN enabled, Ping is around 70, and upload/download are each in the mid-20s Mbps range. Roughly half speed. I use IP8.com for testing and lots of other cool stuff. It's fun to play with.
 
I've been using Express VPN for probably close to a year. I've not noticed any changes in my speeds. I've done multi checks with it on and off.

They have killer customer support...by chat. Only needed it when I couldn't log into Netflix. I have to use the LA or Atlanta server when watching Netflix, and I have to shut it off if I want to watch anything on Amazon.
 
There's always Tor Browser. It's a bit slower than clearnet browsers, though.

Tor is banned in some countries.

Tor browser and a VPN or two would be very difficult to track.

google tor browser.
 
Keep in mind that a VPN isn't the be-all and end-all solution to privacy. Google for instance, is very good at tracking people that don't want to be tracked, as are big marketing companies. Here's some interesting info on web site fingerprinting on this page:

(I had to turn javascript off to get past a marketing ad to read the page)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/tech...hird-popular-websites-are-fingerprinting-you/
 
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wood714 said:
I've been using Express VPN for probably close to a year. I've not noticed any changes in my speeds. I've done multi checks with it on and off.

They have killer customer support...by chat. Only needed it when I couldn't log into Netflix. I have to use the LA or Atlanta server when watching Netflix, and I have to shut it off if I want to watch anything on Amazon.
Click to expand...


I remember now that I had similar issues with Nord. I did like being able to spoof being in another country and seeing what differences there were in Netflix.
 
I have used Nord and StrongVPN. My main application was wanting to watch US streaming services, AmazonPrime and Netflix, while in Japan. For a while I subscribed to both because, on IOS (iPad) anyway, there were times when one or another of the VPN services and/or their various servers would be blocked. E.g., I could stream Netflix from DC but not from Los Angeles. So I bounced around a lot.

Nowadays I only have StrongVPN. When MJ’s The Last Dance was released in the US on ESPN last spring, here in the US I don’t have ESPN but I was able to connect to a server in Tokyo, access the Japanese Netflix service, where it was released simultaneously, and watch it that way.

I also use the VPN accessing websites that I think I may be sketchy, meaning trying to grab data or install viruses. Also use it on airplanes if I connect to the internet.

Here’s a question for you internet/VPN savvy guys: When accessing accounts at banks or other financial institutions from one’s own home, is it useful to turn on the VPN? Or are bank and other financial institutions already sufficiently secure? (I don’t access these accounts when not at home, but if I did, I’d turn on the VPN first.)
 
DWalt said:
The various browsers usually have free VPN as a part of their package of add-ons. No need to buy a VPN connection. .
Click to expand...

Does anybody but Opera bundle a free VPN with their browser? Sure, some have a "private mode", but that doesn't mask your presence or protect your data, it simply keeps you from having a record of sites browsed.
 
Good Morning,
Thanks for all the input, exactly what I wanted. Now to spend some time reading and attempting to absorb all the information.

Again, thank you so much.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
 
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