Six Practical Cases To Use a Vpn In Everyday Life
This is a collaborative post.
The 1.5 billion VPN users worldwide have made the VPN market a multi-billion dollar industry. The use of this program skyrocketed amid the pandemic as people needed an affordable cybersecurity measure to work from home comfortably. A big push for VPNs also came in the form of widespread data breaches and hacking attempts.
If you are an avid Internet user and have not used VPN even once, you don’t know what you’re missing. This secure access technology not only encrypts data and protects you from hackers but also lets you change your IP address and bypass geographical restrictions.
In addition, premium VPN providers offer a wide range of server locations. So, for instance, sitting at a coffee shop in the USA, you can access Uk-based content by using VPN for UK. This will provide you with a UK IP with British servers.
Whether surfing the Internet for leisure or work, a VPN can enhance your overall experience. Continue reading to learn of the practices VPN uses in everyday life.
Staying safe when connected to public Wi-Fi networks
People use unsecured public Wi-Fi networks when travelling or working from a cafe. This is mostly out of convenience and accessibility.
While travelling, meeting a friend at a restaurant or standing in a queue, you may not want to use your cellular data because it is expensive.
Also, you might be in some remote location where your cellular data isn’t working, and the only option is connecting to a nearby Wi-Fi network.
The problem with public Wi-Fi networks is that they are not secure. So, if you are logging into your social media accounts, purchasing something online or making online payments, you are leaving your personal data and credentials all over the place.
As such, your credentials are at risk, and cybercriminals will have no problem accessing your personal information or financial details.
You must use a VPN to keep your private data and financial details safe. The VPN service creates an encrypted tunnel through which your data is sent from your device and received by the Internet server.
Due to encryption, your data stays secure, and even if hackers get a hold of your information, it will be scrambled.
As additional measures, you must also keep your device’s firewall on and only visit websites using HTTPS.
Improved remote work
The pandemic has shifted the work dynamic. Many people have moved to a remote working setup.
Naturally, this raises cybersecurity concerns, especially for employees who need to connect to the local server in their organisation. VPNs encrypt the connection, ensuring safer traffic.
You might connect to public Wi-Fi networks if you work remotely and prefer working out of cafes. However, as explained above, these networks are insecure and put your data at risk.
So, add VPN to your kitty if you are a remote worker and don’t want cybercriminals to access confidential business information.
Preventing bandwidth throttling
The looming threat to your web browsing experience comes from all angles, including your ISP or Internet service provider. For example, they might interfere with your connection speed when you’re in the middle of an intense game or sending an important email.
Bandwidth throttling is when your ISP deliberately slows down your Internet speed, and this mostly happens when they notice you are streaming online content, torrenting, playing games, etc.
This is done to reduce bandwidth usage during network congestion or because they want to charge you more for higher bandwidth.
Whatever the case, your ISP tracks your activity, which must stop. That’s where VPNs come to your rescue. It prevents ISPs from monitoring your online activity so they cannot interfere with your Internet connection speed.
Overcoming regional restrictions
Suppose your favourite game developer has released a new game, but it won’t be released in your country for some reason. How can you work around this limitation?
You can use a VPN to overcome regional restrictions and watch whatever content you want or play whichever game you want. This is because geolocation is primarily determined through an individual’s IP address.
When you use a VPN, you can connect to the VPN’s server in any country of your choice. Then, you can access all the contents of that particular country.
A classic example of this would be watching Netflix UK TV series and movies while in the USA. Or, if you’re an American holidaying in India, you can access your home library using VPN and watch TV series or movies as if you were home.
Similarly, you can use this service to overcome price discrimination based on the buyer’s location or get better deals when paying for flight tickets.
For example, if you are travelling to Egypt you are likely to get a better price by using a VPN making it seem like you are in Egypt than the UK.
The prices are often also cheaper to fly to Eastern Europe if you live there than in a “richer country” such as the UK.
Surfing the web anonymously
VPNs might not be the absolute solution to not leaving a trace online, but it is near-perfect.
Since it encrypts the user’s connection and data, it makes it unreadable. Also, the IP address change makes it possible for users to browse the web anonymously.
Most premium VPN providers have a no-logs policy. This means that they don’t store users’ data.
Overcoming Internet censorship
VPN is a program that promotes open and universal access to everyone on the Internet.
While overcoming geo-blocking limitations is about working around licensing and copyright restrictions, Internet censorship is when governments prevent access to websites for political reasons.
Also, Internet censorship is exercised by schools and universities when they don’t want their wards to access certain websites within the premises.
You can overcome this censorship using VPN, as it takes the server outside the control of the authority censoring the websites.
The bottom line
VPN helps Internet users in several ways, and the ones mentioned above are its practical uses in everyday life. If you are not using a VPN, you are highly recommended to subscribe to one.
This tool will protect your online privacy and security, let you access geo-blocked content and overcome censorship.
It also enhances the remote working experience as you don’t have to worry about confidential business or client information getting leaked.