What is a VPN? Settings, selection, recommendations. What is a VPN or how to protect your network

In this article we will answer the most frequently asked questions what a VPN server is, we’ll tell you whether a VPN can increase your security, whether you need to use Double VPN and how to check whether the VPN service keeps logs, as well as what modern technologies exist to protect personal information.

VPN is a virtual private network that provides encryption between the client and the VPN server.

The main purpose of a VPN is to encrypt traffic and change the IP address.

Let's figure out why and when this is needed.

Why do you need a VPN?

All Internet providers log the activities of their clients on the Internet. That is, the Internet provider knows which sites you visited. This is necessary in order to provide all information about the violator in case of requests from the police, and also to relieve oneself of all legal responsibility for the user’s actions.

There are many situations when a user needs to protect his personal data on the Internet and gain freedom of communication.

Example 1. There is a business and it is necessary to transmit confidential data over the Internet so that no one can intercept it. Most companies use VPN technology to transfer information between company branches.

Example 2. Many services on the Internet operate on a geo-referenced basis and prohibit access to users from other countries.

For example, the Yandex Music service only works for IP addresses from Russia and the former CIS countries. Accordingly, the entire Russian-speaking population living in other countries does not have access to this service.

Example 3. Blocking certain sites in the office and in the country. Offices often block access to social networks so that employees do not spend working hours for communication.

For example, in China many are blocked Google services. If a Chinese resident works with a company from Europe, then there is a need to use services such as Google Disk.

Example 4: Hide visited sites from your ISP. There are times when you need to hide the list of visited sites from your Internet provider. All traffic will be encrypted.

By encrypting your traffic, your ISP won't know what sites you've visited on the Internet. In this case, your IP address on the Internet will belong to the country of the VPN server.

When you connect to a VPN, a secure channel is created between your computer and the VPN server. All data in this channel is encrypted.

With a VPN, you will have freedom of communication and protect your personal data.

In the logs of the Internet provider there will be a set different characters. The picture below shows an analysis of the data obtained by a special program.

The HTTP header immediately shows which site you are connecting to. This data is recorded by Internet service providers.

The following picture shows the HTTP header when using a VPN. The data is encrypted and it is impossible to find out which sites you visited.

How to connect to a VPN

There are several ways to connect to a VPN network.

PPTP is an obsolete protocol. Most modern operating systems have excluded it from the list of supported ones. Disadvantages of PPTP - low connection stability. The connection may fail and unprotected data may leak onto the Internet.
L2TP (IPSec) connection is more reliable. Also built into most operating systems (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and others). It has better reliability compared to PPTP connections.
SSTP connection was developed relatively recently. It is only supported on Windows, so it is not widely used.
IKEv2 is a modern protocol based on IPSec. This protocol has replaced the PPTP protocol and is supported by all popular operating systems.
OpenVPN connection is considered the most reliable. This technology can be flexibly configured and if the connection drops, OpenVPN blocks sending unprotected data to the Internet.

There are 2 data transfer protocols for OpenVPN technology:

UDP protocol – is fast (recommended for use) VoiP telephony, Skype, online games)
TCP protocol – characterized by the reliability of transmitted data (requires confirmation of receipt of the packet). Slightly slower than UDP.

How to set up a VPN

Setting up a VPN connection takes a few minutes and varies VPN way connections.

On our service we use PPTP and OpenVPN connections.

Security of working with a VPN program

We will always talk about an integrated approach to security. User security consists of more than just the VPN connection itself. It is important what program you use to connect to the VPN server.

Currently, services offer convenient VPN clients - these are programs that make it easier to set up a VPN connection. We ourselves offer a convenient VPN client. Thanks to such programs, setting up a VPN connection takes no more than 1 minute.

When we first started providing VPN services in 2006, all of our users set up the official OpenVPN application. It has an open source code. Of course, setting up the official OpenVPN client takes longer. But let's figure out what is better to use in terms of anonymity.

VPN client anonymity

We see the danger in using such programs. The thing is that the source code of such programs is the property of the company and in order to preserve the uniqueness of its program, no one publishes it.

Users cannot find out what data the program collects about you in the absence of open source code.

VPN programs and can identify you as a specific user even when the logs on the server are turned off.

Any program can have the functionality to record the sites you have visited and your real IP address. And since you enter your login into the program yourself, it is impossible to talk about any anonymity in using the program at all.

If your activity needs high level anonymity, we recommend that you abandon such VPN programs and use the official open source OpenVPN release.

At first you will find this inconvenient. But over time, you will get used to it if the factor of security and anonymity comes first for you.

We guarantee that Secure Kit does not store any data about you. But we must warn you that such programs can spy on you.

Another idea on how to increase your security came from the point of view of the geographical location of servers. On the Internet it is called an offshore VPN.

What is an offshore VPN

Different countries have different levels of legislation. There are strong states with strong laws. And there are small countries whose level of development does not allow information security data in your country.

Initially, the concept of offshore was used to designate a country in which tax policy was relaxed. Such countries have very low business taxes. Global companies have become interested in legal tax avoidance in their country, and offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands have become very popular.

Currently, many countries around the world already have bans on the use of bank accounts in offshore countries.

Most offshore countries are small states located in remote corners of the planet. Servers in such countries are more difficult to find and are more expensive due to the lack of developed Internet infrastructure. VPN servers in such countries began to be called offshore.

It turns out that the word offshore VPN does not mean anonymous VPN, but only speaks of territorial affiliation with an offshore state.

Should you use an offshore VPN?

Offshore VPN presents additional benefits from an anonymity point of view.

Do you think it’s much easier to write an official request:

to a police department in Germany
or the Islands Police Department in Antigua Barbuda

Offshore VPN is an additional layer of protection. An offshore server is good to use as part of a Double VPN chain.

There is no need to use only 1 offshore VPN server and think that this complete security. You need to approach your security and anonymity on the Internet from different angles.

Use an offshore VPN as a link to your anonymity.

And it's time to answer the most frequently asked question. Can an anonymous VPN service keep logs? And how to determine whether the service keeps logs?

Anonymous VPN service and logs. What should I do?

An anonymous VPN service should not keep logs. Otherwise, it can no longer be called anonymous.

We have compiled a list of questions, thanks to which you can accurately determine whether the service keeps logs.

Now you have full information about VPN connections. This knowledge is enough to make yourself anonymous on the Internet and make the transmission of personal data secure.

New VPN technologies

Are there any new trends in the VPN space?

We have already talked about the pros and cons of sequential cascading VPN servers(Double, Triple, Quad VPN).

To avoid the disadvantages of Double VPN technology, you can make a parallel cascade of chains. We called it Parallel VPN.

What is Parallel VPN

The essence of Parallel VPN is to direct traffic to a parallel data channel.

The disadvantage of sequential cascading technology (Double, Triple, Quad VPN) is that on each server the channel is decrypted and encrypted into the next channel. Data is consistently encrypted.

There is no such problem with Parallel VPN technology, since all data undergoes double parallel encryption. That is, imagine an onion that has several peels. In the same way, data passes through a channel that is double encrypted.

They have become commonplace. True, no one really thinks about what is behind the concept like “VPN, setup, use, etc.” Most users prefer not to get into the jungle of computer terminology and use standard templates. But in vain. From knowledge about such connections, you can derive a lot of benefits, for example, increase traffic or connection speed, etc. Let's look at what a connection to a virtual network actually is, using the example of interaction between operational Windows systems on a desktop computer terminal and Android on a mobile device.

What is VPN

Let's start with the fact that VPN setup is impossible without general principle understanding the essence of the connection being created or used.

If you explain in simple words, in such a network there is necessarily a so-called router (the same router), which provides computers or mobile devices trying to connect to existing network, standard additional IP addresses for access to LAN or the Internet.

At the same time virtual network, which has activated setting VPN connections are accepted by any device connected to it and assigned a unique internal IP address. The range of such addresses in the usual standard is from zero to the value 255.

What’s most interesting is that even when accessing the Internet, the external IP address of the device from which the request is made is not so easy to determine. There are several reasons for this, which will be discussed below.

The simplest VPN setup for Android

Almost all virtual networks using wireless connection Wi-Fi-type networks work on the same principle - assigning free IP addresses from the available range. It is not surprising that any mobile device can easily be connected to them (but only if it supports the appropriate connection protocols).

However, today any smartphones or tablets based on the Android OS have in their functionality the option of connecting the same Wi-Fi. The network is detected automatically if the device is within its coverage area. The only thing you may need is to enter a password. The so-called “shared” ones do not require a password at all.

In this case, you need to go to the main settings on your smartphone or tablet and activate Wi-Fi connection. The system itself will determine the presence of radio modules at a distance of 100-300 meters from the device (it all depends on the model of the distribution router). Once the network is identified, a menu will appear with all available connections and their blocking indication. If the network has an icon padlock, it is password protected (however, this will be indicated initially in the message). If you know the password, enter it.

On networks public use, where login using a password is not provided, and even simpler. Has the network been determined? All. Click on connection and use it. As is already clear, VPN configuration in this case is not required at all. Another thing is when to use Windows settings or other operating system(even mobile) to create a connection or assign a computer terminal or laptop the status of a VPN distribution server.

Creation on Windows

With "OS" Windows family not everything is as simple as most users think. Of course, automatic recognition of a network or connection via Wi-Fi, ADSL or even direct connection via network Ethernet card they produce (subject to availability installed equipment). The question is different: if the distributor is not a router, but a laptop or desktop computer how to get out of this situation?

Basic parameters

Here you will have to delve into the VPN settings. Windows as an operating system is considered first.

First you need to pay attention not even to the settings of the system itself, but to its accompanying components. True, when creating a connection or using it to the maximum, you will have to configure some protocols such as TCP/IP (IPv4, IPv6).

If the provider does not provide such services in automatic mode, you will have to make settings indicating previously obtained parameters. For example, when connecting automatically, the fields in the Internet browser properties for filling will be inactive (there will be a dot on the item “Obtain an IP address automatically”). That is why you do not have to enter the values of the subnet mask, gateway, DNS or WINS servers manually (especially for proxy servers).

Router settings

Regardless of whether the VPN is configured on an ASUS laptop or terminal (or any other device), access to the network is still common.

To do it correctly, you need to go to its own menu. This can be done using any Internet browser, provided that the router is directly connected to a computer or laptop.

In the address field, enter the value 192.168.1.1 (this corresponds to most models), after which you should activate the enable function (using the router parameters in advanced mode). Typically this line looks like WLAN Connection Type.

Using VPN Clients

VPN clients are quite specific programs that work like anonymous proxy servers that hide the true IP address of the user's computer when accessing the Internet. local network or on the Internet.

Actually, the use of programs of this type is reduced to almost complete automation. The VPN setting in this case, in general, is not important, since the application itself redirects requests from one server (mirror) to another.

True, you will have to tinker a little with setting up such a client, especially if you want to make the most of your home virtual network available connections. Here you have to choose between software products. And it should be noted that some applications, the smallest in size, sometimes surpass the commercial products of many well-known brands, for which you also have to pay (by the way, a lot of money).

What about TCP/IP?

It goes without saying that almost all of the above settings affect the TCP/IP protocol to one degree or another. Today nothing better has been invented for comfort. Even remote ones anonymous proxy servers or local storage data still uses these settings. But you need to be careful with him.

It is best to contact your provider or system administrator. But one thing must be clearly remembered: even when setting the values manually, as a rule, the subnet mask has the sequence 255.255.255.0 (it can change), and all IP addresses begin with the values 192.168.0.X (the last letter can have from one to three characters ).

Conclusion

However, these are all subtleties computer technology. The same VPN client for Android can provide communication between multiple smart devices. But the biggest snag is whether it’s worth using such a connection on a mobile gadget.

If you noticed, we didn’t go into too much technical detail. This is rather a descriptive instruction about general concepts. But even that simple example, I think, will help, so to speak, to understand the very essence of the issue. Moreover, with a clear understanding of it, the whole problem will be reduced only to the system settings, which will not affect a specific user in any way.

But here you need to be very careful. Actually, for those who don’t know what it is VPN connection, it won't do much. For more advanced users, it is worth saying that creating a virtual network using Windows OS’s own tools is not recommended. You can, of course, use the initial settings, however, as practice shows, it is better to have some kind of reserve additional client, which will always be like an ace in the hole.

Imagine a scene from an action-packed movie in which the villain escapes the crime scene along the highway in a sports car. He is being pursued by a police helicopter. The car enters a tunnel that has several exits. The helicopter pilot does not know which exit the car will appear from, and the villain escapes the chase.

VPN is a tunnel connecting many roads. No one from the outside knows where the cars entering it will end up. No one from the outside knows what is happening in the tunnel.

You've probably heard about VPN more than once. Lifehacker also talks about this thing. Most often, a VPN is recommended because using the network you can access geo-blocked content and generally increase security when using the Internet. The truth is that accessing the Internet through a VPN can be no less dangerous than directly.

How does a VPN work?

Most likely, you have a Wi-Fi router at home. Devices connected to it can exchange data even without the Internet. It turns out that you have your own private network, but in order to connect to it, you need to be physically within reach of the router’s signal.

VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a virtual private network. It runs on top of the Internet, so you can connect to it from anywhere.

For example, the company you work for may use a virtual private network for remote workers. Using a VPN, they connect to work network. At the same time, their computers, smartphones or tablets are virtually transferred to the office and connected to the network from the inside. To log into a virtual private network, you need to know the VPN server address, login and password.

Using a VPN is quite simple. Usually a company installs a VPN server somewhere on local computer, server or data center, and connection to it occurs using a VPN client on the user device.

Nowadays, built-in VPN clients are available in all current operating systems, including Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux.

The VPN connection between the client and the server is usually encrypted.

So VPN is good?

Yes, if you are a business owner and want to secure corporate data and services. Letting employees into the work environment only through VPN and accounts, you will always know who did and is doing what.

Moreover, the VPN owner can monitor and control all traffic that goes between the server and the user.

Do your employees spend a lot of time on VKontakte? You can block access to this service. Does Gennady Andreevich spend half his working day on sites with memes? All his activity is automatically recorded in logs and will become an ironclad argument for dismissal.

Why VPN then?

VPN allows you to bypass geographic and legal restrictions.

For example, you are in Russia and want. We regret to learn that this service is not available from the Russian Federation. You can use it only by accessing the Internet through a VPN server in the country in which Spotify operates.

In some countries, there is Internet censorship that restricts access to certain sites. You want to access some resource, but it is blocked in Russia. You can open the site only by accessing the Internet through a VPN server of a country in which it is not blocked, that is, from almost any country except the Russian Federation.

VPN is useful and required technology, which copes well with a certain range of tasks. But the security of personal data still depends on the integrity of the VPN service provider, your common sense, attentiveness and Internet literacy.

Today, the use of VPN technology is becoming more popular than ever. Some use it to gain access to blocked sites, others try to maintain anonymity, and others increase online security.

It would seem that there is no need for an explanation for this abbreviation, although not everyone can clearly explain what it is, why it is needed and what the advantages are. using a VPN. Let's try to figure it out together.

VPN what is it?

If we describe the properties of Virtual Private Network technical language, then you get the following - the VPN process is secure connection with a logical network, occurring over a private or public network. It’s not very clear, is it? Well, I’ll try to describe this technology to you much more simply. Essentially, this is a private virtual network that allows you to save user data, decoupling from the geolocation of the client provider, which allows you to bypass site blocking. In this case, the traffic passes through intermediate nodes, and it is almost impossible to decrypt data passing through the VPN.

VPN is a virtual private network that allows you to organize a secure tunnel thanks to the movement of traffic through intermediate servers.

How VPN works

Imagine a labyrinth where there is one entrance, but many more exit options. Let us further imagine that you are being pursued by, say, a Minotaur living in this labyrinth. So you find yourself on one of them, quickly running out through it, and the Minotaur, at a loss, does not know which one to use and where to look for his victim, thereby losing his lunch in the depths of the labyrinth. This is how a VPN works. One entrance, but then many variations of the exit, which cannot be tracked and it is impossible to find out what is happening there, in the deepest depths of the labyrinth. By the way, the closed part of the Internet - the darknet - works on the same principle.

What is a VPN for?

VPN makes the current IP address invisible, which allows you to surf the network anonymously. This makes it possible to load sites that are blocked in the host country. That is, using a VPN, all doors on the Internet are open for you and there are no places where you would be prohibited from entering. And no one will know about it either. In addition, it often happens that certain sites block access to content to residents from other countries. For example, on some American sites you can watch films absolutely legally, although only for US citizens. A great way to get around these restrictions is to use a VPN.

Now a few words about security. Let's say you are in a shopping center where there is access to free Wi-Fi. This network is not secure, which means that by connecting to it, you risk losing your data or any confidential information, for example, about your additional income. An attacker will simply intercept your traffic without any problems. unsecured network. Therefore, in such places it is better to use VPN services. Thanks to data encryption, it becomes almost impossible to intercept it, but even if this happens, the attacker will not be able to extract anything valuable from it.

In addition, VPN services have long been adopted by large and small companies. They use technology to remote access employees to the company server. This approach allows you to save a lot of money, plus improve the security of data transmission.

Everyone can find out what a VPN is and how this technology works. This does not require special knowledge or skills. First you need to decide on the service and download small program, which will already take care of your traffic on its own. Review of the best VPN services I suggest starting with the free options.

TunnelBear

Let's start with the Tunnel Bear. Supported by OS X, iOS, Windows, Android. Quite an interesting interface, where you are constantly accompanied by bears. They are everywhere there. Quite reasonable conditions are provided in the free package. The free VPN in this utility is the following: 128-bit AES encryption and 500 megabytes of traffic. By following the developer on Twitter and then asking him, you can get extra gigabyte data for a month.

The program is easy to set up, one might say that the settings have already been made for you. First you need to download “Bears” and register an account. To do this you will need to enter a name, email and come up with a password. After that, go to your mailbox and follow the link received from “Bear”. Well, the next step is small, install the certificate and start using it. Using the service on a computer is very easy: install the client, log in, and then select a power point (USA, UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia or France) and enable tunneling. In general, this is the most creative approach to implementation. technical program. There are bears and their growls everywhere. In a word - super interface.

Windscribe

As with TunnelBear, support for all devices, mobile and desktop. A limited amount of traffic is provided for free. To use from a computer you will need to download VPN extension for your browser (for Chrome, Firefox and Opera). On Android and iOS systems there are special applications, which are downloaded in the store. You can choose the IP location yourself, or you can automatically select the most suitable one.

With the Double Hop system, traffic passes through at least two servers before you receive it on your device. The system finds cookies and formats information from them that is sent to advertising companies or the site owner. There is also the possibility of replacing real information sent by your browser with fake information. And that's what we're talking about free tools. The free package includes country restrictions and traffic up to 10 gigabytes per month.

Hotspot Shield

This service is constantly updated, which makes it very convenient to use each time. In each new version The functionality is also expanding. This program is used for secure Wi-Fi connections. Also available on many platforms. The main advantage compared to others free programs We can highlight the fact that traffic is unlimited. Well, the disadvantage is that you will have to suffer for unlimited traffic while watching advertisements. Also on official resource The developer claims that it does not store or transmit data to anyone.

OperaVPN

This utility is built into Opera browser and available at personal computers, was also added to Android. By the way, oh latest system– functions for changing geodata are available there, and you can block advertising trackers. Available countries include Canada, USA, Holland, Singapore and Germany. The list of countries will, of course, increase in the future.

I would also like to note that the service operates a little faster than its colleagues in the shop. Another plus is that everything is also free and there are no traffic restrictions. As for the browser itself on the computer, it is enough to activate the checkbox provided for enabling/disabling. But there is one drawback, quite significant. This browser innovation is not a full-fledged VPN service. It follows from this that sites and services can special problems find out your real IP address.

Hideme

Perhaps the best service among all, despite its conditionally free service. One day is offered for a new user free testing. Next, you need to contribute money to this developer’s piggy bank, but, as many experts say, it’s worth it. Let's look at their arguments. Firstly, subscription fee with an annual subscription it will cost you only 126 rubles per month of use, while for others it varies in cost from 5 to 10 dollars.

Secondly, there are no traffic restrictions. Thirdly, they have 74 servers in 35 countries. While other similar programs mainly use the USA and a small part of Europe. There is no registration of any kind, which is also important. This allows you to completely maintain your anonymity by using anonymous bank cards or EPS to pay for the service. This service has existed for more than eight years, and this also says a lot. Well, the funniest thing here is that if any of the government agencies need to pull out your data, they will have to go to the court of the state of Belize, which is located in the Caribbean. Although during the entire existence of the service there have been no such precedents.

VPN for Yandex browser

Another browser that uses VPN is Yandex. Only here, unlike Opera, you have to download the extension. There are many similar extensions out there, so I suggest looking at a couple of the most popular ones. Let's start with the ZenMate plugin. Equipped modern design and easy to use. Thanks to the proxy server, the connection is made and the Internet can be “surfed” without loss of speed. The next extension is Hola Better Internet. It is considered effective due to the fact that it allows you to bypass IP blocking to ensure security. It is also equipped with a clear interface that allows a beginner to get used to it without any difficulties.

For those who don't have enough functionality Tor browser And free VPNs services, they can turn their attention to paid programs. From free analogues they have a wider range of functions, more stable work, and they have a much wider choice of servers. And their security situation is better. Let’s briefly go through the best, in my opinion, services.

Speedify

A very good service with interesting functions. Provides stable and fast connection with the Internet network by combining several types network connections. In practice, it looks like this: you have a laptop into which you simultaneously connected a modem and an Internet cable, and using Speedify you combined them. So the speed has increased, and you don’t have to worry about a stable connection. It also encrypts transmitted and received data. The interface is quite simple and clear, which makes it much easier to use.

Private Tunnel

This development belongs to OpenVPN, which is known for its products in the data protection market. IN this service You will be offered eight servers located in six countries. Of the minuses, it is worth noting that the tariffs have traffic restrictions, unlike others paid programs. Well, the plus is that you can link an unlimited number of devices. Anonymizer is supported on all platforms.

NordVPN

Provides servers in 20 countries of the world, there are even in Russia. The developer also tried to equip the service with the simplest interface. It is worth noting that on their official website it is written that you should connect to the server closest to you so as not to lose data speed. To protect information, a secure sockets layer (SSL) is used, which uses 2048-bit encryption. Double encryption function is used. This means that before you send information to the Internet, it is encrypted by two different nodes.

ExpressVPN

Compared to its colleagues, it stands out with its loud statement that it is the fastest VPN connection among everyone. And according to reviews from satisfied users, it seems that this is so. The interface cannot be called simple; it requires the hand of a professional to set it up. Does not store DNS query data or traffic related data. In cost, as well as in speed, it differs from analogues. It will cost you a little more than the others. It is also worth noting that developed technical service support. It operates around the clock, there is even an online chat for communication.

How to set up a VPN connection

VPN settings vary depending on your operating system. There is a lot of material on this topic on the Internet, so it won’t be difficult for you to find the necessary instructions. These settings concern the setting corporate networks when you need to access a remote company server. When using third party services given in this article, no additional settings no need to carry it out. The program itself will perform all the necessary settings; all you have to do is turn it on.

To sum up the conversation about VPN, we cannot help but say that with all the positive aspects, VPN also has its disadvantages. This is especially true for free services. The fact is that their development and maintenance requires money, and if the owner provides it to the user for free, then he makes money on something else. Possibly, on your personal data, including what investment projects your funds are invested in. Remember the proverb about free cheese and that the miser pays twice.

VPN is one of those technology terms that has gained a lot of currency in recent years as the Internet landscape gradually changes. Today there are many more prohibited, blocked sites; many services restrict access to their resources to users from other countries. However, this limitation can be circumvented; this is precisely why VPN servers were invented.

There are two approaches to explaining this technology, the first of them is technical, and the second is as understandable as possible for the average person. Everything he needs to know about VPN in order to successfully use it fits into a simple definition. VPN (short for virtual private network"virtual private network" is a service that allows you to access the network securely and privately. This is all done by routing the connection through what is called a VPN server.

If you have a friend who is an IT professional, then their definition may be a little different and include a lot more technical details. Either way, a VPN is a useful tool.

There are several reasons that force Internet users to resort to using a VPN:

It makes it impossible for anyone to spy on your online activities, which is useful if you connect to hotspots frequently. Wi-Fi access in public places, for example, in an office or a cafe. Everyone knows that they are unsafe.
You can also use a VPN to hide or change your location. This can unblock services that are blocked in your country but available abroad, and vice versa. They allow you to access sites that are blocked in the country where you are traveling on vacation or for work, for example, YouTube in China.

There are many VPNs out there, and most of them require a subscription. Among them there are both paid and free services.

Descriptions	Advantages	Flaws
The ExpressVPN website offers real-time support, with agents available 24/7 to answer any questions users may have. ExpressVPN only supports three simultaneous connections per user and comes with premium pricing. ExpressVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're unhappy with the service. The following packages are available	Wide range of secure VPN applications. Excellent 24/7 support clients. Ultra-fast VPN servers in 94 countries	Supports only 3 connections. No trial period use
As key advantage The developers of this service emphasize quality customer service rather than a variety of tariff plans. It's "the fastest VPN in the world," or so it says on the company's website, with over 40,000 shared IP addresses, 950+ VPN servers in 60 countries. It offers unlimited P2P traffic, five simultaneous connections and much more. Complete privacy thanks to no logs. If you are in any way unhappy with the service, you will receive a 7-day money-back guarantee	Excellent download speeds. Configurable software. Free trial	Relatively high price, higher than average VPN services
VyprVPN is fast, reliable service without intermediaries. It has 73 servers and offers unlimited data usage. The headquarters is located in Switzerland, where privacy laws are very favorable for such activities	Very high performance. Good prices for annual plans. Powerful, customizable apps	Does not reimburse the cost of the software package if the client is not satisfied with the service. trial version only available for three days
NordVPN's current products are on par with their peers in a variety of ways. More than 2 thousand servers, 2048-bit encryption. One license covers 6 devices, all users can use different ways cashless payment	High quality mobile and desktop programs. Up to six devices. Good performance	There are ambiguities with the privacy policy. Although the provider supports a "no logs" policy, the exact position in session logging is unclear

Step 1. The first thing you need to do to start using a VPN is to register and download it. If you choose NordVPN, go to their website and click "Get Now".

Note! Most VPN services have three plans, and most of them have a money-back guarantee.

Step 2. Once you've signed up, you'll need to download and install the app on your Mac or PC. Then launch the app to get started.

Step 3. Once the program is installed on your computer, open it and select the location that suits you. You can see a list of countries or a map.

The location of the server you connect to is your virtual location, meaning the Internet thinks you are in that location right now. This is why the server you choose will largely depend on what you want to use the VPN for.

If you want to connect to US Netflix you will need to choose a US based server, or for BBC iPlayer you will need a UK based server.

Note! Such actions violate the terms of use of these online services, that is, by connecting to them through a VPN, you are violating the rules of use of these sites.

Step 4. Once you have chosen the server that suits you best, connect to it. NordVPN has big button at the top, which allows you to connect to the server and disconnect from it when you're done.

Most VPN services have a kill switch that will terminate the connection and will continue to protect your privacy when the VPN server is disconnected.

Step 5. Check the VPN is working. You can use BrowserSPY's Geolocation page to see how the servers recognize your location.

If, instead of your actual location, the system displays another one, the one you selected in the program, then your VPN is working.

Outside of VPN

There are other services that are similar to VPNs, such as free web proxies:

ProxFree.
AU Proxy.
Uroxy.
Chinagrows.
Hideme Proxy and others

A web proxy is a server that acts as an intermediary between you and the website you are connecting to.

An analogue of anonymizers - cameleo.xyz

They are free, but about 75 percent of all such web proxies are unreliable in terms of security. If you are already using them and want to know if everything is ok with them, you can check it using ProxyCheck.

Another popular privacy solution is Tor. This is a software and network interface that hides your identity by diverting your traffic to different Tor servers and encrypting it. However, there is every reason to believe that Tor is not as secure as its developers claim.