VPN, also called Virtual Private Network, is a private network connection that is created within your phone that is then connected to the public internet connection. These VPN connections are made using a software installed on your device or run as standalone softwares. These softwares help create such a private network within your device virtually, which helps mask your connection from the public internet connection.
There are many VPN services in today’s market. Selecting the right one that meets your needs as well as fulfills the important guidelines and features that are required in a VPN service is quintessential. Therefore it is imperative that you must follow through a small checklist of features that will help you select the right one that matches all of your demands and needs.
Here are some of the features that are required in a good VPN service:
Page Contents
1. Servers
Source: racksolutions.com
A good VPN service has lots of available servers situated around the world. More the number of servers means that you can get good access including bandwidth when using the VPN service. If there are more number of server locations around the world then you get to choose between lots of options.
Having a decent number of servers means the VPN network will not be overloaded with user connections. Also with nearby servers with respect to geographic location, will potentially lead to faster and more stable connections. While using a VPN the information you send from your phone is usually just transferred in a “tunnel” created by the VPN network to its server often in a country that is far away from you.
Your data enters the public internet from this server and therefore more number of services helps you gain more options to choose from where your data should exit from. This gives you the privilege to mimic that you are staying within that country.
E.g. if a video content is blocked in your country say US but that same content is available to stream online in the UK. Therefore by using a VPN with a server in the UK, sitting in the US you can watch the content online as though you were watching in the UK.
2. Applications
All good VPN servers offer mobile VPN services. Nowadays people access the internet not just through PC systems but also through their mobile devices like phones and tablets. Therefore a good VPN provider will offer their service on a host of platforms including Windows, Mac, Android and some even Linux distros. More the number of platforms your VPN service supports, more the flexibility you have to operate the VPN from. Some VPNs are limited to android devices only, some to Windows. Some VPN providers support all major platforms including Android, Mac, Windows, and even Linux.
3. Availability of a strong and effective kill switches
Source: vpnpick.com
Any data connection or software is never cent percent safe. There can be breaches in security or fault in their systems. Such breaches may lead to your data leaking online, potentially allowing a hacker or a data interceptor in the middle to obtain and receive your data. This may lead to your data being left exposed as your connection becomes encrypted. With a kill switch this issue is handled decently. Kill switches are designed to shut down data connections between the user and the online VPN service if they detect intrusions or penetrations by a third party or if the software feels that your network security might be failing. A kill switch integrated within your network will definitely add up to the security of your connection. Such kill switches are used by all good VPN service providers. For more details, visit this site.
4. Domain Name Systems
A domain name system or DNS for short, is the process that turns the website you enter into your browser’s address bar into an IP address. Such a translation will usually occur on route from your PC to your ISP or internet service provider. In such cases your ISP is able to access and record all the websites you visit including the data transmitted between you and the website data server. A VPN system prevents this by encrypting the data transmitted. Also the VPN server translates the website name into the IP address before dispatch and that prevents the ISP from knowing which sites you access or the data transmitted.
5. Data records
Source: namecheap.com
Your ISP always records all the data transmitted and the websites visited between you and the websites servers you visit. This log can be used against you to target you with advertisements or for any other purposes. These logs can also be sold to third parties for business or marketing purposes. A VPN encrypts your data to prevent this. Such records log the websites you visit, the time and date, the amount of time you spend on each site, the number of times you visit each site and the data you enter online. An ISP can even reroute this traffic to other sites. This poses a huge risk depending on the type of information you are accessing or entering on that site.
Conclusion
A good VPN service provides all these features in their package. It is not that difficult to find one that checks all these boxes while meeting your personal preferences. Always ensure that you use a good VPN service provider that has enough good reviews and is well reputed. Using ill reputed or unreviewed VPNs can be a double edged sword. Such softwares can be used to collect your data and target you. But using a peer reviewed open source software ensures you the safety, privacy and security you need while giving you the ability to browse freely without any restrictions.
Using VPNs that have plenty of servers also help throttle the speed you browse online by a significant margin. Also remember with power comes responsibility, you must abide by government regulations while using a VPN and must not use any technology to do unethical practises. Now that you know all this, you know which VPN you must invest in to get the best results. Look out for the above-mentioned features.
