{"id":1000,"date":"2018-01-04T07:02:24","date_gmt":"2018-01-04T15:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betterdefend.com\/?p=1000"},"modified":"2020-08-23T07:49:30","modified_gmt":"2020-08-23T14:49:30","slug":"vpn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betterdefend.com\/vpn\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is A VPN And What Does It Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is a VPN? Imagine this: You’re sitting at your favorite corner cafe and using their free Wi-Fi to check your email. As you continue to use the cafe’s open hotspot to shop, pay your bills, and post to Facebook, you don’t notice the young man sitting nearby. He’s quietly drinking a cup of tea and stealing your private information to sell on the Dark Web.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a trip overseas, you hook your laptop up to the hotel’s Internet connection to check in on how your online business is doing. But you find that most of the websites you need to access for work are blocked and you’re flying blind when it comes to your bottom line. And almost as bad, you can’t log into Netflix for the latest episode of your favorite show.<\/span><\/p>\n

You sit down on the couch with your tablet to try and find a new pair of shoes. Suddenly, you begin to notice ads for those shoes everywhere you go online. That’s because your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is keeping an eye on your browsing habits and selling your personal data to retailers. You’ve become targeted for annoying online ads and you didn’t even know it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those are just a few examples of the simple but scary truth \u2013 you’re vulnerable when you go online. Without the protection of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), you’re putting yourself at risk for identity theft, computer-killing viruses, and the frustration of not being able to use the Internet the way you want.<\/span><\/p>\n

We’re here to give you a non-technical explanation of what a VPN is and what it does. You\u2019ll get answers to your \u201cWhat is a VPN and why do I need one\u201d question and learn how easy online privacy can be with a VPN, even for those without an IT degree.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a VPN?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Simply put, a Virtual Private Network is a type of technology that allows you to access the Internet anonymously. Your connection will be routed through secure servers to keep your browsing activity totally confidential. <\/span><\/p>\n

How a VPN actually works is by forwarding all of your device’s traffic through a private server network. This lets you get around any type of online censorship, allows you to browse in privacy, and gives you the confidence of knowing you’re safe on public Wi-Fi hotspots.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can think of a VPN as your own private gateway to the Internet. Cool, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

VPNs also mask your Internet Protocol address. This lets you browse anonymously and keep your location hidden from prying eyes. Want to know what your IP address is telling hackers about you? Run a <\/span>quick IP address check<\/span><\/a> right now. You might be shocked by what you learn.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Does a VPN Work?<\/span><\/h2>\n

To access private browsing through a VPN, you have to sign up with a VPN provider to access their network of secure servers in locations around the world. You\u2019ll also need to download VPN client software or a VPN mobile app.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your VPN software or app will connect your laptop, PC, or mobile device to one of your VPN provider\u2019s servers. Once connected, all of your browsing data will be encrypted through your VPN network, and nobody but you will be able to see it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"how<\/p>\n

Everything you do online will be totally anonymous since it passes through an encrypted VPN tunnel. Most VPN services allow you to choose whichever server location you prefer. But it\u2019s only the very <\/span>best VPN providers<\/span><\/a> that also offer an \u201cauto-connect\u201d feature to make getting online even faster and easier.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do I Need a VPN?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Using a VPN is probably starting to sound pretty good to you right about now. But you still might be asking yourself if you actually need one. That\u2019s totally understandable and we want to help you figure out if a VPN service would be useful for you to have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ask yourself\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n