Whether you are considering using a VPN, or only wondering why using one might be a good idea, there are plenty of reasons for it. VPNs are pretty simple tools to understand and use, but they can be quite powerful when it comes to doing their job. They are not that expensive, you can install them on pretty much any device these days, and best of all — they can keep you safe, anonymous, and keep all of your data private.
However, saying something like that only scratches the surface, and if you wish to know what you can actually do with a VPN service at your side — you have come to the right place. We will present you with some of the most popular use cases for VPN technology right now.
1. Secure your data
As you may know, VPN uses a set of security and privacy features which makes it perfect for securing your internet traffic. Features like security protocols and encryption can create a safe tunnel around your traffic and make it hidden from view, while at the same time, encryption makes it unreadable to others.
That way, you can be certain that no one is monitoring your traffic, and that you are perfectly safe while browsing the web. This is important not only due to the threat of hackers, but also to protect yourself from online surveillance and other potential threats that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.
2. Access blocked content
Next, we have a very useful ability of VPN technology, and possibly one of the reasons why VPNs have become as popular as they are today — their ability to unblock content.
You might have noticed that online censorship and restrictions became something of a hot topic in the last decade. People started noticing that they can no longer access some websites, such as sites used for torrenting. After a while, this phenomenon started spreading, so some people lost access to some other websites, such as foreign news, or forums, or even social media.
These are the consequences of online censorship, where your country or ISP can control what you can and can’t access, and they can be quite disruptive and annoying.
With a VPN, you can bypass this problem as well. The issue is your IP address, which is given to you by your ISP, and it is blocked from accessing this content. The solution — change it.
You can do this by connecting to one of foreign servers owned by a VPN service. These servers will give you a new IP address, which will be tied to that server’s physical location. So, if you live in the US, and you want to access a torrenting website, you must connect to a server in a country that is a bit more flexible when it comes to what can or can’t be accessed.
3. Never miss a sports game with a VPN
Just as annoying are geo-restrictions, where certain services decide who can access their content, and how much of it. This is most noticeable with services like Netflix, where each country in the world has access to specific content, but not all of it, and not the same as other countries.
If you are a sports fan, you likely know the agony of not being able to watch an important match because it is not being broadcasted in your country. Those living in the US, UK, Australia, and alike usually don’t have to worry about such issues — they have services which are available only to them, and which broadcast all popular sports events.
These are not the privileges of people living in most other countries. However, VPN’s ability to bypass geo-restrictions comes in handy here, and it relies on its server network, too. Similarly to bypassing censorship, going around geo-restrictions is quick and easy, and it revolves around hiding your real IP address, which shows your location and tells services whether or not you should access their content. By changing it, you will trick these services into thinking that you are located in a country that they support, and you will be allowed to enter.
4. Use public Wi-Fi safely
Have you ever used a pubic hotspot in a park, a coffee shop, or at the airport? If the answer is yes, you should know that you exposed yourself to a lot of danger by doing so. Public Wi-Fi is dangerous, as you never know who else might be sharing the hotspot with you.
If one of the other users happens to be a hacker, they could easily infect your phone, tablet, or laptop with malware and steal your data. This could lead to identity theft, money theft, and other, equally serious problems.
With a VPN installed on your device, your traffic would be safe, and hackers would not be able to access or infect your phone or computer. This is not only true for public hotspots but for your home network, as well. However, if you tend to travel a lot, this is one of the most important things to keep in mind when connecting to the internet ‘in the wild.’
5. Enjoy better gaming
Finally, there is a treat for all online gaming lovers who have always wanted to try out some of the foreign games but never had the chance. With VPNs’ ability to hide who you are and where you are from, you can play any game, against anyone, at any time, and from any place.
It is really liberating, and as long as you have a decent internet connection, you can connect to any country that a VPN offers. Your ISP won’t be able to throttle your bandwidth, meaning that your speed will remain excellent and perfect for gaming. That way, you can have reactions in the real-time, and increase your chances of winning competitive online games.
While VPNs will slow down your speed by a bit due to the fact that all of your traffic needs to be encrypted — it will also stabilize it, so you won’t have to experience constant ups and downs.
There are many more issues that VPN can solve — many more benefits that this technology can bring, but these are some of the most important ones. As you can see, it is definitely worth using this technology, and we recommend that you try it out as soon as possible.
