Staying safe online is important. That’s obvious. It’s something that no doubt you try to do anyway. You might avoid visiting unsafe websites, downloading material, and no matter the urge, not clicking on those spammy clickbait links. You might even have security software installed on your devices, but it’s generally known that the best way to keep your details and your devices secure is to use a VPN.
A virtual private network (VPN) works by hiding your IP address – which is where all your internet traffic originates from. So instead of going online from your original IP address, you select a completely different one via the VPN – it could be anywhere in the world. Once you’ve done that, you head online, and everything that traces back to you is hidden. This is a great way to stop cybercriminals as they won’t be able to break through the VPN’s encryption technology, and even if they do, they’ll be left facing the IP address of the VPN, not yours. Even better, if your VPN has a kill-switch if anything bad happens or the VPN connection is lost, it cancels your internet connection altogether. That way, your IP address is never exposed.
Any personal information you store on a device is kept completely secure. No one’s going to get your Twitter or Facebook passwords or banking details. But a VPN also does a lot more than keeping you secure.
Once a VPN is installed on your device (or devices), it’s simple to use. Ensure you select a server location, turn it on and then start browsing away in complete privacy. Yes, privacy, which you’re not going to get when you use the internet in the US. First of all, there are loads of companies online that are going to track you, despite you deselecting all the cookies options whenever you visit a website. Then there are the law enforcement agencies that are constantly monitoring online activity and your own internet service provider (ISP), who can prevent you from visiting websites, downloading material, or even limiting your bandwidth speeds.
With a VPN in place, you can hide from all of these, so if you’re downloading legal material, your ISP can’t limit your speeds. Likewise, if you’re on the internet in the evening during peak hours, you can still enjoy fast speeds when you use it via the VPN. You’re secure, you’re private, and you’re enjoying the web as it should be.
But there’s still more. If you’re a streamer and, let’s face it, who isn’t, then a VPN will give you access to load more content. Take Netflix, for example. You get TV and movie releases regularly, and competition in the forms of Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+ – all companies are moving towards streaming. But what you can access is often restricted to your location. The way to beat that is to use a VPN, select a server in a different country, and then go back to your streaming site or app. You’ll then notice a lot more content available than there was before. Cyberghost is a VPN that works with Netflix, is simple to use, and lets you easily bypass geo-restrictions. It also works well if you’re going on vacation and want to keep up to date with your favourite box sets. For example, if you travel to Europe and use the wi-fi provided in a hotel, you won’t watch your US shows due to the geo-restriction. However, a few taps on the VPN allow you to choose a server back home and get back into the binging.
Have you noticed when shopping online that the prices can change? Sometimes when adding something to a basket or navigating away. You can make sure you get the best price using a VPN as certain online retailers give different prices depending on where you are. Just try out a different region until you get the best price! It’s not just online shops -you can do this for aeroplane tickets, buying cars, and almost anything online.
If you want to make sure your devices are kept secure from online criminals, then a VPN is the first port of call. It stops them in their tracks and will give you a new sense of confidence whenever you’re online. But don’t forget, you can also benefit from all the other features too, making the online world safer, smarter, wider, and cheaper than before.
