Nowadays, we have at least one or two electronic devices, and we use each of them daily in every part of our lives. We visit different websites when we go online for work, socializing, or entertainment. The data about what we searched for, what sites we visit, and what we do on these sites is connected to us.
This information worths a lot for companies, as they can analyse it and use it to predict what you and people who look for the same things want. Once they know what you like, they use it to advertise or recommend things that you are likely interested in.
This can be annoying at times, as you might not see new recommendations on your YouTube feed. But more importantly, at times it can feel as if the ads you see are invading your privacy.
For those that do not want their data logged and collected, a great solution was created to deal with the problem. The solution is called a VPN. But what does VPN stand for and how did it become such a widely used tool?
What Is a VPN?
VPN is an abbreviation for virtual private network. It gives you the opportunity to go online and make sure your privacy is protected. It can do this by establishing a protected connection that keeps you anonymous when you use any public internet network.
Your VPN service sets up a protected and encrypted tunnel between a remote server and you, and you will appear as if you were searching the internet at the server’s location.
When the VPN is turned on, all your internet traffic goes through this secure tunnel, making sure your data is protected. It conceals your IP address and disguises your location and identity. So, whatever you access online cannot be traced back to you.
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The Start of VPNs
VPNs were originally created to connect business networks with each other securely or allow their employees to access them remotely from their own home. They are still used for these purposes, but their popularity and extensive growth came from somewhere else.
Today, people use VPNs mostly for these reasons:
- To access streaming services that offer different content based on what country you are in.
- To watch videos and access websites that are restricted in their area.
- To not leave any data online and gain anonymity.
- To protect themselves on WiFi networks that might be untrustworthy.
- To protect themselves from being logged while torrenting.
The Importance of Using VPNs
If you are browsing the internet or checking your social media on an unprotected network you are possibly exposing not only your browsing history, but your private information as well. VPNs can help anyone who is concerned about their privacy and online security.
To truly understand what VPNs help you with, you can consider an exact scenario. For example, when you are waiting in line at a coffee shop and just want to check if you’ve got a new email, might not even think twice about whether you should access a public WiFi network.
Unless the WiFi you are accessing is private and asks you to put in a password, all of your data is transferred through a network that is unsecured. This means that all of that data is vulnerable to any stranger on the same network.
The encrypted tunnel that VPNs provide helps you keep your data protected while you check your emails, pay bills or just shop online. You won’t have to worry about anyone stealing your personal data as they also keep you anonymous online.
How to Find the Best VPN Service
There are many different options when it comes to choosing a VPN service. Some of the most important things you will have to keep in mind are:
- Which countries can you choose to appear from?
This can be a deciding factor for those that wish to appear as if they were accessing the internet from a specific country. For example, if you want a VPN for streaming purposes and the content you are looking for is only available in certain areas.
- Are there any set data limits?
Depending on your use of the internet, you could run out of bandwidth if your VPN provider sets limits on data.
- Is it possible to access your VPN service from multiple devices?
If you are an average consumer, it is more than likely that you use multiple devices during the day. Ideally, you would be able to access your VPN service from all of your devices simultaneously.
- How much does it cost?
For most of us, price is always important. We want something as cheap as possible to save money. But if you are looking at the free VPN options, you might find that they are not the best. If you choose to use them, you might end up paying them in some other way. You will get constant advertisement pop-ups, but more worrying is that your personal data could be collected and sold to third parties.
- Do the VPN providers respect your privacy?
Even if the main reason of using a VPN service is to protect your privacy and stay anonymous, it is not always the case. You will have to make sure that your privacy is respected by your VPN provider. Some of them do not have a no-log policy, meaning that you could be identified and your searches are essentially not anonymous.
It can be a painstaking task to compare different VPN providers and find out which one offers the best deals. To help you with choosing your provider, I will review one of the best VPN providers and show you what it has to offer!
PureVPN
PureVPN’s initial release was in 2007, it is a Hong Kong-based VPN service. While in operation for more than a decade, it expanded the features it offers greatly. Some of the best of them are:
- torrent support
- IPv6 leak protection
- split tunnelling
- smart kill switch
Another important fact about PureVPN is that it has applications for almost every platform. You can get it on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Linux, or as an extension on Chrome and Firefox. You can also set it up on your own router, Android TV, or many other supported devices.
So now that you are sure about PureVPN working on your devices, let’s look at whether they fulfill the requirements set for a good VPN service we mentioned earlier in the article!
The Locations of Their Servers
The first requirement we mentioned was whether you have enough locations to choose from. PureVPN has over 2,000 servers in more than 140 countries, on all continents across the world. You won’t have any problems if it is a geographical restriction you are trying to bypass.
Limits Set on Data
The second important thing we need to look at is whether they set limits on the bandwidth you can use. PureVPN doesn’t put a limit on your data usage, as long as the session is subjected to fair use. The only problem you could face is if you create a bot or otherwise exert an excessive load on their network that could disturb other users.
Amount of Devices
The third question that needs to be answered is whether they let you connect multiple devices at the same time to the VPN service. PureVPN allows you to connect up to 10 devices per user. This is way more than what other VPN providers offer on average. For example, one of the biggest provider, NordVPN, only allows you to connect 6 devices.
Price of PureVPN
To look at our fourth most important requirement, we will have to differentiate the price based on whether you are using the VPN service for personal or business purpose. There are different possible subscriptions for both that will fit your set budget.
Personal Subscriptions
There are three options for personal use, a one-month subscription, a one-week trial plan that becomes yearly after, and a two-year-long plan. All of them comes with a money-back guarantee if you cancel within the first month of your subscription.
1. Monthly Plan
PureVPN’s monthly plan costs $10.95 each month. It is a great choice for anyone who only needs the VPN for a shorter time.
Like if you are taking a vacation and want to be protected on the new WiFi networks you will connect to and want easy access to the same content you can find in your own country.
2. One Week Trial/Annual Subscription
While it is a trial, your first week is not free, but it will cost only $0.99. After that, your trial automatically enrols you on an annual plan. If you do not want to be enrolled you will have to remember to cancel beforehand.
The annual plan costs $69.95 each year, or $5.8 each month. That is about half the price of the monthly plan, so it is a great deal for anyone who wants to use a VPN for a longer time.
3. Two Year Plan
For a two year commitment to PureVPN, you only pay $79.92 every two years. That compared to the other plans is a much cheaper option, with it being only $3.33 each month.
It is a great and cheap subscription for those that are committed to staying anonymous and safe when they search at home or wherever they go.
These personal subscriptions cover the basics of whatever you would expect from a VPN to do, but PureVPN offers the possibility to add extras to your plan.
4. Extras
- Dedicated IP – $0.99/month
This is a solution for anyone who wants to restrict access to the network they use. It is a great choice for both businesses and individuals who regularly access confidential or sensitive personal information through their VPN.
- Port Forwarding – $2.99/month
This feature is for people who want remote access to their device or service. You will need this add-on if you wish to connect to your laptop, PC, server or website from anywhere in the world.
- DDoS Protection – $3.99/month
DDoS protection on your VPN ensures that you have reliable security. No DDoS attack will be able to get through this security. It is mostly ideal for online businesses and e-commerce stores that need to protect their website from illegitimate traffic.
Business Subscriptions
When working remotely from home instead of going to the office became a norm last year, most of us were happy to cut out the commuting time. It was more convenient and comfortable.
But on the other hand, companies faced problems they didn’t have to think about before. From coordinating their team online to making sure every party connected to their network remotely is protected.
It is a hard task to secure the network as most employees use their personal computers, which poses a possible security risk. But PureVPN offers a solution to this problem as well. If you get one of their business subscriptions, it will improve website safety and keep your business and your customers’ data secure.
The three available plans come with a minimum order of 5 users, if your team is bigger than that you can choose 10 users, then 15, and so on. The prices for each subscription slightly differ depending on the number of users you are paying for.
For the base 5 members, the prices are:
Respect of Privacy
The fifth and possibly the most important requirement is whether PureVPN respects your privacy. So does it?
After PureVPN had problems in the past with logging some session data, it changed its policy. Now, it is a fully zero log VPN. There is no way your searches online will be traced back to you, you are truly anonymous with this VPN provider.
On a more serious note, PureVPN is based in Hong Kong, meaning that they are not connected to any international surveillance alliance. So there are no organizations that focus on intelligence gathering and counterintelligence operations by intercepting communications and other types of electronic signals.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, PureVPN offers a great VPN service. You can be sure your sessions are secure and protected. If you just wish to use your VPN for torrenting, this provider makes sure you stay anonymous.
It is also a great choice for those that just want to bypass some type of geographical restriction. It can get past even Netflix’s filter, and their fast servers make sure that you don’t have to wait for shows and movies to load.
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