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VPN’s are becoming more and more popular amongst computer users, as people become more aware of the dangers of not using one. Still, many people are not aware of all the benefits of using a Virtual Private Network. Here are 9 amazing things that you might not know a VPN could do:
Increase internet speeds
It is not uncommon that an Internet Service Provider will throttle their users and when this happens it results in much slower speeds than what was originally advertised. This is even truer if you are performing high-bandwidth activities such as online gaming, streaming Netflix, Hulu or downloading songs.
Sometimes you’ll even notice that your shows do not stream in 1080p consistently or you keep lagging out of games or your download speeds are slower than you expect your traffic is more than likely being throttled.
With a VPN your ISP cannot read your traffic, which then means they are not able to split it between high and low speed tunnels and when this happens all of the traffic is routed to you. No more buffering, lagging or slow downloads!
Hacker prevention
If you have any online presence whatsoever, you’re susceptible to an attack from hackers. While your Internet Service Provider most probably has a firewall built into their service, it is not always 100% secure. This allows for a hacker to gather your data from credit cards, logins, and other sensitive info you put online.
One of the most important benefits of having a VPN is security. The military-grade encryption that comes with a VPN will completely protect you from hackers gathering your data because you are connected to an off-site server, which assigns you different IP addresses. They will have an extremely difficult time finding any information from you.
Distant online shopping
For those who love to travel, you may find yourself in a different country but would still like to shop on your favorite online retailers’ website. The problem is when you go to visit that site, it will be country-specific. If you are able to use a VPN in your home country however, you’ll be able to easily access your country’s website no matter where in the world you are.
Stream blocked content
There are some popular services that we all use that are sometimes blocked in other countries, like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify and sports streaming sites. When you use a VPN you can easily change your IP address to match the geographical location of the service you’re trying to access.
This is considered to be a gray area as in some countries this is legal and for other countries it is not.
Keep browsing history private
You may not have known but most ISPs not only have your web history but they can sometimes record it as well and even see what you have previously downloaded and this greatly compromises your privacy.
A good VPN has a very strong encryption which prevents your ISP from recording your browsing history, making your privacy well protected.
Eliminate targeted ads
Say you’ve visited your favorite online retailer, just to go to another site and see the product you were just looking at, is “following” you around. This happens because when you visit a specific page, your IP address could be targeted through third-party advertising platforms
When you are using a VPN, you have complete anonymity. This means companies are not able to accurately track an IP address to collect your information.
Save you money
When you have access to thousands of IP addresses with just the click of a button, things can get a little crazy (in a good way!). If you do any traveling you can save money. When booking flights the prices vary by your location, so being able to switch from state to state with a click of a button can have its benefits.
Also, if you have ever wanted to try out a service that has a free-trial, using a VPN is perfect. Once your initial free-trial is over you can easily sign up for another trial just by changing your IP address and your login information.
Anonymous downloads
It may not always be displayed, but there are some sites that take certain information from you when you download software. This is because these sites have access to your IP address, which holds certain data about your online habits. Examples are what type of sites you visit and even your browsing history in some cases.
Connection to your home network from a remote location
In most cases, computer users will have a main computer that they keep all of their important files on, but where the problem comes in is actually accessing that computer while you’re away from home.
With a VPN you are able to set up remote access to your home computer so you are able to access whatever you need with no hassle whatsoever.
So when it comes to versatility and features that do things like protecting your privacy, connecting from remote locations, streaming in blocked countries and increasing internet speed, the best way to go is to use a VPN. For a low monthly price you can have access to these features and much more, making sure you are always protected when online.
