If you are interested in this content, we assume that you are already familiar with the purpose of Virtual Private Network use and you are seeking your best option for your needs to make the right decision for VPN selection.
As you may know, VPNs are generally utilized for bypassing censorship, geography-based limitations, downloading a wide range of content, location change, and staying anonymous online. Yes, these are the outcomes of VPN technology because this software creates extra secure network channels for users and in this way, the above mentioned features become available.
Even though we all use VPN for different reasons, there are certain guidelines to follow when choosing a VPN whether your aim is unblocking geography-based restrictions or facilitating a secure connection work your business PC while working remotely.
This article will navigate you to first understand how VPN assures your security and then to find what is the best VPN that fits your needs.
1.VPN Server locations and number of them
While the most prominent motive to use a VPN is changing your location, the VPN provider’s server locations directly influence this particular need. If you are searching for a high-quality VPN client in terms of performance, security, and speed, then, having several server locations and IP addresses, how geographically dispersed they are, and particularly, whether they have servers in the desired countries that you want to look inside the borders do matter.
As well as blocking censorship and geo-limitations, the servers allocation and capacity matter for security purposes. Because the more server locations they have, the more chance to change IP addresses frequently becomes possible, in this way, they provide uninterrupted anonymity for your IP address by constantly changing and directing it to others.
2.Speed
According to certain groups, VPNs have a bad reputation for generally slowing the speed of connection and annoying users with buffering problems. However, with modern technology, this is not the case. If you desire to use VPN mainly for video contents and gaming, speed will be your one of the most essential criteria. Check their ping times. Ping time is the time spent when a unit of data travels from your computer to the destination via a VPN server. A low ping time means that you can suffer from slow download and uploads, connection problems during real-time applications such as video calls and also live gaming platforms.
3.Qualities and technical features
The technical characteristics of a VPN generally do not seem relevant to ordinary internet users, but if you are a tech expert or a person interested in software, you should check some features. The questions you may ask can be “what kind of security protocols does the VPN provider use (SSL, OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, etc.), or does it adopt AES-256 encryption or support SHA-512 hash authentication, does it have a Killswitch function that will enable uninterrupted connection even internet disruptions?”.
Also, the protection of privacy is another critical issue. A reliable VPN should not intervene with your data, so, it should provide you with the option of deactivation of logging your activity and obtaining activity reports whenever you wish. You should check their Privacy Policy as well.
Another point may be the compatibility of the VPN with other smart devices and operation systems such as ios, android, mobile phones, Apple TVs, and other smart TVs. If you consider using a VPN at different devices, you should first check their compatibility features.
If you want to assure your security, you should compare each VPN technology with each other after researching them.
4.Responsive Customer Service
If you are not interested in the tech field but somehow you need to use a VPN for instance business purposes, dealing with technical details, configuration, and getting used to it may be painful.
In any case, being able to reach a real person when you need help is important. Especially if you are paying to receive this service, reliable customer service should be provided without question in theory. But in reality, this may not be the case for every VPN. That’s why you should check their customer reviews over the internet and may also try live chat options and email of customer reps to get some information to understand their responsiveness.
5.Free Trial Period and Guarantee of Refund
Today, dozens of VPNs are present in the market and they compete for their reputation. This enables the extension of free trial periods for users’ benefit. If you want to choose the best VPN, you should spare time for it, not hurry and try your top 3 preferred brands trial periods.
Also, a money-back guarantee is a great option that would ensure not to get stuck with a low-quality product. Look for the VPNs that promise to refund money in a certain period of time and try to choose one of them.
To summarize, we have prepared this short but valuable guide to clarify some key features you should bear in mind when choosing a VPN. However, there is still much more to explore in the field of information security to understand deeply how to choose the best VPN for yourself. We suggest you take your time, make your research, and experience different types of VPNs as much as you can through the above mentioned methods.
Talha Ali is your tech generalist, covering a wide spectrum of topics within the ever-evolving world of technology. With a curiosity for the latest innovations, industry trends, and breakthroughs. Whether it’s hardware, software, emerging technologies, or the intersection of tech with daily life, Talha’s articles provide readers with a well-rounded perspective on the dynamic landscape of the tech industry.