What is a VPN?

3. May 2023

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What is a VPN? This is probably the most common question from people who have never encountered this service before.

A VPN creates a secure connection between your devices and the internet. When you connect to the internet through a VPN, all your data traffic is sent through an encrypted virtual tunnel.

This results in a number of benefits for you:

You will be more anonymous on the internet: your real IP address and location will be hidden.
You will be safer on the internet: an encrypted tunnel protects you from hackers and cyber criminals and makes your device less vulnerable to attacks.
You will be more free on the internet: using different IP addresses, you’ll be able to access websites and online services that would otherwise be blocked.

A virtual private network, better known as a VPN, protects your online activity and privacy by hiding your real IP address and creating a secure, encrypted tunnel to access the internet. No third party will be able to monitor your online activities.

In addition, you can achieve a new level of internet freedom by using servers in different countries to unblock geo-restricted content. After downloading the software, you can secure your device while accessing global content. All with one click in the app.

When you use the internet, your device is constantly exchanging data with other devices connected to the internet. Without realizing it, you often give websites and other prying eyes access to your real IP address (which reveals your real location), browsing history, operating system information, and other identifiers on your devices.

Without much effort, the following information can be found about you:

IP address: 52.15.143.223
Country: United States
City: Dublin
Latitude: 40.0992
Longitude: -83.1141
Internet provider: Amazon.com, Inc.
Internet browser: Unknown
Operating system: Unknown OS Platform

A VPN service assigns you a new, anonymous IP address, reroutes your internet connection through a server on its network, and encrypts your data. This creates a secure tunnel between your device (e.g. smartphone or laptop) and the internet. It also masks your identity and online traffic, making it “invisible” to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), government authorities, marketing companies, hackers and other third parties.

A good VPN service will ensure that this sensitive data and all your online activity remains hidden from any third parties. Because you can choose which VPN server you connect to, it also helps you use the internet more freely by bypassing censorship or unblocking geo-restricted services. This includes various streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Hulu, Discovery Plus and more.

Want to start using a VPN right away? We encourage you to try out the VPN services that have excelled in our tests and won our Excellent VPN Service award. The VPN services listed below offer great speeds, strong security, and have a number of other benefits available.