If you are looking to boost your online privacy and browse the internet more securely and anonymously, VPNs are what you must be looking for. A VPN is one of the best tools that you can choose that will help you explore the internet more openly and securely while maintaining your privacy and anonymity on the web. You may want to use a VPN to give yourself more security and privacy online or you may want to use it to circumvent geographical censorships and content blocking. Hence, comprehensive knowledge about what VPN is and how it functions is essential to help you understand why you need one and what better suits your needs.

In this article, we will elaborate upon the full definition of VPNs, the full working of VPNs, and why you need one. You can use the table of contents below to navigate through the article more easily.

  • A Brief History of VPNs

What is a VPN?

VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network.” It is a privacy and security-focused service that creates an encrypted connection to the internet over your public network, via your device. This means that whenever you want to connect to the internet via VPN, it will create a private pathway for you to securely communicate and transfer data within the internet while using public networks. This essentially means that using a VPN will hide your IP address from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and third-party data collectors. This makes you anonymous on the internet; helps you safeguard yourself from security threats; eliminates web activity tracking and data manipulation; and allows you to access geographically restricted content and bypass censorship.

The foundation of the VPN technology can be traced back to 1996 when it was founded by a Microsoft employee Gurdeep Singh Pal, as a peer-to-peer tunneling protocol or PPTP.

VPNs started getting adopted on a consumer scale when more and more security flaws and digital vulnerabilities surfaced. Individual usage peaked when unconsented Government monitoring and third-party collection and sale of user data were exposed. Since then VPNs have been synonymous with privacy and security.

VPNs reroute your internet traffic via VPN servers that are spread globally, hiding your IP address from your ISP, only to make your rerouted IP address visible to your Internet Service Provider.

The VPN server establishes contact with your requested website on the internet. The website is also not able to see your original IP address. It can only see the IP address assigned to you by the VPN server. In this way, the website will not be able to collect your data.

You must be aware by now of what is a VPN and how it works. The primary function of any VPN is to provide privacy and security over the internet connection. Depending on your needs, you may use a VPN for the following reasons –

  1. Access Geographically Restricted Contents

Since VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems use the internet as a medium for transmitting audio signals you can enhance the security of any communication that will happen over the internet, by using a VPN. This will provide end-to-end encryption, making your communications safer.

Here are the most common types of VPNs:

  • Site-to-site VPN: These are mostly reserved for enterprise management and organizational purposes. In this case, the organization controls the service, and is mostly used by the organization to connect with different offices, situated in different parts of the Country or anywhere else. These are usually connected to a primary HQ network via routers. This is also known as Intranet and the service is directly integrated with the router and is unique to the organization using it.Mobile VPN: A mobile VPN ensures that the connection stays up and consistent, and lets the user change from one internet connection to another. A mobile internet lets users hop between networks while maintaining the same network session. This means that users can effectively switch from their Wi-Fi to their Mobile Data and vice versa, without any loss of connection or active session.Hardware VPN: Hardware VPNs are mostly used by businesses and are often not available as a consumer-grade solution. They are also considered superior to software-based options. In addition to enhanced security, and privacy, they also allow administrators to perform “load balancing” to manage massive client network loads. Hardware VPNs are very expensive and are accessed via a web-based interface.VPN Appliance: This is essentially is a router that provides the necessary authorization, authentication, encryption, and protection to VPNs. It is also known as VPN Gateway and SSL VPN Appliance.Dynamic Multi-Point VPN (DMPVPN): A DMPVPN creates a bridge that allows data sharing between two websites, without the need for authentication by the headquarter. DMPVPNs create mesh virtual networks, that run on routers and concentrators. Every remote site will have a router configured so that they can independently access the data from the central hub (headquarter). This means that in case two remote sites need to exchange data, one of the sites can directly contact the hub, obtain the necessary data and create an IPSec tunnel directly between the sites.

India’s VPN Policy

In April 2022, the Indian Government made it mandatory for all existing VPN service providers in India to collect and store user data for up to 5 years. As of today, this law still upholds and has resulted in the exit of some noteworthy companies from India like Express VPN, and Nord VPN. India has not issued any ban yet but this law is a direct conflict with the very principle of VPNs: user privacy.

To make things easier for you, we have an in-depth article that will allow you to know everything related to the New VPN Policy in India. Head over to our interlinked article to know more.

A VPN Tunnel is a private pathway that allows encrypted and secured data packets to pass through from the host device to the intended source. A tunnel acts as an anonymous pathway that allows the user to stay anonymous on the internet by generating a separate channel for the data traffic to pass through.

Every VPN service provider uses different tunneling protocols to secure their networks. The available VPN protocols are listed below.

PPTP

IKEv2/IPSec

This is another tunneling that is based on IPsec. It establishes a secure connection between devices by defining authentication and negotiation as per IPsec security standards. One of the key highlights of this protocol is that it offers an auto-reconnect feature. IPsec handles the data transmission, and IKEv2 recognizes which kind of security will be feasible.

How to Choose a Good VPN Service

  • The service should offer strict no-logs policyIt should provide you with robust security such as by using strong encryption methodsA good service should provide decent speeds with fewer downtimes and lag.Should be able to let you unblock most of the geographically restricted contents.Must provide additional features like a kill switch

Pros of Using a Virtual Private Network

Some of the top reasons why you should use a VPN are listed below.

Cons of Using a Virtual Private Network

Some of the top drawbacks of VPNs that you must keep in mind are listed below.

Above are some of the key pros and cons mentioned in brief that you must know before opting for any VPN service. However, if you want to learn more and have a clear idea about the different advantages and disadvantages of VPNs, you can head over to the interlinked article.

If you’re looking to get started with virtual private networks, you can check out the following services:

What’s more, we have dedicated articles for the best VPNs for Windows, as well as VPN apps for Android and iPhone, and even one for Android TV VPN apps that you can check out for some more worthy options that you can consider.

Q. Are VPNs Legal?

VPNs are available for every platform like macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Routers, and Smart devices. Select a VPN service vendor that you trust, download their proprietary software, launch their app (some vendors even provide browser extensions), and you are good to go.

Q. How can I tell if a VPN is Secure and Trustworthy?

Use VPNs to Safeguard Your Online Presence

After going through the article, I am sure you are now equipped with the basics of what is a VPN and how it functions. However, I will suggest you go through the different VPN protocols in detail, and what are the factors that you need to consider before selecting a VPN. You can also explore the top free VPNs and top paid VPNs, to understand your requirements and needs.