What is a VPN? Here’s What You Need to Know:

What is a VPN? Just to scratch the surface, a virtual private network (VPN) spoofs your location, makes you anonymous online, and gives you the keys to unlock the full bandwidth of the web.

With all the third-party advertisers spying on your personal information and scammers trying to steal it all, the best VPNs have become an easy way to protect your digital privacy. But what exactly is that? And how on earth can you do it? Internet provider (ISP) believe you are streaming in Japan if you are Strictly speaking Are you sitting on your couch in another country?

What is a VPN?

A VPN is an encrypted internet connection between your device and a remote server. By encrypting your traffic through a private tunnel, often using military-grade AES-256 encryption, all of your online activity remains hidden from prying eyes. not how Incognito modeThis means your ISP, hackers lurking on public networks, and even government agencies can’t see what you’re doing.

When you connect to these remote servers provided by VPN services like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark, your real IP address and location are also masked. This unique identifier is provided to you by your Internet service provider to track your location. However, a VPN server offers its own IP address. So if you connect to a server in another country, you can effectively trick websites and online services into thinking you’re in a completely different destination.

This is a neat trick, especially if you’re trying to access geo-restricted websites or Streaming services with country-specific content libraries to binge-watch your favorite shows. Better yet, many VPN providers have thousands of servers around the globe, giving you plenty of options to browse the multitude of international streaming platforms.

Another advantage is ignoring ISP throttling. This is an inconvenient way for your internet provider to limit your bandwidth. However, if your ISP doesn’t recognize you when using a VPN, it won’t be able to limit your internet speeds. This is a huge bonus for online multiplayer games and anyone who suffers from painfully long buffer times.

It’s not just about streaming and boosting speeds, as the main purpose of a VPN is to ensure anonymity when browsing on public WiFi, bypass region-restricted websites, and keep your online activities encrypted.

Essentially, there are no threats from hackers, no government surveillance of your business, and no problems accessing the website of your choice – even if you travel to countries with increased internet censorship such as the United Arab Emirates, Cuba or China.

So why are there hundreds of VPNs to choose from when they all basically do the same job? Each service can offer different benefits, from the number of servers provided and its different locations in select cities and countries to compatibility with laptops, PCs, smartphones and gaming consoles, as well as multiple security options.

If you’re ready to give your device a security (and streaming) upgrade with a VPN, here’s our list best VPNs (and the best cheap VPNs for those on a budget) will point you in the right direction.