What you need to know ab VPN

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Most VPNs, by default, route your connection through a single server to encrypt your data. However, a “double VPN,” also known as “multi-hop” or “double-hop,” enhances security by encrypting your internet traffic twice. This added layer of encryption makes it significantly more difficult to trace your online activity back to your device. With multi-hop, your web traffic undergoes initial encryption, passes through a VPN server, is then encrypted again, travels through a second VPN server, and is finally decrypted before securely reaching its destination. The enhanced privacy offered by a double-hop connection is particularly beneficial for individuals with critical privacy requirements, such as investigative journalists or political activists.

The Domain Name System (DNS) acts as a translator, converting user-friendly domain names like CNET.com into the numerical IP addresses (e.g., 111.111.111.111) that computers use to communicate. When you access a website, your device sends a request to a DNS server to determine the site’s corresponding IP address. Ordinarily, without a VPN, your device utilizes your internet service provider’s (ISP) DNS server. Consequently, your ISP maintains a log of your browsing activity. However, a VPN encrypts your internet traffic, including your DNS requests, thereby shielding them from your ISP. A DNS leak occurs when these DNS requests are inadvertently sent to your ISP’s DNS servers, indicating a failure in the VPN’s encryption and privacy protection mechanisms.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) significantly enhances your privacy by concealing your real IP address, making it appear as though you’re browsing the internet from another location. This allows you to, for example, make websites and apps believe you’re in a different city, state, or country.
VPNs offer numerous benefits, including improved general privacy, unlocking geo-restricted content on streaming services, enhancing gaming experiences, circumventing censorship and throttling, and even providing secure access for work. However, the VPN landscape is filled with technical jargon, which can be confusing. Whether you’re a new VPN user, considering switching providers, or navigating a VPN’s settings menu, understanding these common terms is key to making informed decisions and effectively utilizing a VPN. This guide will demystify the most prevalent VPN terminology to help you navigate this space with confidence.

The Domain Name System (DNS) acts as a translator, converting user-friendly domain names like CNET.com into the numerical IP addresses (e.g., 111.111.111.111) that computers use to communicate. When you access a website, your device sends a request to a DNS server to determine the site’s corresponding IP address. Ordinarily, without a VPN, your device utilizes your internet service provider’s (ISP) DNS server. Consequently, your ISP maintains a log of your browsing activity. However, a VPN encrypts your internet traffic, including your DNS requests, thereby shielding them from your ISP. A DNS leak occurs when these DNS requests are inadvertently sent to your ISP’s DNS servers, indicating a failure in the VPN’s encryption and privacy protection mechanisms.

Encryption

Encryption scrambles data into an indecipherable format, making it appear as random characters until properly decoded. VPNs commonly protect your internet traffic using AES-256 encryption, a robust algorithm often described as “military-grade,” when paired with established protocols like OpenVPN or IKEv2/IPSec. As an alternative, some VPNs leverage the ChaCha20 encryption cipher alongside the increasingly popular WireGuard protocol, offering a different approach to securing your connection. In short, encryption ensures that your data remains confidential and protected from unauthorized access.

Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, 14 Eyes

The “Five Eyes” is an international intelligence alliance comprising the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. These nations engage in extensive surveillance and intelligence collection activities, both independently and collaboratively. They share this information under the guise of national or global security. Individuals with heightened privacy concerns might therefore opt for a VPN provider headquartered in a jurisdiction outside the Five Eyes alliance. Expanding upon this, the “Nine Eyes” adds France, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway to the data-sharing partnership, while the “14 Eyes” further extends the network to include Belgium, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Spain.

Gateway

A gateway, also known as a node, acts as a connector between distinct internet networks. Similar to a gate providing access to a yard, an internet gateway serves as a point of entry and exit for web traffic. Your Wi-Fi router, for instance, functions as a gateway by connecting your home network to the broader internet.

Geoblocking, geo-unblocking

Geoblocking is the practice of restricting access to content based on a user’s geographical location. This region-specific limitation stems from licensing agreements that determine where certain content is available. For example, the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” might be streamed on Paramount Plus in the United States but on Netflix in the United Kingdom. The act of bypassing these regional restrictions is termed “geo-unblocking.” With a VPN, you can effectively route your internet traffic through a server located in a different country. This allows you to, for instance, connect to a UK server while physically located in the US, thus accessing the UK libraries of streaming services like Netflix or Disney Plus.

IP Address

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique numerical identifier assigned to every device connected to the internet. Similar to a physical address, an IP address can reveal potentially identifying details, such as your approximate geographical location and your Internet Service Provider (ISP). When you connect through a VPN, the applications and websites you interact with no longer see your actual IP address. Instead, they see the IP address of your VPN provider, effectively masking your true online identity.

Jurisdiction

A VPN provider’s jurisdiction refers to the country in which its headquarters are located. VPN companies are legally obligated to comply with the laws of their jurisdiction, particularly when served with legal requests for information. Some VPN providers, such as Proton VPN, NordVPN, and ExpressVPN, are headquartered in countries outside of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances. This location choice is often driven by a commitment to enhanced privacy and a desire to minimize government data access.

Kill switch

A kill switch is a security feature that automatically disables your internet connection if your VPN connection unexpectedly drops. This prevents your real IP address from being exposed, ensuring your online activity remainIn summary, a VPN kill switch is a vital component of a comprehensive VPN security strategy, providing an extra layer of protection against accidental data leaks. It’s highly recommended that you use a VPN with a reliable kill switch and ensure it’s properly configured.
s protected even during VPN interruptions.

Lag

Lag, or latency, refers to the delay between your actions – such as pressing a button on a game controller or typing on a keyboard – and the corresponding response from a server. While all VPNs inherently introduce some slowdown in internet speeds due to the encryption and decryption process, a VPN can paradoxically reduce lag in certain gaming scenarios. This can occur when you connect to a VPN server geographically close to the game server. For instance, if you’re physically located in the US but playing on a game server in New Zealand, tunneling through a New Zealand-based VPN server might result in lower latency and a smoother gaming experience.

Logs

VPN logs refer to the data that a VPN provider collects about its users. Connection logs, which typically contain anonymized information about VPN apps and session durations, may be temporarily retained. However, usage logs, which include personally identifiable information such as IP addresses and browsing history, should never be stored. In fact, I strongly advise against using any VPN that doesn’t adhere to a strict no-logs policy. While it’s challenging to fully verify zero-logging practices, independent audits provide valuable assurance of these claims.

Mobile VPN

A mobile VPN is specifically designed to maintain a secure and uninterrupted connection as you transition between different network types, such as cellular data and Wi-Fi hotspots. Unlike traditional VPNs, a mobile VPN excels at seamlessly switching between these networks without dropping the encrypted tunnel, ensuring continuous protection and privacy for your mobile device, even as your network environment changes. This is especially useful for users on the go who frequently move between different Wi-Fi networks and cellular data.

Obfuscation

Obfuscation is a technique used to mask the fact that you’re utilizing a VPN connection, preventing apps and websites from recognizing your traffic as originating from a VPN server. This is particularly valuable in situations where VPNs are restricted or cause compatibility issues, such as when connecting to a school’s Wi-Fi network where VPN usage might be blocked or interfere with network performance. By disguising your VPN traffic, obfuscation allows you to bypass these restrictions and maintain a secure and private connection.

Protocol

VPN protocols dictate how your device establishes a secure connection with the VPN server. The most prevalent modern protocols are WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPSec, each offering distinct advantages:

• WireGuard: Known for its exceptionally high speeds and modern cryptography, WireGuard is an excellent choice for performance-critical applications. However, it’s less suitable for obfuscation, meaning it’s easier for networks to detect that you’re using a VPN.
• OpenVPN: Highly regarded for its robust security and extensive configurability, OpenVPN is well-suited for obfuscation, making it difficult to detect VPN usage. However, it typically offers slower speeds compared to WireGuard.
• IKEv2/IPSec: This protocol is optimized for seamless transitions between different network types, such as switching between Wi-Fi and cellular data. It provides a good balance of speed and security.

At a technical level, VPN protocols consist of a network protocol – either UDP (User Datagram Protocol) or TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) – paired with an encryption algorithm. OpenVPN and IPSec/IKEv2 typically utilize AES-256 encryption, while WireGuard employs the ChaCha20 cipher. The choice of protocol and encryption algorithm significantly impacts the VPN’s speed, security, and ability to bypass network restrictions.

Proxy

Like a VPN, a proxy server acts as an intermediary between your IP address and the websites or apps you’re trying to access. Both VPNs and proxies function to conceal your IP address, providing a degree of anonymity. However, a key distinction is that proxy services typically do not encrypt your internet traffic, whereas a VPN connection always encrypts your data. This lack of encryption with proxies leaves your data vulnerable to interception and monitoring.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling is a versatile feature that allows you to selectively route your internet traffic through the VPN connection while excluding other traffic from the VPN tunnel. This enables you to enjoy the benefits of VPN protection for specific applications or activities without impacting the performance of others.
For example, you could configure your VPN to route your Netflix app through a server in another country, granting you access to foreign content libraries and unlocking movies and TV shows that are not available in your region. At the same time, you could exclude your Blizzard games client from the VPN tunnel, ensuring the fastest possible download speeds when installing a large game like Diablo IV, as VPN encryption can sometimes slow down downloads. Split tunneling provides a customizable and efficient way to manage your VPN usage, optimizing both security and performance.

Server count

The server count for a VPN provider refers to the number of servers they own and operate across the globe. This number is usually presented as a total count and also broken down by the number of countries where those servers are located. For example, NordVPN boasts over 6,300 servers distributed across 111 countries.
A large server count is generally advantageous because it offers greater flexibility and performance. If a particular server in a specific country is experiencing congestion due to high user traffic, you can easily switch to another server within the same country.
However, it’s important to consider both the total server count and the distribution across different countries. A VPN with several thousand servers concentrated in a small number of countries might not be as useful for individuals who frequently travel internationally and require servers in various locations. Therefore, when choosing a VPN, it’s crucial to evaluate both the overall server count and the geographical distribution to ensure it meets your specific needs.

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

Pros and cons of using a VPN

Pros

Сons

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

Virtual Private Networks

UAE

Albania

Austria

Brazil

Canada

China

Germany

Denmark

France

Spain

Egypt

Greece

Hungary

Israel

India

Ireland

Ecuador

Mexico

Norway

Netherlands

Moldova

Larvia

Iceland

Italy

Kazahstan

Server locations

United Kingdom

Lithuania