When you are using the internet at home, one of the biggest problems you can have is slowdown. Your internet will, over time, begin to slow down and stop producing the same quality of results. Searches take longer, images load slower and your streaming becomes an exercise in patience. Just as your last episode of the season starts, you begin to notice major slowdown on your platform. What can you do about it?
Well, you could ring up your internet service provider (ISP) and get a new package put in place. You could also choose to pick up the phone and ask them to stop throttling you. The answer to the first question, you might imagine, will get a friendlier response than the second. Even with an ‘unlimited bandwidth’ internet package, though, your ISP might still hit you in the speed stakes. Why? Because, for the most part, they want you to spend more money.
It’s not illegal, and it is not even especially surprising. Any form of communications service will do what it can to get more out of every customer. With streaming and the use of media often being quote bandwidth-intensive, ISPs can often get away with asking for more, more and more. You might just do it and pay more. Or you could start to use a Virtual Private Network. Otherwise known as a VPN, this can help you to get much more stable and reliable internet speeds.
Does a VPN make my internet faster?
No, it does not. What a VPN does do, though, is puts you onto a connection from elsewhere. This means that as far as your internet is concerned, you are now based in wherever you are sending the data from. So, if your VPN connected you to a server in Oslo, Norway, you are now going to be showing up as a Norwegian internet user on their stats.
A VPN, though, cannot make your internet faster most of the time. What it will do, though, is make your internet free from the problem we mentioned above. Your ISP is no longer in control of your internet, so they cannot really choose to throttle you. As far as they are concerned, you are using the VPN and the VPN alone: you have no impact on their services.
This means that while your internet is not faster, it is a whole lot more consistent. Speeds will not drop off anything like the same level, and you will generally get faster internet across the day. It might not be as fast as your fastest internet speeds on your domestic ISP line. It will, though, help you to do everything from play video games to pick up a better streaming connection on a regular basis. This helps to make your internet usage more fun, more varied, and generally more reliable.
It is for this reason, then, that so many people tend to choose to use a VPN. Over an upgrade to a more expensive line? It is a no-brainer.
Does a VPN only make my connection more stable?
No, it also makes it much more secure. By using a VPN, you are no longer using the internet through your normal IP address. You are assigned a new IP address, meaning that you are not put at risk. You are simply connecting through a virtual location that means you are no longer going to be so susceptible to being damaged when online.
This also means that your connection can go further. For example, say you are one of the many people who use Netflix. If you are based in somewhere like Ireland, your collection of Netflix options is starkly limited. If you use a VPN, though, you could easily access the more lucrative UK library. You could even use an even more extensive US library. Check 40+ VPNs reviews out here for your Netflix access this helps to make your connection stable, secure, solid, and far more suitable for using the internet how you please.
It makes sure that you can get a more reliable connection, too. With most good VPNs coming with a killswitch, too, you can make sure that your location is never compromised. So, if you are trying to access the US Netflix, a flick of the killswitch will mean that any connection drops will not give away your location. Therefore, using a VPN is about more than just variety and speed. It’s also protecting your safety and opening up the wider internet to you.
Is using a VPN even legal?
Yes, it very much is. Around 25% of the internet population will use one, with around 35% of that population using it on a daily basis. That is very interesting and shows us just how many people are beginning to become aware of the use of a VPN. There are many reasons why you might choose to use a VPN, also. For example, some will choose to do so that they can access restricted content. If your ISP is particularly harsh with what it blocks, then you could use a VPN to bypass their problematic filters.
You could also use it for things like hiding your web browsing activity from your government. You don’t even need to be doing anything untoward to make that a justified action. Data collection happens on a mass scale: simply protecting yourself as a citizen is something you are entitled to do. If you don’t want the internet being able to track every little thing that you do, using a VPN helps you to avoid feeling like this is the case.
Many people use a VPN for the stability we mentioned earlier, too. You are much more likely to get online and to use a VPN to your advantage if you want to stream a lot. Most ISPs will limit your streaming access, so this helps you to avoid that problem and get a smoother connection. Again, it might not be as good as your own peak internet speeds, but the average is often more impressive.
Keeping this in mind, then, you should not discount the use of a VPN. It has become a go-to tool for so many reasons.
