What is a VPN? Easy-to-Understand Guide
What are VPNs? A VPN (Virtual Private Networks) is a type of network that gives users online privacy by creating a private network from a public internet connection.
That means you can use the internet with extra security, privacy and from any IP address.
- VPNs help you stay secure while using public internet connections.
- Hides your true IP (Internet Protocol) address.
- Encrypts your internet data and traffic.
- Bypasses geo-block and location based restrictions.
- Ensures your internet data isn’t recorded, tracked and sold.
It also ensures that your internet traffic isn’t tracked and recorded, later to be sold by your internet service provider (ISP), ad brokers, or snoops.
How Do VPNs Work?
Instead of sending your device’s internet connection through your internet service provider (ISP), VPNs route your connection through your chosen VPNs private server.
This changes your true, visible IP address, making it seem as if you’re browsing from the VPN server’s location and not your actual location.
This allows you to seem as if you’re in a completely different country. This allows you to gain extra privacy and hide your true location.
As a user this is far easier to achieve than it is to understand. You simply select the country and server you want to use through your VPN’s app and click connect!
How Do VPNs Secure Data and Traffic?
Everytime you connect to a VPN, a secure virtual tunnel between your device and one of its servers is established.
The tunnel transfers all of your data, internet traffic and browsing information – from apps and websites to downloads and web cam footage.
To ensure the tunneling is actually secure, the VPN app and VPN server encrypts your data. Which is the process turning your data into a big scrambled unreadable code.
This process is completed every single time data is sent and received – so no one can peak in on your traffic and data.
This is how VPN Packet hides your IP address, location, online identity and data remains hidden from your snoopers, third-party websites and your internet service provider.
Explain It to Me Like I’m Five (ELI5):
Ok, imagine a highway with two big pickup trucks down it.
- One of the pickup trucks has an open rear bed with a nice shiny bicycle in it.
- The second pickup truck has a container on it.
Your regular internet connection (without a VPN) would be the first truck – anyone can see it’s carrying a bicycle. They could even go up to it and inspect the specifics of it if they wanted.
When using a VPN, your connection is like the second truck. You can see it moving, but you have no idea what’s inside and neither can anyone else. Could it be food, clothes, beer, cash? Who knows? Only you.
But wait. There’s more.
The VPN truck goes further to retain its privacy. It uses different plate numbers whenever it wants, to make it look like it’s from a different state.
And best of all, if someone does manage to open the container, they’ll find the contents cut up into a million pieces – so it’s impossible to understand what it is they’re actually carrying.
Oh and it’s also way faster than the first truck.
What Is a VPN server?
So we know what a VPN is now, but what is a VPN server?
VPN servers are very similar to standard servers, except they’re configured with VPN software so only those with the VPN client software can connect to it.
Anyone wanting to connect to a VPN server needs authentication proof that you have the VPN client.
Once connected, all traffic passes through this server. To prying outside eyes, it just looks like a huge mess of random internet data and codes – keeping your data, traffic, location and identity secret.
What Are The Benefits of Using a VPN?
Ok, so here’s what all that technical jargon means for you, the user.
Protection on Public WIFIs
Public Wi-Fi is great, especially when free. But whether it’s in college, Starbucks, the train or in an airport they are not safe. As they’re shared, users are very vulnerable to cyber attacks.
But if you use a VPN, your online data and personal information is kept secret and unreachable. So you can do banking, stocks, emails, and much more in confidence.
Bypass Geo-Blocks and Censored Websites
All internet users will have experienced a location based restriction at some point. Whether it’s when trying to watch a foreign movie or due to Government censorship restrictions, it’s very annoying.
VPNs connect to servers in different countries (of your choice), so you can bypass internet censorship and geo-blocks. It’s as if you’ve teleported to a different country.
VPN Hides Browsing History
One of the best things about VPNs is IP masking. IP addresses are your internet address – they reveal your location and a bunch of other stuff.
VPNs hide it so that your browsing history and torrenting history is never linked to your true location and identity.
Stream Netflix Privately
VPNs allow you to remain safe and unrestricted when watching streaming services like Netflix. With throttle and buffer-free use, you can watch your favorite movies and shows from any country without limits.
Disclaimer: VPN Packet does not encourage using a VPN in any way that would potentially violate the Terms of Service of streaming service providers.
A VPN Helps You Avoid Discrimation
Did you know that some websites (such as airlines) raise their prices for certain locations and users? With a VPN, you can avoid these tricks by ensuring they don’t know you’ve browsed there before or are in your true location.