Wednesday, December 6, 2023
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How a VPN can protect your operating system?

Dominic Lill ,  ,  ,  , 

VPN corresponds to the following of Virtual Private Network. An acronym that many already know and in fact may be making use of some, while others may have heard about it without knowing exactly what it is, what it is for and how we can configure a VPN on our computer.

For those who want to know more about how to protect their identity on the Internet, we leave below an instruction to learn how to configure it, tricks and the best VPN we can find.

VPN

What is a VPN and why should we use it?

First of all, we must know that a VPN is a technology that allows us to connect our computer to a private network using the Internet. Although in their origins they were used mainly in business environments so that employees could access certain private shared resources. Today, they are mostly used to browse privately and avoid certain censorship on the Internet.

The main advantages of using a VPN are privacy since it allows us to browse anonymously hiding our data and activity on the network, and security, especially when we browse through public WiFi networks, although it also ensures the integrity of the data since they cannot be modified during transmission. However, this also makes us forget about personalized ads and certain censorship since we can change our IP address and put one from anywhere in the world to skip certain blocks for a certain country.

VPN types

Among the most common types of Virtual Private Network, we find client-based or remote-access VPNs and network-based or end-to-end VPNs. Those based on the client allow a user to connect to a remote network through an application that is responsible for establishing communication and lifting the VPN. To access this secure connection, the user must launch the application, identify himself with a username and password and then create the encrypted channel between the computer and the network so that the data exchange is done safely.

Those based on networks are those that connect different networks through the Internet. This type is chosen by companies that need to connect networks from different locations to share information safely. In this sense, the new Microsoft operating system, Windows 10, facilitates the creation, configuration and use of this type of point-to-point virtual connections that allow to safely extend a local network over a public network such as the Internet.

How to connect to a VPN in Windows 10

Now, we are going to show you the steps to follow to connect a Windows VPN. The first thing we have to do is log in with an administrator user and then go to the configuration page of Windows 10 and select the option Network and Internet>VPN. The next step is to click on the option Add a VPN connection and enter the necessary information to create it, Provider, Connection name, Server name or address, Type of VPN and Type of login information.

If we need it, we can also access the advanced configuration to make other configurations related to the Virtual Private Network, such as proxy settings, automatic or manual detection, etc. Once created, we can see how the connections that are available on the computer show us the VPN that we just created and configured, so we can select it as we do with any WiFi network.

What are the best VPN services and what should we consider?

Currently, there is a large number of virtual private network services, each service has its strengths and weaknesses, but the aspects you must consider to hire one of these services are:

  • Compatible with secure VPN protocols: OpenVPN, IPsec IKEv2, L2TP/IPsec, SSTP, WireGuard. Never choose PPTP.
  • Do not keep a record of connections.
  • Multiple servers in different countries, necessary to avoid possible regional blocks.
  • Good speed of the connection, and the minimum possible latency.
  • Programs and applications for operating systems such as Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android and iOS.
  • Free trial for a certain time, to be able to test the service properly before buying.

One of the most recommended VPNs is Express VPN. This complies with all the previous points except that it has no free trial, however, it is very fast, has a large number of servers, and works very well for P2P file sharing and also for evading Netflix regional locks. Another very interesting service is NordVPN safe, a service that complies with all the previous points that we have mentioned. It also has very competitive prices that allow us to save a large amount of money if we buy the subscription for several months.