VPNs are the sensation of the web. These tools help users to achieve a more secure internet experience, protecting their data, browsing history and traffic from threats and unwanted meddling from third parties that have nothing to do with them.
They are especially useful for mobile devices users because they represent the most common way to access public Internet, and this happens to be one of the most dangerous sources of problems for your equipment, software, and data.
6 Things You Should Know About Running a VPN on Mobile
They Offer Some of The Most Reliable Protection in Public Networks
Virtual Private Networks, or VPN, are a user’s best friend because it encrypts all of its data and traffic and sends it through remote servers in such a way that anybody will have access to the user’s interactions, browsing history and details, location and some other critical stuff.
The privacy and security obtained by users with VPN servers help them while they connect to public Wi-Fi spots like libraries, airports, offices, restaurants, cafés and other places of open access. These connections are very dangerous because they are full of people that have the skills to steal your passwords, credit card information and other valuable material.
With the help of a VPN, your traffic will remain a mystery for hackers, governmental institutions, advertising companies, big Internet corporations and department stores, even your Internet Service Provider.
You can Access Geographically Restricted Content From Any Country
From the comfort of your tablet or smartphone, you can download content, stream movies, series or sports events, and browse the web from any part of the planet. It does not matter if you are in Japan and want to watch American Netflix: with a VPN, you can.
VPNs mask your actual IP address, lending you a new, temporary one that fits your convenience judging by your current needs. So if you want to avoid geo-blocking messages that appear, say, when you are in Spain and want to watch Canada’s CBC, you will be capable of doing that with the help of a quality VPN server.
Paid VPNs are Better than Free VPNs
Free Virtual Private Networks abound in the online world, and some of them can offer enticing features given that they are acquired at no cost. But reality indicates that the paid versions provide more security measures, protection, privacy and possibilities than alternatives that you can get for free.
For example, among the paid versions of VPN, NordVPN is the best and most reliable. You can connect up to five devices at the same time, it offers you an active customer service, and it has servers in many places in the world. For mobile users, TorGuard, IPVanish, and PIA are the most solid selections.
VPNs can Slow Down your Internet Connection
While VPNs offer some attractive characteristics and functions, you should know that the speed of the connection of your mobile device will suffer if you connect and browse the web through a Virtual Private Network. This is one of the very few disadvantages of working with a VPN, but hey, there is no perfection in the world!
This is especially true if you get a shared, or dynamic IP address, which has its advantages, but one of them is not connection speed.
If you want to maintain some speed for streaming or downloading content, you should pay a little more and try a dedicated IP address.
VPNs are a Little More Complicated to use on Mobile Devices than the PCs
Most VPN software available in the market is easier to setup and configure in PCs than in mobile devices. They work differently, and therefore you can’t expect to use the same software in laptops than in smartphones.
But don’t get frustrated and think that smartphones cannot support VPNs because it isn’t true. It’s just not as easy, but most VPNs alternatives are relatively easy to install on your mobile device.
Android Does not Support Some Versions
Some VPN server providers, including OpenVPN, need the user to download a third-party app to install and configure the VPN. If you are an Android user and need to use OpenVPN and other similar choices, you need to have at least the 4.0 version; otherwise, you may need to root the device.
