Internet

What is a VPN and what is it used for?

With the current panorama in the internet world, with the NSA and other security agencies spying on all the data that passes through the network, it is more important than ever to protect our sensitive information. But how can we do this? There are a few different ways to protect the data that leaves our PC to reach another. When we send the information, it is revealed until it reaches its destination, something that can be a problem if someone who wants to obtain said information sets out to look for it. The way to solve this is use a VPN.

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What is a VPN?

You may have already heard about VPNs, or at least heard their name mentioned. VPN is an acronym for Virtual Private Network (Virtual Network Private, for its translation into Spanish). It's about a which will allow us to use a virtual network to send and receive data securely over the Internet.

What is it for? The main use given to it is “protection”. Using a VPN We can send information without fear of being spied on. Thanks to a special protocol used by the virtual private network, which encrypts all information, we can rest assured that those unwanted glances at the data we transmit will not be able to read what we have sent.

That's how simple a VPN works

But it is not the only use we can give to a VPN. There are a thousand and one uses for virtual private networks. One that has become very widespread is to use it as a "curtain" that hides our real location to be able to access content blocked by region. By accessing through this connection we can simulate that we reach said content from the VPN location, instead of our original position.

Furthermore you can avoid censorship on the internet. There are times when some governments censor certain websites. These blocks are only carried out in the country, since it is the internet providers who block these sites, so we can bypass the block using this connection.

You can also use a VPN to connect complete computers or servers. sharing oneself virtual network Information can be shared constantly over a secure network, something many offices have opted for when a local connection is impossible.

What is a VPN for

VPNs have a wide variety of uses that we are going to mention:

- - Access blocked content: VPN It allows you to locate yourself in another territory or part of the world, which can help you to watch, for example, Netflix episodes from the USA.
  - Teleworking: Many people work at home and it is increasingly widespread and therefore to connect to the company network they usually opt for this type of network.
  - P2P downloads: They are usually used to download Torrent There are more and more internet providers that block access to this type of downloads, which is why a VPN is recommended, thanks to it you can avoid the different restrictions.
  - Greater security: VPN networks encrypt the content transmitted on them and therefore make it impossible to obtain information about our behavior on the Internet.

Advantages

It is very easy to connect and disconnect.
It is compatible with all programs and applications, you will not have problems as happens with proxies.
You can put the location you want.
Internet providers will not be able to access your data.

Paid VPN

If you need something more professional, the editors' favorite VPN is Surfshark. Surfshark proves itself as one of the best VPNs on the market with a collection of privacy tools, a great app, and unlimited device connections to the VPN. put to the test the fastest VPN on the market.

Free VPNs

Generally, virtual private networks are paid. Some with a very affordable price and others with rates that are not intended for users who will make personal use of the network. However, we find free options that work perfectly.

openvpn

It is a virtual private network that can be used completely free of charge. It is the most complete free VPN that we can find today, open source and available for both Windows and GNU/Linux.

Hello

Hello, it is a very simple VPN focused on browsers. It is installed as an extension in your favorite browser, be it Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer, although you can also use it on other platforms, such as Windows, Android and OS X (Mac). It has a paid version, which costs $4.99 per month, although the free version is more than enough.