6 things to consider when choosing a VPN (2024)

FAQs

Which 6 criteria would you consider when choosing a VPN? ›

Bandwidth and performance speed

A VPN's primary concern is your online privacy and security, but no one wants to compromise on speed. Fast streaming is a priority for people looking for a new VPN, and many free versions cap your Internet usage, slowing down your performance.

A VPN, which stands for virtual private network, establishes a digital connection between your computer and a remote server owned by a VPN provider, creating a point-to-point tunnel that encrypts your personal data, masks your IP address, and lets you sidestep website blocks and firewalls on the internet.

To get started, you'll need a VPN client, a VPN server, and a VPN router. The downloadable client connects you to servers around the world, so employees everywhere can access your small business network. The client can be used on devices like smartphones and laptops, even if workers are using public Wi-Fi networks.

A good VPN should mask your original IP address, so you can confirm whether the VPN is hiding your identity by checking your IP address: Disconnect from your VPN service. Visit a website that displays your IP address, such as WhatIsMyIP or IPLocation.

Select a VPN server location that is closest to your physical location on the Recommended server location list. Use the Smart Location feature, which recommends the optimal location for you. Run the Speed Test in the ExpressVPN app for Mac or Windows. Connect to server location at the top of the results list.

To deploy Always On VPN, you will need to install and configure the following components: A domain controller. Active Directory Group Policy. Network Policy Server (NPS)

What are VPN rules? ›

Access rules are set to specify which users can access which network resources when connected via VPN. This ensures employees have the appropriate level of network access, and company data and personal information remain secure.

In addition to encryption, a VPN also masks your IP address from the public internet, in turn masking your identity. When a user successfully connects their computer to the VPN server, the VPN not only secures their data, it also assigns them a new IP address that conceals their real IP address.

The basic process for using a VPN is to install a VPN app on your device, fire it up, log into your account and select a server. For the fastest speeds, you'll typically want to choose a server geographically nearby, but for accessing region-specific content, pick a VPN server in your desired country.

The 3 most common VPN protocols are OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and IKEv2/IPsec.

A VPN, which stands for virtual private network, protects its users by encrypting their data and masking their IP addresses. This hides their browsing activity, identity, and location, allowing for greater privacy and autonomy. Anyone seeking a safer, freer, and more secure online experience could benefit from a VPN.

All VPNs use encryption, but the quality of the encryption depends on which VPN protocol is used. OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP support AES encryption, considered the gold standard, while WireGuard uses ChaCha20, which is also secure. PPTP uses the least secure encryption standard, MPPE.