You’ve heard that using a VPN is essential, but what exactly does it do? Read our article to discover 7+ common VPN uses.
AVirtual Private Network, or VPN in short, is an essential tool for safe and secure internet access.
A VPN allows you to:
- browse the web through a third-party server;
- hide your IP address;
- and encrypt your internet activity data.
But you might be wondering, what does that even mean?In practical terms, what can you really use a VPN for?
In this article, we’ll explain just that! Here’s what you’ll learn:
- What the most common VPN uses are
- How a VPN allows you to browse the web securely and anonymously.
- How you can use a VPN to avoid throttling, ISP tracking, and more.
So, let’s get right to it.
7 Essential VPN Uses
Prefer a quick summary? Here’s a complete list of potential VPN uses. You can use a VPN to:
- Browse the web anonymously
- Protect yourself from Wi-Fi hacks
- Avoid ISP tracking
- Protect yourself from doxing
- Improve your connection speed
- Access your favorite sites when you’re abroad
- Stay safe while working remotely
Read on to learn more about each of these VPN uses.
#1. Browse The Web Anonymously
Today, just about everyone is tracking your data.
- Your internet service provider (ISP) keeps tabs on your traffic;
- Social media companies use your data to target you with ads;
- Websites use cookies to follow you around the web.
Want to steer clear of all that, and remain truly anonymous on the web?
You’ll need to use a VPN.
VPNs encrypt your data, ensuring that your ISP cannot view your online activity.
At the same time, a VPN hides your IP address, making it impossible to trace your internet traffic back to you.
#2. Protect Yourself From Wi-Fi Hacks
Chances are, you’ve used public Wi-Fi at one time or another.
What you probably don’t know is that public Wi-Fi is a serious security threat.
A hacker can easily intercept the connection (a form of a MITM attack) to spy on your unencrypted activity and steal any confidential data.
Using a VPN, however, can protect you from hackers. A VPN encrypts your online activity, so even if a hacker intercepts the connection, they won’t be able to access your data or see any activity that isn’t encrypted (email activity, HTTP web browsing, DNS traffic, etc.).
#3. Avoid ISP Tracking
Yourinternet service provider tracks your web activity.
They store information about what you Google, the websites you visit, and so on.
Then they sell this data to their partner companies, targeting you with even more accurate advertising.
If you’re using a VPN, however, all your internet activity is encrypted and your personal information is completely safe from prying eyes (as long as the VPN follows a no-traffic-logging policy).
#4. Doxing Protection
If a hacker gets hold of your IP address, they can use it to find a lot of sensitive personal information about you. Things like where you live, your zip code, and potentially even more.
Hackers then use this information for:
- Harassment
- Cyberbullying
- Identity theft
- Swatting
If you’re using a VPN, however, your IP address is replaced with that of the VPN server you’re using.
This gives you greater immunity to doxing.
#5. Improve Your Connection Speed
When too many people try to access a hotspot, a website, or an app at the same time, and the connection becomes sluggish, that’s called network congestion. This happens when a server node is forced to handle more traffic than it can.
In simpler terms, network congestion means that:
- The server is unable to handle the traffic
- It starts queuing up the requests instead of executing them instantly
- In turn, this significantly slows down your internet speed
Using a VPN, however, allows you to bypass the congested server and speed up your connection.
#6. Access Sites Abroad
If you’re traveling abroad, there’s a chance that some of your favorite websites are banned or blacklisted. For example, if you’re visiting China, you can’t use some of the most popular US websites and apps, including Twitter, Google, Wikipedia, and others.
As a VPN routes your traffic through a different server (located in a different country), this allows you to bypass website restrictions safely and easily.
#7. Stay Safe While Working Remotely
If you’re working remotely, there’s a good chance you change locations frequently.
One day you’re working from home, and you’re at your favorite coffee shop the next.
What you probably don’t know, though, is that working from public Wi-Fi can be a serious security threat to your employer.
As we’ve mentioned before, a hacker can easily intercept your Wi-Fi connection and steal your account credentials at best, and at worst, gain access to your computer.
When this happens, the hacker can gain access to your work network and cause some real damage.
To avoid this, it’s essential to use a VPN while connected to public Wi-Fi. In fact, some of the largest fully-remote companies make VPN use mandatory for their employees.
How to Pick the Right VPN
At this point, you’ve probably already decided to get a VPN — the benefits are too great to pass on.
You should keep in mind, though, that not every VPN can be used for the cases we’ve mentioned in this article.
Some VPNs, for example, can’t bypass the Great Firewall of China. Others log your data themselves, making it impossible to stay truly anonymous on the internet.
If you wantallthe VPN uses we’ve described in this article, you’ll want to pick one of the best VPNs on the market.
Not sure how to do that? Look for a VPN that comes with:
- Verified no-traffic-log policies. Some VPNs log your data and resell it to third-party entities. This goes against the whole point of using a VPN! So, when looking for a VPN tool, look for one that comes with a very strict policy against traffic logs audited by an independent third party.
- 256-bit encryption. This encryption is the industry standard, and it’s unbeatable by even the best hackers and supercomputers out there.
- iPhone and Android apps. If you want to stay completely anonymous and secure on the web, you need to use a VPN across all your devices, including your phone, and tablet. It’s important for the VPN you’re using to have a mobile version.
- Servers across the globe. The more servers a VPN has, the more likely it is that they have servers closer to your location (which means even faster speed).
VPN Uses FAQ
#1. Do I need technical knowledge to use a VPN?
Nope, none!
Using a VPN is extremely easy, even if it’s your first time using it.
All you have to do is:
- Create your account.
- Go on anddownload our VPN.
- Launch the app, and follow the setup instructions.
- Select a server location, then “Connect”.
And that’s it, you’re good to go!
#2. Is it legal to use a VPN?
For most countries, yes, it is.
Using a VPN is illegal only in a handful of countries, including North Korea, Iran, Hong Kong, and a few others.
For a complete list of all the countries VPNs are illegal in, check out our guide.
#3. Can I use a VPN for free?
Technically, yes. There are VPNs out there that don’t cost money.
But if you’re thinking that’s too good to be true, that’s because it is.
Free VPNs come with many safety concerns, all of which contradict the point of using a VPN:
- Logging your data and selling it to advertisers
- Selling your bandwidth to third parties
- Install malware onto your device
So, yes, you can use a free VPN.
However, you’ll open yourself up to more security and safety concerns than from not using a VPN in the first place!
Key Takeaways
Now that we’ve covered all the essential info on VPN uses, let’s do a quick recap.
- A VPN can help you stay anonymous on the internet.
- You can also use a VPN to help bypass content blocks.
- A VPN can protect you from cyberattacks, including doxing, Wi-Fi hacks, and more.
