Basic VPN Overview
A VPN ( Virtual Private Network ) is a way to connect to the internet in a Private and Secure way.
To explain how a VPN connection work in simple terms:
When you use a reputable VPN service provider you will have an Application on your device from your VPN service provider. To use the VPN service, this App must be active before connecting to the internet.
Before data is transmitted, it will be encrypted. It will then be routed directly to the VPN server, where it will go through one or more VPN servers before connecting to your online destination.
The data that comes back to your device, only comes back in encrypted format and only through the VPN servers.
Because all data is encrypted and routed through the VPN servers, the encryption, and servers act as a barrier between you and the online world.
Not all VPN Service providers offer the same levels of security and features. It is important to confirm, before you select a VPN service provider, that they provide adequate security and the necessary features.
How does VPN protect you?
All the data that goes out from your device through your VPN will be encrypted, including the data that is transmitted in the background.
This means that even your internet service provider will only be able to see that encrypted data is traveling back and forth to a remote server. Data like your IP address and the site that you are connecting to cannot be seen, since all the data is encrypted before it leaves your device.
The same will apply when using public, or business Wi-Fi. A hacker or network administrator will only be able to see that there is encrypted data being transmitted and received. Not what it contains, or what the end destination is.
The VPN will also hide your browser activity and history from the Wi-FI.
It probably goes without saying, but if you were thinking about using VPN to hide an email that you want to send from your work email address and hide it from your boss, it is not that simple. If your boss has access to the companies email servers where the emails are stored and archived, then it can be retrieved from there and not while it is being sent.
It is highly recommended that you use VPN when using public Wi-Fi, as public Wi-Fi is a notorious target for hackers.
How can VPN hide an IP address
When a device that use VPN connects, it will connect to the VPN server using an encrypted connection. This connection is often referred to as a secure VPN tunnel. Your connection to the internet will then be made from your VPN service provider, to the internet. This means that your internet connection will be bounced of one or more of your VPN service providers’ servers, before connecting to the internet. Because you VPN service provider stands between you and the internet, information like your IP address cannot be seen. Only the IP Address of the VPN Service Provider will be seen.
There is a general risk that you VPN can disconnect unexpectedly and that your device could then connect to the internet directly, without you realizing that this has happened. If this does happen, your IP address could be leaked. To prevent this, you should make use of a VPN service provider like NordVPN, or ProtonVPN which provides a “Kill Switch” feature. This feature will monitor your VPN connection. If the connection drops, it will immediately block access to prevent your IP address from being leaked.
How does VPN Hide your Location
The IP Address of a device is commonly used to establish the device’s location. When you use VPN to connect to the internet, your device will connect to the VPN service Provider and then connect to the internet from there. Because the connection is made from the VPN service provider, your IP address will not be visible, as only the IP address of the VPN service provider will be visible.
Because the location of the IP address is used to determine your location, it will see the location of the VPN server as your location.
Popular VPN service providers have multiple servers available in various countries. You can select a server location of your choice.
An example of where VPN users make use of this feature, is when they are streaming movies. Certain movies are only available to certain countries. This is called geo-blocking. By selecting a VPN server in the country where the preferred movies are available, they can then get access to these movies.
It is important to remember that the IP address of a device is not the only way to track a location of a device. Some programs and application use the GPS Location of the device, rather than the IP address of the device. These may vary, depending on the type of the device you use, the applications that you have installed and on what permissions have been granted, or disabled on these programs.
When you use a device, or apps that track you by the GPS location that is transmitted by your device, then you may have to take additional steps in conjunction with VPN.
It is also important to have a good anti-virus program installed on your device, as malware often act as a hidden application on your device, that could be transmitting personal information.