What Should I Know Before Selecting a Personal VPN?
Choosing the right Virtual Private Network (VPN) can depend on a number of factors, including your specific needs and level of technical knowledge. There are hundreds of options, and quite frankly, the process can be overwhelming
That’s why I’ve put together this guide. My hope is that after reading, you will be able to identify your cybersecurity and vastly narrow down your search for your personal VPN.
How to Decide Which VPN is Right For You
In the same way you wouldn’t walk into a car dealership and buy the first vehicle you lay your eyes on, you shouldn’t saddle up with the first VPN provider you find. With around 18 percent of Americans using a VPN to access the internet every month, the market is expansive, and some options are much better than others.
Knowing exactly why you want a personal VPN in the first place can help you make an informed decision about what’s right for you. The main things to consider are who will be using your VPN, what it will be used for, and where will it be accessed from. Thankfully, there are a ton of options, with many providers specializing in specific areas.
Find a Provider Who Respects Your Privacy
A lot of people decide to use a personal VPN because they have privacy concerns related to their Internet service provider (ISP). If you’re looking for a VPN to circumvent your data being logged and sold to advertisers, you’ll want a VPN provider that will treat your data with confidentiality.
Free VPN services generally don’t do this. Many hide their data collection practices in their terms of use policies — which most people never bother to read. Paying for a premium service — most guarantee a zero-log policy — ensures that your data and private information will be viewed by no one’s eyes but your own.
Who is Going to be Using Your VPN?
The amount of people who are going to be using your VPN is a key factor in determining which provider is best for you. Some providers restrict users to a few hundred gigabytes of data per month, which won’t cause a problem for a single user, but a family of streamers may run into issues.
Once you’ve decided between a router-based VPN or a provider that permits multiple connections, you need to find a suitable data limit. Ideally, you’ll want to find a plan that offers unlimited bandwidth, so you won’t need to worry about breaching a limit and being forced to rely on an unsecure Internet connection.
What is Your VPN Going to be Used For?
One of the few downsides of a personal VPN is that your Internet speed may be a little slower due to the encryption process. While day-to-day browsing won’t be impacted, video streaming or online gaming could be.
It’s best to find a VPN provider with high download speeds, reliable connections, and no bandwidth limits. A recent study by Go-Globe estimated that around 50 percent of VPN users are streaming entertainment content. Many services offer high-speed or gaming-optimized servers to ensure your speeds don’t suffer.
Where Are You Going to be Using Your VPN?
If you’re planning on traveling regularly, whether it’s for leisure or business, you’ll need a VPN provider that has good security and plenty of servers. Good security lets you connect to public hotspots worry-free, while a provider that has servers in locations around the world lets you enjoy quality connection speeds wherever your travels may take you.
Most major providers are able to guarantee good connection speeds in most places. Especially if you opt to pay for a premium service, you’re almost guaranteed to have little to no issues with your VPN.
With the information from this guide, you should be well on your way to finding the personal VPN that’s right for you. It’s never a good idea to settle on the first option you find. Compare multiple providers that fit your needs, and you’ll be able to find exactly what you’re looking for.
