When stumbling upon this article, we’re assuming that you’re already aware of the benefits of utilizing a virtual private network and that you’re seeking the best VPN option that will fulfill your needs in making educated decisions on which VPN to use in the first place.
As you are probably aware, virtual private networks (VPNs) are often used for several reasons, including evading censorship and geographic limitations, downloading a wide variety of content, shifting locations, and keeping anonymous online. Regardless of why we use VPNs, there are certain fundamental guidelines to follow when picking one. By the way, people usually get confused about VPN and VPS. They are two different thinks; check the difference between VPN and VPS.
This article will walk you through the process of first learning how VPN technology protects your data and then selecting the VPN that is the greatest fit for your needs.
1. The locations and numbers of VPN servers
While changing your location is the most popular reason for going for a VPN, the servers and their locations also affects this particular necessity. Multiple server locations and IP addresses, geographical dispersion, and, most importantly, whether or not they have servers in desired countries where you’d want to look are all critical factors to consider when looking for a high-quality VPN client in terms of performance, security, and speed.
Because the more server locations they have, the more likely they will be able to change IP addresses regularly; as a consequence, they can maintain your IP address’s anonymity by constantly changing and diverting it to others.
2. Speed
VPNs have a bad reputation for often slowing down connection speeds and resulting in buffering for users. This is no longer a problem thanks to modern technology. If you want to use your VPN primarily for video streaming and gaming, speed will be a primary factor. It is better to check their ping times to determine their response time. Ping time is the period required for a packet of data to go from your computer to a VPN server.
3. Technical Specifications
Although the technical characteristics of a VPN may seem unimportant – or too complex to normal internet users, if you’re a computer professional or a software enthusiast, you should be aware of a few accessible capabilities. The type of security protocols VPN provider uses (SSL, OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, etc. ), having AES-256 encryption method or supporting SHA-512 hash authentication, including the Killswitch feature that allows you to maintain an uninterrupted connection even if the internet is down are some examples of questions you might ask.
4. Compatibility and Integrations
Another factor to examine is the VPN’s compatibility with more smart devices and operating systems, like iOS, Android, mobile phones, smart TVs, as well as other smart gadgets. If you’re contemplating using a VPN on many devices, you should first verify that they’re all compatible.