Who Uses a VPN

[T-Minus]

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Originally Posted by steelyman I have PIA (not the acronym you’re thinking, it’s Private Internet Access) through early 2020. It works well and has a lot of choice but I rarely use it so I may or may not renew. I like having it as an option and it’s prepaid so I leave it available to flip on.

I also use PIA VPN. I’ve found a couple problems though:

- Schwab will not let you log in when using this VPN (may effect others, I don’t know). When queried, they told me that many attacks originate from people using VPN’s.
- Some hotels and businesses actually block you from using VPN’s. Evidently, they need the income that comes from monetizing their customer’s private information.

I’ve not been attacked yet, so it’s hard to say whether or not it’s been worth it. That said, I believe it to be a part of good computing hygiene.

[kgtest]

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Originally Posted by Kwirk When away from home I use a personal VPN based in my home router (Netgear R7000). For most purposes it appears to visited websites that I'm on my home network. It provides substantial protection against coffee shop or hotel eavesdroppers. The set up is a bit technical and a dynamic DNS account is needed (but available free) if you don't have a fixed IP address. A commercial VPN is much easier to use but does come at a price. I don't use a VPN from home. Nothing I do requires anonymity. Nobody is likely to sit outside my house to eavesdrop and the neighbors are clearly not up to the task. The Netgear home VPN does have a curious limitation. I can't use remote desktop from an iOS device to a home computer while the VPN is active. If I recall correctly that's a limitation related to how Apple implements the VPN. I could remote to home with a commercial VPN but I don't think it's worth the trouble.

+1. I haven't desired or required VPN for a while..l I am either on the Cell tower, or at a friends house that likely could be trusted. Speed vs security becomes the point of no return sometimes. It's all about balance. Lock the ports down, and use VPN when it makes sense. Especially when doing all that bad stuff lol.

[RonBoyd]

Here is a somewhat detailed article on VPNs:

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/be...ign=RSS%20Feed

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The research Why you should trust us Who this is for What you should do before considering a VPN Geoshifting Trusting a VPN Limitations of VPNs How we picked How we tested Our pick: TunnelBear Flaws but not dealbreakers Also great: Mullvad What to look forward to What about HTTPS? What about Tor? What about creating your own VPN? The competition Sources

[candrew]

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Originally Posted by Golden sunsets I learned yesterday that HULU will not allow access to the site, while using a VPM. I am in the US presently, had my new VPN on and a message popped up that I was using a VPN and would have to turn it off to access the site.

I suspect that some VPN services are better at obfuscating their servers from detection than others. We haven't had any issues streaming U.S. content from Hulu, Netflix or Amazon while outside the country using Nord's VPN service. Same with needing a U.K. IP address when streaming BBC content.

[Golden sunsets]

I'm the OP and appreciate the responses thus far. I've learned a lot. This is an update on my own purchase of the Norton VPN purchase last week. I also subscribe to Norton 360 Plus for normal anti virus. This morning I got a pop up offering a free up grade to 360 including free VPN plus other upgrades. I called Norton and they rebated my cost for the service I purchased last week. So at least I have not paid anything extra for this service.

[camfused]

I use OpenVPN, which is served up by my Synology NAS. No cost to run. I use it whenever I am traveling.

[nuisance]

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Originally Posted by The Cosmic Avenger I can't remember if it was Brian Krebs or Rob Pegoraro, but I feel like it was one of those two who wrote the article or blog post I remember from a while ago. But I found a more recent one that sums it up pretty well: https://www.howtogeek.com/178696/why...pted-websites/

That's very insightful, thanks. It sounds like I was technically correct in that HTTPS is fine, but there are other things to worry about that might subvert the use of HTTPS in the first place. So definitely it's safer to use a VPN when using untrusted WiFi.

[GenXguy]

I've managed the Cisco system at work for over 15 years and use it often along with many other staff to access work systems from home.

I also use Torguard VPN / Proxy for misc. internet access some of the time.

[Kroeran]

I am no expert but ExpressVPN will enable access to US stuff from Canada.

Where my Amazon Firestick detects the VPN and refuses, it will work on a laptop.

Every service has a different library in US, Canada and UK, so sometimes I have to go fishing for which country allows the latest season, for example.

You can also tap into condo bundled xfinity streaming up in Canada with a VPN virtually located in Florida.

There is also this analysis which recommends

ExpressVPN
NordVPN
Surfshark

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.vpnr...-policies/amp/

[boatfishandnature]

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Originally Posted by RonBoyd Here is a somewhat detailed article on VPNs: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/be...ign=RSS%20Feed

I have used Tunnel Bear VPN for over a year, primarily when I am using public wi-fi at an airport lounge or hotel. It works well and does not slow access speed too much. None of my three bank sites work if you try to access it through either TunneBear or the Norton VPN, though.

[big-papa]

For my work laptop, we use a Cisco product.
For my personal laptop, I usually don't go anywhere with it unless I'm on vacation. Then I get a 1 month subscription with NordVPN and off I go.

[Jollyquick]

We travel a lot and VPN’s are a necessity if you carry personal/sensitive/financial data on any device that connects to the internet. We’ve had several VPN contracts over the years and have found NordVPN to work the best for us. It also has been able to keep ahead of Netflix and AmazonPrime in terms of allowing unrestricted access to our US accounts while abroad. As an added bonus its routers are fast enough to allow me to continue my online game habit which is a nice bonus!

If you want something cheap and reliable and speed/Netflix isn’t a priority then I recommend ProtonVPN. I think you can still get it for free along with their encrypted mail service (also free) ProtonMail.

[easysurfer]

Here are my stupid questions ...

If using a VPN, is logging in to accounts transparent? Or is there something I need to do?

Isn't one of the advantages of using a VPN setting the location to a different country? But if I log on to say, Amazon or FB or my bank and that appears from a different country, would that cause issues? Or should I stick to the same country to not confuse sites like my bank and Amazon?

[camfused]

The site you are logging into may see a different ip address (it will be provided by the VPN server) that you are coming from than normal. Most sites won't care, but some (especially financial sites) may ask you to authenticate yourself again.

I have my OpenVPN (free) server set up on my Synology NAS, that is behind my router. So, when I connect from another location, it connects to my home IP, so the IP looks the same as normal. This is another advantage, other than it is free, to run your own VPN server.

Some routers also provide a VPN server that works with an Open VPN client. My TP-Link does, and I think at least some Netgear routers do too. No extra hardware needed for a free VPN server!

For a client, I use Tunnelblick on my Macs. There are Windows clients out there too.

[easysurfer]

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Originally Posted by camfused The site you are logging into may see a different ip address (it will be provided by the VPN server) that you are coming from than normal. Most sites won't care, but some (especially financial sites) may ask you to authenticate yourself again. I have my OpenVPN (free) server set up on my Synology NAS, that is behind my router. So, when I connect from another location, it connects to my home IP, so the IP looks the same as normal. This is another advantage, other than it is free, to run your own VPN server. Some routers also provide a VPN server that works with an Open VPN client. My TP-Link does, and I think at least some Netgear routers do too. No extra hardware needed for a free VPN server! For a client, I use Tunnelblick on my Macs. There are Windows clients out there too.

Thanks for the clarification. I haven't jumped in with using a VPN service, but good to know.

[seraphim]

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Originally Posted by Jollyquick We travel a lot and VPN’s are a necessity if you carry personal/sensitive/financial data on any device that connects to the internet. We’ve had several VPN contracts over the years and have found NordVPN to work the best for us. It also has been able to keep ahead of Netflix and AmazonPrime in terms of allowing unrestricted access to our US accounts while abroad. As an added bonus its routers are fast enough to allow me to continue my online game habit which is a nice bonus! If you want something cheap and reliable and speed/Netflix isn’t a priority then I recommend ProtonVPN. I think you can still get it for free along with their encrypted mail service (also free) ProtonMail.

I’ve ProtonMail and VPN. I use the paid VPN service for the faster speed. Use the free encrypted mail server.

[drb391]

skimmed thru a few replies. used to use one - slowed connections too much. also seemed to interfere with sites that I want to remember me. use cable at home, up north. winters and on the road, use hotel or RV park wifi, except when that's slow, or going to sensitive sites, like banking. have mobile BB for that

[explanade]

I went for the Nord VPN deal and use it mainly to access US content from overseas.

Speeds are spotty sometimes.

One thing I notice is that when I use VPN at home, some sites like BoA will not load at all.

[poppydog]

UK poster here. I use ExpressVPN as it has an app that installs on an Amazon Firestick. We travel abroad frequently and this allows to access regular British TV stations. Mrs PD can keep up with her regular programs and this keeps her happy!

[Kroeran]

My Canadian wife can’t wait for British made Masterpiece Theatre to show up in Canada, so I have found ExpressVPN (London server) to work well tapping into free UK streaming. Just binged Sanditon on ITV which is coming to NA PBS in January. Very well done for Downton Abby type fans. If you register with ITV, have a UK postal code handy.