Virtual Private Network, or VPN, can be a very useful tool when you are surfing the Internet. With the greatest awareness about the need to keep your personal information and insurance data online, its popularity has grown exponentially in recent years. Through the use of a VPN your Internet business is encrypted, protecting you from hijackers or nosy. In addition to data security, there are a wide variety of reasons why people use VPN services – it can be securely accessing an internal intranet for work or school, to be able to watch TV shows when everything is foreign or to avoid internet censorship.
Reliability and speed
One of the key aspects of a VPN that you should consider is how reliable the service is. You do not want to end up with a VPN service that cuts steadily or is down most of the time because you have not done your research. Be sure to read the reviews, especially the reviews from trusted sites or the Web as this can give you a good idea of how good the service is.
Prices and bandwidth
Price may or may not be an important consideration depending on your budget. Fortunately this is an area that many providers will compete with each other. As there are so many VPN services, everyone wants to stand out from the crowd to be the cheapest and the best. Be clear about what you plan to spend on the service – do not sign a service for six months without trying it first. Most providers will allow you to pay the penalty of a month as a test. See also Hammer VPN.
Security & support
If security is a major concern for you then you may want to look at what protocols use different providers. PPTP will be suitable for streaming media or simply browsing the net, but for those with the highest security requirements, L2TP, IPSec or SSL may be more appropriate.
Richard Wright is a blogger with a passion for technology who has been writing about the latest in the world of gadgets and gizmos. They are an avid reader of Science-Fiction novels and love to spend time with their wife and kids.
