8 cool things to do with a VPN

There are a lot of cool things you can do on the internet. Well, depending on your definition of cool things, possibilities are endless. As you probably know, VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It enables you to surf the wild web privately and securely. With its obvious function out of the way, there are many more cool things you can do with a VPN.

Here are 8 of them!

1. Streaminging services

Let us start this one with the coolest. The use of a VPN can significantly improve your streaming experience. You wonder how. Well, you have probably encountered the infamous „this content is blocked in your country“ banner. Especially if you are not located in one of those content-rich countries, such as the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan etc. This is called geo-restricted content. With the use of a VPN, that is no longer your problem. Let the VPNless peasants deal with it. Once you encounter that horrid message, just magically teleport to the country it is not restricted in.

Another cool thing VPN can contribute to with streaming is avoiding ISP throttling, which we will talk about in a second.

2. Avoid ISP tracking and Bandwidth throttling

ISP, or Internet Service Provider, has a lot of your information. One of those is your location. ISPs can use and abuse that information as they please. It is up to you, our hero, to put a stop to it. It’s as easy as saying Virtual Privat Network. Well, it might be easier to say VPN. Since using a VPN masks your location, and a lot of other information, ISP tracking becomes impossible, and they are left empty-handed.

There is another sneaky thing ISPs do, and it’s called bandwidth throttling. Bandwidth throttling is defined as intentionally slowing or speeding an internet service by the Internet Service provider. ISPs have limited server resources, which they have to distribute evenly. This affects your internet speed. Although you probably won’t notice it browsing Facebook, you will notice it while streaming.

3. Staying safe on public WiFi

What is cooler than safety? We say nothing. When you are in public, and there is a WiFi network available, you probably don’t want to use your own precious data. Bear in mind, that with that commodity, some risks can be involved. You are basically hooking your machine up to a network everybody and their grandma can hook up on. This leaves you vulnerable and exposed to threats. Many VPN providers enable public WiFi protection and you should definitely use it. With it, you avoid the risk of getting hacked and spammed.

4. Online shopping

One of the best and worst things the internet has brought us is online shopping. Best because it is so convenient, worst because drunk shopping. Who among us hasn’t bought a nice sweater or two for their guinea pig, after a wild night out (I’m not the only one right?). But with this great achievement of the internet, come some great risks.

Many websites that sell stuff require you to pay for them (sucks, we know). By doing so, you enter very sensitive information regarding your mean of payment. That information is stored and left for taking by some hackers. VPN secures that information and protects you from theft.

VPN also enables you to pay less for flights and hotels. It does that by not storing your browsing data. You can also change your location to a developing low-income country, which lowers the price too.

5. Stay safe while gaming

Maybe you are a very good gamer. So good that people accuse you of cheating. This can bring the wrath of some „sweats“ upon you. They can try to disrupt your network connection by launching DDoS attacks on you. Well, the first thing they need to do such horrid things is your IPS address. One of the most basic functions of a VPN is that it masks your IPS address. You are now safe from a DDoS attack.

6. Private chats stay private!

When chatting privately, we want it to stay that way. Who knows what is in those chats. IPS and skillful hackers can gain access to those chats and expose all your secrets. To avoid the risk of that happening, use VPN.

7. Protect all your devices

You probably have more than one device that is capable of connecting to the internet. We know you love your PC/MAC/Laptop but that is not the only thing you need to protect from the internet. Don’t forget about your phone, tablet, smart watch, smart fridge etc. Many VPN providers have plans that enable you to protect all your devices with one subscription.

8. Download and upload without a worry

The VPN hides all your data and internet activity. This enables you to download and upload stuff without leaving a trace. With the use of a VPN, you can also avoid targeted bandwidth throttling while P2P data exchanged.

To conclude

The amazing internet brings a lot of awesome things. With those awesome things, a lot of risks come, hand in hand. Hackers and data harvesters lurk behind every corner. Stay safe using a VPN. But besides the safety of a VPN, there are many more cool things you can do with it. Like the 8 we shoved you.

Have safe and fun browsing!