Get Secure With NordVPN? Review and Discount

OcUK Systems
OcUK Staff
Joined
16 Nov 2007
Posts
2,986
Location
Stoke-on-Trent
The guys at NordVPN recently contacted me and asked me if I'd like to test their product and write a review for our forums. Having used Nord for the past three years I agreed, safe in the knowledge that I would not be wasting my time.



Online security is a growing concern these days, especially with the abundance of public WiFi hot-spots and phone apps for every part of your life including banking and shopping. If you really sat down and considered how many times your personal data is transmitted through a publicly accessible network it could make even the most trusting person feel a bit paranoid.

When I decided that I needed to start using a VPN I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t do much research. I relied on a quick Google search for the best VPN software and plumped for the one that I’d heard of.

VPN For Dummies
So what is a VPN?
Put simply, it’s portal which you connect to rather than connecting directly to the WIFI or mobile network. A VPN..
- encrypts your data before transmitting anything,
- hides your identity so that hackers cannot access your device,
- prevents your ISP or any other snoopers on the network from seeing what you are accessing.

True privacy for your personal data and browsing history.

Why Nord?
I’d used some other VPN networks in the past and found them to be expensive, complicated, slow and unstable. Definitely not something which I’d be happy to leave running 24/7 on any of my devices. NordVPN was a pleasant surprise on all fronts.

Windows-01.png


User interfaces don’t get much simpler, it’s clean, simple and even the more advanced options are easy to understand. When you load up the application. You can select from a list of over 50 countries if you would like to connect to somewhere specific. Alternatively, you can set it to auto-connect to a specific server, choose to quick connect to the best server based on ping & load or use one of Nord’s special features.

Windows-03.png


Nord offer a double VPN feature, which will connect via two servers, for the extra-paranoid amongst us. Not only is your activity encrypted twice, but, since your IP was hidden by the first server, the second has none of your information.

Dedicated P2P servers are available with military-grade encryption, fast download speeds and no bandwidth limits.

A dedicated IP service is available, which gives you a dedicated static IP for your account. Ideal for access to IP-restricted networks or websites such as Gmail, eBay or PayPal, which will reject your attempt to connect when not using a verified IP.

Finally, Nord VPN also offers an Onion over VPN service. The Onion Router (Tor) is a free, volunteer operated server network, which splits up and sends your data, in bits, to the destination via random relays around the globe so that no single node gets a full picture of your activity. It’s a secure network, but since it’s volunteer run, in theory, any government could deploy thousands of relays to monitor the user traffic and since the data at the final node is unencrypted there is still a slight risk. Using a Nord VPN, your ISP doesn’t even know what you are using the Onion network and your data is encrypted throughout the entire journey through the network.

Enough about the features
What impressed me most is the user experience. Not only is it easy to use but during normal use (i.e. Quick Connect) it’s fast, the impact on ping and bandwidth is miniscule, bordering on immeasurable. Obviously, in double VPN mode it will take a hit but it’s still barely noticeable.

Most importantly for something that is meant to be a background process, it’s stable and unobtrusive. I’ve had it running on my file server for months on end without a single disconnect. How do I know that it’s not just reconnecting regularly? Thanks to a feature called killswitch, which you can set up to close specified applications if the VPN connection should fail. On a mobile platform it will block all internet access.

Overall, I'm very happy with NordVPN and the cost is more than competitive. I'm coming to the end of my original three year subscription and have no reservations about renewing.

For those interested in setting up a VPN service on their devices, NordVPN offer 1 month, 1, 2 or 3 year plans which cover up to six devices simultaneously and carry a 30 day money-back guarantee.

To try NordVPN for yourself please CLICK HERE for a discounted rate
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2010
Posts
21,781
Works fine
in the same vein -

since the economic offers seem to be on a long term contract
Do you get any kind of bandwidth/ping service guarantee ? or, do they/yourself have historic records.
I had a long period of acrimony with virgin media ISP keeping records to prove service was not fit for purpose
 
Associate
Joined
19 Oct 2002
Posts
1,308
Location
Northumberland
Google searches for best UK VPN results in so much bull - It's gonna be some task to weed out any truth from this dribble..

Even this thread OP recommending NordVPN, then post above mine. "Nord would frequently drop connection regardless of which server I was using"

xD
 
Caporegime
Joined
12 Mar 2004
Posts
29,913
Location
England
Yeah, the vpn would apparently stay connected but no traffic would flow and I would have to reconnect. Whereas I never have that problem with ExpressVPN, both using the OpenVPN client.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
7,519
Location
Glasgow
Decent enough speeds when you find good servers and I like Cybersec. However, for some streaming I've had various buffering or dropped connection issues. Whether that's down to the source though (more likely) is another issue. Generally good app support for various devices like Android TV that some seem to miss, though I'd like to see a gui Linux app developed for it too.
 
Caporegime
Joined
12 Mar 2004
Posts
29,913
Location
England
Decent enough speeds when you find good servers and I like Cybersec. However, for some streaming I've had various buffering or dropped connection issues. Whether that's down to the source though (more likely) is another issue. Generally good app support for various devices like Android TV that some seem to miss, though I'd like to see a gui Linux app developed for it too.

Is OpenVPN not available for linux?
 
Caporegime
Joined
12 Mar 2004
Posts
29,913
Location
England
It is, easier to manage the many servers on the client though and you get other features with it. They do have the command line client available.

You can just download the server configuration files and then select the server from a dropdown list in the OpenVPN GUI client.

However running the vpn on the router is generally a better solution than having to deal with clients on every device which can not only be a pain but can also risk software issues which may cause the client to fail and expose traffic.

Assuming you are using a decent router you can change server through the windows/linux command line if desired.
 
Soldato
Joined
10 Jul 2010
Posts
6,277
There's NordVPN odd about this, right? Infosec types concerned over strange app traffic - The Register
Weird things are afoot with NordVPN's app and the traffic it generates - Reg readers have spotted it contacting strange domains in the same way compromised machines talk to botnets' command-and-control servers.

Although NordVPN has told us this is expected behaviour by the app and is intended as a counter-blocking mechanism, the company's explanation has shifted a number of times.
 
Soldato
Joined
30 Dec 2013
Posts
6,280
Location
GPS signal not found. (11)
Back
Top Bottom