Get Secure With NordVPN? Review and Discount

Associate
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21 Jul 2005
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New York
I got this a couple of months ago mainly to get round some stupid geo locking. Mobile app is fine but I do notice a very slight delay on some sites.
 
Associate
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11 Jul 2011
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754
Setup a fire and forget raspberry pi hook it up to your network (mines powered by usb from router) Install a VPN of your choice long as its working with whichever distro you choose. On top of that install Pihole which is works as a advert blocker by polling DNS matches against a database and blocking that traffic every reaching you! Managing applications is tiresome if you have more than a couple.
 
Associate
Joined
21 Jan 2019
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11
I think Nord is pretty good as far as vpns go. It's compatible with the devices that I use and it reliably gets around restrictions, blocks or whatever. Speed is alright, barely notice any kind of slowing down. Not perfect of course but I seriously doubt that anything is these days. As long as it encrypts my traffic when I'm doing questionable things it's good enough for me.
 
Associate
Joined
1 May 2019
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253
I use a second browser with Nord's extension permanently active on it and then use their proxy server address in qBitTorrent. It means I don't have to route all my normal traffic through the VPN and I avoid all those "did you log in from the Netherlands" type security messages.

It's been working really well for me, and lots of help on their website to set the VPN up with different devices and apps. I prefer it over AirVPN and PIA which I've used in the past.
 
Caporegime
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12 Mar 2004
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29,913
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England
I use a second browser with Nord's extension permanently active on it and then use their proxy server address in qBitTorrent. It means I don't have to route all my normal traffic through the VPN and I avoid all those "did you log in from the Netherlands" type security messages.

It's been working really well for me, and lots of help on their website to set the VPN up with different devices and apps. I prefer it over AirVPN and PIA which I've used in the past.

You can set which traffic goes through which interface in Windows to avoid such messages, however I still maintain that setting the VPN up on the router is the better solution.
 
Soldato
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12 Feb 2014
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Somewhere Only We Know
I use PrivateVPN, they have the best monthly rates ive seen for any VPN yet, £5 per month if paying monthly, upto 6 devices protected, I have it installed on 2 mobile phones, my main PC, Laptop and Amazon Fire stick, and if you're using Windows 10 you dont have to use their app, they supply you with instructions on how to set it up as an internet connection, a simple script makes sure it starts up everytime you start windows, on a 350 meg Virgin broadband connection, this is what I get:

 
Caporegime
Joined
8 Nov 2008
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29,011
I keep seeing the recommendation for Nord on Hardware Unboxed and JayzTwoCents. I've never used one before but think I will do some more homework before I commit as I know so little about this sort of thing.
 
Capodecina
Soldato
Joined
30 Jul 2006
Posts
12,129
. . .
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.
. . .
I can't say that I am convinced about the "Hides your identity" or "Prevents your ISP or any other snoopers on the network from seeing what you are accessing" arguments - surely NordVPN (whoever they are presently or will become?) still has access to your traffic.

However, with 2FA that isn't really a significant concern (to me at least) where banking or online purchasing are concerned. However, I can see some potential benefit in terms of accessing US material :)

I notice that today they have a limited time offer of £2.82 per month for a three year plan (LINK) - might be worth a punt?
 
Soldato
Joined
11 Jan 2016
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2,565
Location
Surrey
Anyone got a VPN that works well on a gigabit connection? Some of those speed tests from you guys are quite encouraging. I'm with purevpn and the 400Mbps over WiFi turns into 270Mbps from a UK server so I lose a decent amount of total throughput.
 
Caporegime
Joined
12 Mar 2004
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29,913
Location
England
I can't say that I am convinced about the "Hides your identity" or "Prevents your ISP or any other snoopers on the network from seeing what you are accessing" arguments - surely NordVPN (whoever they are presently or will become?) still has access to your traffic.

However, with 2FA that isn't really a significant concern (to me at least) where banking or online purchasing are concerned. However, I can see some potential benefit in terms of accessing US material :)

I notice that today they have a limited time offer of £2.82 per month for a three year plan (LINK) - might be worth a punt?

Yeah they have access to your traffic, it is about whether you trust the service provider not to keep logs etc.

However a VPN is really best suited to avoiding mass surveillance rather than targeted surveillance.
 
Associate
Joined
29 Oct 2019
Posts
1,002
Anyone got a VPN that works well on a gigabit connection? Some of those speed tests from you guys are quite encouraging. I'm with purevpn and the 400Mbps over WiFi turns into 270Mbps from a UK server so I lose a decent amount of total throughput.
Any VPN using OpenVPN will likely be limited by CPU as it isn't multi-threaded. Mullvad have wireguard support for Linux and Android, and are planning to support it in their Windows application soon. I've been using Mullvad for years and they always have great speed and reliability.
 
Soldato
Joined
11 Jan 2016
Posts
2,565
Location
Surrey
Any VPN using OpenVPN will likely be limited by CPU as it isn't multi-threaded. Mullvad have wireguard support for Linux and Android, and are planning to support it in their Windows application soon. I've been using Mullvad for years and they always have great speed and reliability.

Thanks I will look into it
 
Joined
10 May 2004
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12,826
Location
Sunny Stafford
I've been with Nord since January 2019, so a full year now. Make sure you use Quidco to get 50% cashback. I had a 3-year deal for £90, then after it was tracked, I got £45 back. So £15/year from Jan 2019 until Jan 2022.

If you have a Raspberry Pi, you can beef up your security even more by turning it into a Pi-Hole (a bit of command line Linux needed). Then in Nord VPN's advanced settings, make sure that DHCP is set to custom and then enter in the IP address of your Pi. The 2 will work together nicely.
 
Associate
Joined
14 Jan 2020
Posts
50
I was looking into Nord as many of the tech YouTubers have all recommended it but they got hacked. This is a shame as currently, they are offering 70% off at only £2.68 pm which is a great deal if you could trust the service. But Nord being hacked aside, there is a disturbing trend that is taking place where most of the VPN companies are being bought up by the same company/group of companies. Real privacy is not easy to come by today.
 
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