VPN - which, why and what for?

TheBigCheese

TheBigCheese

TheBigCheese

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Hi guys

I'm still very much learning about the wonders of the old t'interwebs after just recently being introduced to the absolute wonder of Newsgroups (thanks Dimple!) now I'm setting my sights on something new.

There's two main things I know about VPNs:

They create a secure connection between yourself and for example a remote office machine - which I don't need.

They can protect your privacy and anonymity on an increasing tracked and personalised web - which I am interested in.

I started on the net in the 90s when everything was totally anonymous and adsense ads and all sorts of other tracking makes me uncomfortable so I'm interested in it for those reasons.

So really I'd like to know:

What VPN software do you use?
What do you use it for?
How much do you pay for it?
What would you recommend that's user friendly?
Is there anything else that you can do with it that's handy that I haven't mentioned?

Yes I know I could just read the wiki but I learn far more quickly by using and doing rather than reading so I'm willing to splash a few quid if I can teach myself about it and be a bit more secure online. :)

Thanks!
 
You're paranoid. :)

A VPN is useful when one is on a foreign network to encrypt traffic (public WiFi, etc).
 
OpenVPN is the one I used to use.

Found it useful to tunnel out of a secure network to my home, this allowed me to access anything on the internet as though I was at home with no port restrictions or monitoring, very handy for playing mmo's during a night shift.
I wouldn't advise doing this as most companies would not appreciate it and would most likely get you into trouble.

http://openvpn.net/


Edit: link added.
 
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reccomend "privateinternetaccess" if you are willing to pay a couple of quid a month for a proper unlimited and reliable service.

they even have a program which can automatically to connect you to your preferred sever (in your country) when you log on.

they also have a switch that can kill all internet activity if for some reason your vpn connection goes down.

and if your really concerned about privacy they keep no logs of any kind (unlike some vpn providers).

good article here on which vpns keep logs etc http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-providers-really-take-anonymity-seriously-111007/
 
Thanks very much for the reply!

They do sounds good and that TF article is really interesting.

I've been having a search for Black Friday deals and came up with Hideipvpn , is there any real difference between the services?

Hideipvpn is running a Black Friday deal for 50% off any subscription which makes it $27.49 a year or $2.29 a month.

I don't really understand enough about them to pick the best one.
 
As I understand it, privateinternetaccess are based in the US and there is no requirement to maintain data logs over there, whereas the EU is different.

Bear in mind that your connection speed will reduce slightly, not massively so but it may affect online gaming.

Lifehacker also has some information on VPN's.
 
its up to you mate. i have no expierence on that vpn but if you have good reviews from them. then go for it. check they have a number of severs that you can change between tho as some get clogged.

for example when i use privateinternetaccess I don't always use the 2 servers in the uk (southampton and london) but sometimes, Switzerland, Romania, and other eu countries.
 
Also note that you're referring to VPNs in a very specific application and VPN connections are used in the world of business frequently to secure connections to corporate resources of public WANs. Don't assume that VPNs are only used for piracy/anonymity related activities.
 
https://mullvad.net/en/
Mulvad are good. They have their own software only takes a minute to install. The software can be set so that if the connection is cut ( mullvad (vpn) the interenet is cut off. Cost from Euros 5 a month
Mulvad does NOT keep records therefore is not in a position to hand over any records
 
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Im using hidemyass VPN. When i was searching for the best vpn service, it was always mentioned in review sites and most of the time come out on top. Yes it not cheap as other vpn services but the amount of reviews got me sold.

So far I have it installed on my Win8 laptop, on my wife's macbook pro, on both our ipads and both our iphones and 1 android tablet. (There is no app for the iphone/ipad but it is very easy to manually configure)
 
KIA said:
Much better than trusting a dodgy VPN provider.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly, 100/100Mb connection, 2TB monthly limit and full root access to the server, seems like a no brainer to me.. if you have the knowledge to do so that is.

Can get one for £8.99 per month (£130 for the entire year).

That's including setup and everything.
 
bimmerboii said:
Im using hidemyass VPN. When i was searching for the best vpn service, it was always mentioned in review sites and most of the time come out on top. Yes it not cheap as other vpn services but the amount of reviews got me sold.

So far I have it installed on my Win8 laptop, on my wife's macbook pro, on both our ipads and both our iphones and 1 android tablet. (There is no app for the iphone/ipad but it is very easy to manually configure)
Click to expand...

Hidemyass would pass on your details though if it came to the crunch ...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/26/hidemyass_lulzsec_controversy/
 
Have a pfSense box running a PPTP at home constantly.

I don't like using public/open WiFi for anything important so tunnel it through home for security.

Also use it to RDP onto home network securely.

Only a 20/1 MBit connection but plenty enough for RDP/web browsing etc.
 
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