What is a VPN? Virtual Private Networks 101

The easiest way to check whether your VPN is working is by performing a DNS leak check. Turn off the VPN, perform the test, and check your IP. After that, connect to a VPN and do the same test again. If your VPN works, the IP addresses you get should be different.

And if you want a more detailed description, check out this blog post for more ways to see if your VPN is working.

Device compatibility always depends on the VPN provider. Surfshark supports apps and plugins on most computers, mobile devices, smart TVs, and consoles.

No logging means handling user data without keeping any logs or records of their online activity. In short, a no-logs VPN will not collect the following information about your internet activity:

• Your IP address;
• Your network traffic;
• Your browsing history;
• Your bandwidth information;
• Connection timestamps;
• Session information.

The short answer is yes — VPNs are legal in most countries. However, it is still against the law to use a VPN for illegal activities.

Some countries ban VPNs for political and legislative purposes like internet access control and stunting freedom of speech. Yet, most countries do not forbid nor restrict their use.

A VPN browser has a built-in VPN protocol that protects the user’s browser resources. Not everything that is advertised as a VPN browser is one. Some are just privacy browsers.

In some cases, yes. If you’re streaming or downloading something, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) may throttle, i.e., slow down your internet connection. They do this to save on and distribute bandwidth across their internet users. But since a VPN hides your traffic, your internet service provider lacks the information to throttle you.

However, in most other cases, a VPN will not make your connection faster because it adds extra steps to accompany your connection. By default, the prolonged process may slow your connection, but it will hardly be noticeable.

The price of a VPN depends on the provider and the subscription period. Shorter subscriptions tend to be more expensive and are usually in the $12-15/month range. Longer subscriptions are much cheaper, so if you decide to go for a 2-year plan, you can get a premium VPN for as little as $2-4/month.

You can, but you shouldn’t. 

A VPN uses servers to reroute your information. Thousands of these servers are scattered worldwide, costing money to set up and maintain. The same goes for developers and everyone else that works to keep the VPN functioning.

In other words — VPN services are expensive to maintain, so they all have to make money in one way or another. It’s all a question of where the VPN service is getting its funding. Mainly there are three ways to do this:

1. Setting up a subscription;
2. Bombarding the user with ads;
3. Collecting and selling the user’s information.

A “free” VPN often does numbers two and three simultaneously. So, be careful when choosing a VPN service provider!

Yes, a VPN is safe as long as it’s not a free VPN.

When not using a VPN, you are easier to track, the ISP can get your internet browsing history, and you may experience bandwidth throttling. 

Remember, there are more reasons why you should use a VPN.

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and websites can monitor, log, and later sell the information connected to your browsing, e-shopping, and other habits. This data is valuable to ad brokers and service providers because it reveals patterns in your actions, such as likes, hobbies, and interests. They can later use this to make product offers you’re more likely to buy.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. The VPN meaning is related to a secure, encrypted connection to a server or network. While there are several types of VPNs, the most common is a VPN client that users can use to connect to a VPN server without any need for a laborsome, technical setup.