Does anyone use a VPN?

[JodyTG]

Since I'll be traveling and using internet, I'm looking for actual suggestions.

I had Nord for about a day and canceled due to all the new popups I was getting from sites I've never visited.

Does anyone use a VPN and do you recommend it?

Thank you,
Jo

 

[Dick Noble]

I did for a while but did not see any advantage.

 

[trailrydr]

Yes.... Private Internet Access (PIA). Fairly reasonable subscription price and does provide .opvn files that can be added to your router for specific regions, countries and states. They also offer several encryption protocols to choose from for data packet security.

Also, dont get any pop-up adds, but do run into a few websites (like Prime) that dont like it on when playing movies or accessing and will request you turn it off - they love collecting your data!. We bypass vpn on our router for our Dish Hopper3 and stream Prime out of it at home and camping.

 

[alias100]

I have been using PIA for a few years now and it has always worked fine for me.

 

[TenOCPlus]

Try WindScribe Free 5 --- or 15 Gb per month if you mention them on Facebook (?). I have multiply email account so can get up to 45Gb per month. NO popups or other advertisement.

 

[JodyTG]

I'm going to try out Surt Shark for a few weeks.

 

[WhittleBurner]

As a moderator here We sometimes have to check IPs and can tell you some VPN come up as high risk for abuse, those that do are usually often used by scammers and spammers . So whichever you use you may want to try and research or even do an IP check on yourself using a VPN to see how it comes up (google how to) .

 

[Second Chance]

Thread moved to Mobile Tech: Connectivity On The Road.

We use a VPN (NordVPN) for travel - especially overseas. When at home, our JetPack and Comcast broadband are secure enough I don't feel we need a VPN. As Marcy said above, a VPN can cause some issues - especially if trying to log into a government web site.

Rob

 

[ajg617]

I've never trusted any commercial VPNs enough to use them - you are routing your traffic through private company VPN servers and some of those companies have had a history of distributing malware in the past and possess a less than stellar reputation. There's a reason most commercial VPN companies are homed in countries outside of the U.S.

 

[Rabbit]

I’ve used PIA for several years. I periodically look at its reviews and search the internet for problems it might develop and continue to have faith in it. It does well on both counts. But do your own research on ANY VPN you consider as scammers are increasingly finding ways to breach some. In fact some merchants and businesses websites might not work with any VPN because they can’t trust they 100%.

 

[SGT ROC]

When I use it, I use Nortons version, since it is with my anti-virus package.

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

I have been using cyber ghost for over two years now. Trouble free and ad free. No problem in recommending them.
I find it interesting using a vpn while searching news and switching server country. The news changes. Not necessarily the broad story...but interpretation and relative import.
South of the border you may heard how the gov't up here is trying to regulate the news/youtube/google/podcasts.....a vpn is becoming very important so you can learn the facts and make up your own mind.

 

[wudwork]

I use ExpressVPN, sometimes. I favor this one as it allows me to choose WHERE my web traffic will originate from. It started for me because of sporting events black-out for locals. Ex: NY Yankees are blacked out in NY metro area. Using ExpressVPN, I choose my WHERE location to be outside of NY metro so I choose a site in Colorado, Arizona, Greece, Germany etc.. There must be a few dozen places that ExpressVPN will send traffic thru. With that said, the overhead of passing thru a VPN will slow down your connection. You would not notice on a cable/fios/starlink etc. but on a cell data, it might be noticable. Also, as mentioned above, getting to some gov't sites is a challenge if going thru a VPN. Lastly, some sites will check where you are FROM and might restrict based on geography. Thats what I mean by "sometimes".

 

[trailrydr]

......The news changes. Not necessarily the broad story...but interpretation and relative import.
South of the border you may heard how the gov't up here is trying to regulate the news/youtube/google/podcasts.....a vpn is becoming very important so you can learn the facts and make up your own mind.

If thats the case... then Foxnews, CNN, MSNBC, Newsmax .... will be creating their own VPN services.

 

[Soundsailor]

Google has a VPN that comes with their Google One service: tiered pricing starting at $2 per month.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Okay, VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, right? That middle word and Google just seem pretty much at odds. I don't use one, but I rarely do anything that would require one.

 

[Timmer]

A VPN is most advantageous when going directly from site to site. An example would be a remote work laptop using VPN to get to your work's servers for direct data access back and forth. A general VPN provider doesn't house the Google servers, Amazon servers, the MyGrandRV servers, etc. so you still ultimately will pass traffic on the public internet without the VPN security. They do most often have added security for the data going back and forth between you and them, such as further filtering for malware, masking your IP address so someone can't try to connect directly to your local network or computer, and other functionality. From my perspective, it is sort of like having an armed escort with your for the first half of your travel route but not all of it. As such, I don't spend my money on it. I spend money on those extra security functions that the VPN provider may provide.

 

[Soundsailor]

A VPN is an important safety tool when using public wifi. Unfortunately, it is fairly easy for a hacker to observe what you're sending since public wifi is unencrypted. A VPN such as Google One's, provides the encryption needed to keep your data safe when using public wifi.

 

[Michigan_Dreaming]

We use express VPN on our phones and Mac. I’m almost to the point of wondering whether it’s worth its while. ExpressVPN needs to be turned off for some apps (on the phone). Blink cameras don’t like it, pairing WiFi light bulbs don’t like it, DocuSign program doesn’t like it….I,m sure there others I can’t recall right now. Basically anytime something doesn’t work, I turn off the VPN and that usually solves the issue. In the positive side, I rarely get scam emails or pop ups while using the computer.

Bottom line is I like trying to be anonymous whenever possible.

$99/yr

 

[ajg617]

We use express VPN on our phones and Mac. I’m almost to the point of wondering whether it’s worth its while.

If you own a mobile phone, your PII is probably already on the dark web including the ESN and number of your phone - and that connection occurs long before any VPN use. You can thank T-Mobile twice, Verizon at least once, and AT&T once (but who's counting). All three suffered breaches in 2023.