Does anyone use a VPN?

[RickLight]

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

I've used Norton for security and other tools for over 3 decades. While they aren't perfect they are a solid choice.

 

[mdwilliams44]

I have worked in infosec for 20 years or so. Honestly I think it's a crap shoot. Some VPN tools work well, others no so much.

I use VPN unlimited. It's part of Monodefense, built in Ukraine. Has worked fine for me for several years, bought a lifetime license.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[cnuech]

Google has a VPN that comes with Google One (basic plan $20/year) because I needed the extra storage for pics, docs, etc. This provides the security you need when using unsecured WiFi in places like coffee shops and campgrounds. I have not noticed any more adds because of using this VPN.

 

[jcschultz01]

Another recommendation for PIA. Malwarebytes might have a similar feature but I have not verified it.

 

[Second Chance]

Google has a VPN that comes with Google One (basic plan $20/year) because I needed the extra storage for pics, docs, etc. This provides the security you need when using unsecured WiFi in places like coffee shops and campgrounds. I have not noticed any more adds because of using this VPN.

The Google One VPN gets two stars on TechRadar. They say it's basically useless and doesn't work for many users. The list of cons in the review is longer than the list of pros. I have a Google One account for the storage, but have never bothered with their VPN since others are far better.

Rob

 

[Steve & Katey]

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

What concerns do you have about traveling and using internet that are leading you to research using a VPN?

 

[kiejoe]

Been using ProtoVPN for years. It’s very good.

 

[Soundsailor]

The Google One VPN gets two stars on TechRadar. They say it's basically useless and doesn't work for many users. The list of cons in the review is longer than the list of pros. I have a Google One account for the storage, but have never bothered with their VPN since others are far better.

Rob

Guess I'm one of those users for whom it worked well. I only used it to protect me when I was using public wifi. As the review says, it doesn't have much additional functionality. It did the job of protecting my cell phone though. Since I already had Google One it seemed like a no-brainer to me.

 

[BoredWeasel]

I use Norton which came as part of the LifeLock package. no complaints other than YouTube tv keeps wanting to move my location to which ever server I am using

 

[uwskier]

Do you have a "home base" or are you fulltimers? I have gigabit fiber to the house, so I use that to bounce all my traffic off my home, regardless of where we are. For that, I use Tailscale. It's super easy to set up and you can run a system on your home network to use as your "exit node." Basically, it ensures anything you do is encrypted from your device back to your home, then it goes out to the internet from there as if you were sitting on your home network.

It uses Wireguard instead of the outdated OpenVPN base. Much faster and more secure.

 

[ajg617]

Facebook/Meta's VPN client seems to do a bit more than advertised. If you have it installed on IOS or Android, you may want to read this article. Why it is just now coming out after 8 years that Meta has been decrypting Snapchat (and later Amazon and Youtube) is a bit of a mystery.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/26/facebook-secret-project-snooped-snapchat-user-traffic/

 

[SGT ROC]

Facebook/Meta's VPN client seems to do a bit more than advertised. If you have it installed on IOS or Android, you may want to read this article. Why it is just now coming out after 8 years that Meta has been decrypting Snapchat (and later Amazon and Youtube) is a bit of a mystery.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/26/facebook-secret-project-snooped-snapchat-user-traffic/

Imagine that.... A social media company snooping on the public. The only social media I use is this forum.

 

[ajg617]

Imagine that.... A social media company snooping on the public. The only social media I use is this forum.

Might border on being illegal both federally and within all party states. Sound advice to not use these platforms.

 

[Soundsailor]

Do you have a "home base" or are you fulltimers? I have gigabit fiber to the house, so I use that to bounce all my traffic off my home, regardless of where we are. For that, I use Tailscale. It's super easy to set up and you can run a system on your home network to use as your "exit node." Basically, it ensures anything you do is encrypted from your device back to your home, then it goes out to the internet from there as if you were sitting on your home network.

It uses Wireguard instead of the outdated OpenVPN base. Much faster and more secure.

Just wanted to thank Matt for this post. I've tried Tailscale and it looks like a winner to me. Free for personal use, solid encryption, and a robust feature set are just a few of the reasons it checks many boxes for me. I especially like the feature where you can designate your home IP address as being the address services see when you route your traffic through the VPN.

 

[uwskier]

Just wanted to thank Matt for this post. I've tried Tailscale and it looks like a winner to me. Free for personal use, solid encryption, and a robust feature set are just a few of the reasons it checks many boxes for me. I especially like the feature where you can designate your home IP address as being the address services see when you route your traffic through the VPN.

Yeah, Tailscale is great.

Pro tip: some of the cloud vendors like Oracle or Microsoft will give you a free compute instance (virtual server in the cloud) if you sign up for an account. If you spin up one of these and install Tailscale on that, you have a backup "exit node" you can use if your primary site (home internet) is offline or down. It's also good for geographically-restricted content. Like, say you moved to Arizona from Wisconsin but still like to stream the Packers games... not that I know anyone who does such a thing...

 

[Soundsailor]

Pro tip: some of the cloud vendors like Oracle or Microsoft will give you a free compute instance (virtual server in the cloud) if you sign up for an account. If you spin up one of these and install Tailscale on that, you have a backup "exit node" you can use if your primary site (home internet) is offline or down.

Thanks for the tip. I chose to use Google Cloud Services which offers a free VM. The machine I set up had Debian Linux, so be sure you're comfortable with the command line if you go this route. It was pretty easy to set up Tailscale, I'm happy to have a backup exit node.