VPN Services

The Internet is cool place to be. You can connect on a casual level – watch videos, peruse Facebook, FaceTime folks. You can dive deeper – code a site, build out an e-commerce platform, etc. But doing both requires a connection. And not all connections are secure. That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) comes into play.

Originally conceived as a way for companies to connect securely and for employees to connect from home, the VPN's practical application has exploded. A VPN connects your computer (or tablet, smartphone, etc.) to a second computer. The second computer is a server, and this lets you navigate the Internet using the server's (second computer) connection. So instead of navigating using your computer, you are using another, secure one. The beauty of the VPN is you could be in Portugal, the server could be in Chile, so when you navigate, it appears you are based physically in Chile.

The reason this is so popular is many countries place restrictions on content (websites, streaming video, etc.). With a VPN, you can bypass these restrictions and browse to your heart's content. Second, VPNs are great because these days, untrustworthy Wifi hotspots are rampant. What might appear secure at your local coffee shop could come back to bite you. Logging on to quickly pay a bill via your bank account is a definite no-no.

In the beginning, there were only a handful of VPNs. It was understandable. After all, the technology was new, and not many outside the business world knew they existed. Now, however, nearly everyone is on board. The first step before settling on a VPN is figuring out what you need it to do. For example, if you're a business traveler, you'll need a service that provides the local resources you regularly call upon while on the road. You can also opt to access your home network on the way as well.

Additionally, you might want to hide your browsing activity from the local ISP. This is helpful if you're on a public Wifi connection like we mentioned earlier. If you've got a VPN, the local network won't be able to see your browsing activity, only the VPN connection (a secure one at that).

The top three VPN services on the market are ExpressVPN, Tunnelbear, and StrongVPN. ExpressVPN receives rave reviews in terms of ease-of-use, streaming media, and torrenting support. But best yet, it's quite cheap (compared to the others). Tunnelbear is a good VPN if you're frequently hitting the coffee shop Wifi. Not great for streaming media or torrenting, there is a free tier with Tunnelbear, although it's limited. Lastly, StrongVPN. As its name suggests, this VPN is indeed strong, especially reliable in streaming media and torrenting. Lots of VPN users navigate to StrongVPN for these services alone. They support this well, but StrongVPN's significant disadvantage (that many point to) is it's not very easy to use.

You know your situation better than us. If you are doing a lot online in multiple places, a VPN is your best bet. The costs have been dropping, so don't use price as an excuse not to stay protected. Check one out today!