What is a VPN?
A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. It allows you to access the internet with more security and privacy, while also giving you the ability to get around censorship or content restrictions. In this guide we will discuss the following VPN terms:
- VPN client — Software that connects your computer/device to a VPN service. The terms ‘VPN client’ and ‘VPN app’ are used interchangeably.
- VPN protocol — A VPN protocol is basically a method by which a device creates a secured connection to a VPN server.
- VPN server — A single endpoint in a VPN network to which you can connect and encrypt your internet traffic.
- VPN service — For our purposes here, a VPN service is an entity that provides you with the ability to use their VPN network — they usually also provide VPN software, but not always. Access is usually sold via a subscription. The terms ‘VPN service’ and ‘VPN provider’ are used interchangeably.
Now we will get into the basics of how a VPN actually works.
How a VPN works
A VPN works by creating an encrypted connection between your computer/device and a VPN server. Think of this encrypted connection as a protected “tunnel” through which you can access everything online, while appearing to be in the location of the VPN server you are connected to. This gives you a high level online anonymity, provides you with added security, and allows you to access the entire internet without restrictions.
These days, you can find a VPN service for just about any purpose. While some are focused on unblocking popular streaming websites, others set online privacy as their primary goal. And of course, almost all of them promise to bring incredible speeds, without any throttling. However, in many cases, this isn’t what you can expect in practice — which is something you can only get to know after reading a hands-on review.
VPN performance and speed
When you’re using a VPN, a lot is going on behind the scenes. Your computer is encrypting and decrypting packets of data, which is being routed through a remote VPN server. All of this takes more time and energy, which will ultimately affect your internet speed.
To ensure the fastest speed while using a VPN, it’s best to connect to the closest VPN server that fits your needs. For example, if you’re in the UK and want to watch blocked videos that are available to people in the United States, choosing a VPN server in New York is better than a Los Angeles server.
A good VPN service should not affect your internet speed considerably. On the other hand, some of the lower-quality VPN services may significantly decrease your internet speed. This is often the case when their servers are overloaded with users.
Which VPN is best for you?
Many people are wondering ‘what is the best VPN service’. The truth is that choosing a VPN is a very subjective process and there is no single one-size-fits-all “best VPN” for everyone.
Ultimately, finding the best VPN all boils down to your own unique needs and use cases for the service. Some people may want an offshore VPN with the highest encryption standards and advanced privacy features. Others may want a secure and user-friendly VPN that works great with Netflix and torrenting.
Here are a few questions to get you started in your search for the best VPN:
- How much privacy and security do you need (threat model)?
- On what devices will you be using the VPN and does the provider offer support for these?
- What will you be using the VPN for and does the VPN support those use cases? For example: torrenting, streaming Netflix, Kodi, etc.
There are many other factors to consider, such as jurisdiction and also logging policies, but this is a start.
Best cheap VPN in 2021
Fastest VPN is one of the cheapest vpn service provider when it charges 3 years billed just $1.11per month.Because of its cheap long-term plans, one could invest in it if the basic need is just to encrypt the data and utilize geo-restricted websites.
FastestVPN has entered the global VPN market with numerous promises. Among those, perhaps the most prominent one is the promise of bringing the ‘speediest VPN connection’. This is something that has triggered our attention immediately, as throttling is often the weakest aspect of any VPN. So, could FastestVPN be the Holy Grail of VPN services? Well, let’s find out. Welcome to our review of FastestVPN!
Visit Website: Official Website
Pros:
FastestVPN Review 2021
- It provides “Kill Switch” option that works efficiently, which saves the user from any data leakage by stopping all the internet traffic if the VPN goes down unexpectedly.
- Four different protocols are available, and it also allows the user to switch between UDP and TCP protocol. This helps the user to maintain a balance between speed and security according to the requirements.
- The servers can be sorted in the Alphabetic order. They also provide the option of favorite server list.
- The annual plan is comparatively cheaper than the plans that many other VPN providers offer.
- It allows five simultaneous connections from one account which includes desktops, mobile devices, and routers.
- Customer support includes live chat support which provides instant replies.
- A seven-day money-back guarantee is available by which a user could judge the application before making the purchase.
- FastestVPN has P2P optimized servers, and by using them, one can take advantage of efficient file sharing.
- Inbuild NAT Firewall is provided which doesn’t allow entry of unrecognized and unwanted data packets to your system.
- It doesn’t rely on Third-Party DNS servers as it has own DNS servers.
- According to their privacy policy, it doesn’t keep any logs, and not even keep any track of bandwidth usage.
Cons:
- Because of the name of the VPN provider: “FastestVPN,” one would securely assume that it would provide a higher speed in comparison of other providers. However, the speed is acceptable at this cheapest price but requires improvement.
- It may disconnect your internet sometimes while you turn OFF the VPN application. Although this is because of Kill Switch feature offered by the app and present in many other apps to prevent accidental data leakage.
Visit Website: Official Website
Overview:
The Cayman Islands is located in the central part of the Caribbean Sea. That’s where the Fast Technologies headquarter is located.
Fast Technologies owns the FastestVPN service and comes under Cayman Islands’ jurisdiction which is out of “Fourteen Eyes.” However, it is a British overseas territory, and somewhat control of Britain could be expected which makes the security vulnerable.
Talking about security, the application has provided features to safeguard the user, and we have also reviewed the privacy policy to see if it efficiently safeguards the user’s privacy or not.
The name of the VPN service suggests a high speed, and so its analysis is also essential to explore the capability of the application regarding speed.
As the VPN service was launched just in the year 2017, it is still in the development phase. Till now they have published six versions for Windows, four for Android, and two for iOS. This shows the continuous efforts for the development of the application.
With this review, you would know if these developments make the FastestVPN worthy or not. You will also know about the facilities they provide, and about the features that are absent & required the most.
Easy to Install:
As soon as you download the FastestVPN setup for your respective operating system, you can install it by double clicking the setup.
The FastestVPN’s InstallShield Wizard Window will appear which doesn’t provide any information except the warning that copyright laws and international treaties protect the application. Just click next and license agreement will appear.
It’s always important to read the agreement as it saves one from legal vulnerabilities. Just click on the radio button to accept the license agreement terms.
“Ready to Install” window appears which gives information about the setup type and the file destination.
The installation will start, and finish within a few minutes.
Click finish, and the next window would be the login page.
Visit Website: Official Website
Server Locations:
In just one year they have placed the servers in twenty-two countries. Although it’s a small number, it could be expected that the number of countries would increase significantly if they move forward with the same pace.
In these twenty-two countries, the total number of server locations are twenty-eight having a hundred IPs in total. That number isn’t great, but if it increases with time, it will render a better experience to users.
Right now, out of twenty-two countries:
- Two are located in North America.
- Fourteen are located in Europe.
- Five are located in Asia.
- One is located in Australia.
According to the present server locations, it could be commented that more servers are required in North America if the provider wishes to build a good user base there. At present, even if the user base increases, there would be very few server locations to handle all the users.
In the case of Europe, this issue won’t appear as it has servers in fourteen countries. These fourteen countries are smartly selected because of which all the European region is covered easily.
When one talks about Asia, which has a huge number of potential VPN buyers, the Fast Technologies is already concentrating on building a user base there.
FastestVPN has placed its servers in the countries located around China: India, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Russia. This is beneficial for Chinese users as if one server doesn’t work or gets blocked, they can connect with another. It won’t affect the speed much as the geographical distance won’t change significantly.
Security
AES 256-bit key encryption is the standard requirement that one VPN service must provide. Fast Technologies offer it in all the clients, and so, if the data breaching is concerned, there are very few chances that your data is going to get leaked.
If we have a look at the other aspects from where breaching could occur, they have provided enough features to safeguard the privacy.
The Internet kill switch is one of the essential features for avoiding data leakage during VPN malfunction or when the connection gets disturbed.
With the availability of Inbuild NAT firewall, the data which is not required or the one that tries to enter without permission is avoided efficiently.
Also, the company has its own primary and secondary DNS servers with the addresses 10.8.8.8 and 10.9.9.9 respectively. There is no third-party involvement, but you are allowed to setup third-party DNS also which we don’t recommend. Because they claim that they do not log any of our online activities, DNS requests are also expected not to be logged.
According to the website, they even have an anti-malware which works in the background. However, its ability to block the malware could only be recognized with time.
Overall, the tunnel through which the encrypted data passes is safeguarded from all the possible aspects.
User Interface and User Experience
“Easy to connect, easy to explore and easy to use”
FastestVPN’s user interface is so simplified that anyone with the basic knowledge about the virtual private network and VPN clients can utilize it.
However, when it comes to user experience, many things need to be improved, and the first among all is the server sorting option. Right now, servers can only be sorted according to Alphabetic order. However, as they claim that they provide P2P servers also, they could provide a separate list for P2P optimized servers. At least, sorting according to internet speed should be very helpful for connecting with an efficient server. However, one must know that P2P servers are not available for some of the countries.
Platforms
Clients for mainstream operating systems such as:
- Windows
- Android
- iOS
- MacOS
can be directly downloaded from the website.
However, as they focus more on Windows users, six versions of Windows Client have been launched but for MacOS, only one. So, the efficiency of the application differs according to the operating system.
FastestVPN also offers router configuration which is tested for fourteen different routers. They allow five simultaneous connections so, one could use one connection for the router, and keep other four connections for the devices which one needs to take away from the router range.
You can also install the setup for:
- Apple TV
- PS3/PS4
- Synology NAS
- OpenELEC Kodi
- Roku
- PfSense
Setup for Chromebook is available, but only with L2TP protocol which isn’t highly secure, and thus, not recommended.
Customer Support
There are four different ways by which they offer support to their customers:
- Tutorials
- FAQs
- Live chat support
- E-mail support
“Tutorials” offers a detailed description about setting up setups for different operating systems having different protocols. One can also find the router configuration for different routers on this page.
“FAQs” isn’t a long list here, and only a few questions regarding VPN basics and about FastestVPN client are provided. Also, some of the answers are linked to various pages present over the FastestVPN website.
But, one would never or only on rare occasions will need to contact them through e-mail. There are very few VPN providers who deliver fast live chat support, and FastestVPN is one of them. While having a conversation with them, one can expect instant and relevant answers. They are also courteous and focused on solving the issue.
Conclusion
FastestVPN, although it’s not the fastest regarding speed, is one of the fastest growing VPN services. They have achieved significant growth by establishing servers all over the world and providing clients for various platforms.
Because of its cheap long-term plans, one could invest in it if the basic need is just to encrypt the data and utilize geo-restricted websites.
