Should I Be Using a VPN at Home
A VPN is commonly used in the workplace to protect sensitive data transfers, but lately, it has become a popular choice for home use as well. Too many ill-intended people are looking for ways to stick their nose where it doesn’t belong, and spying on your private connections is what they’re often willing to do. Besides, webmasters wish to track nearly every step you make online, so they can serve laser-targeted ads and optimize their websites for better conversion, all without asking your permission.
To provide a quick answer, you should use a VPN at home and while you’re abroad, as there are numerous benefits to doing so. Now, let’s take a look at the reasons why:
Even connecting to the Wi-Fi network from a coffee shop across the street might be risky
If you don’t want to max out your mobile carrier’s data transfer restrictions, getting all you can out of public Wi-Fi networks seems like a good idea. And it is…as long as you know how to protect yourself against having your sensitive data intercepted. Remember, that some of these networks are unsecured. Generally speaking, logging in to your sensitive accounts (online banking, social media, messaging apps, and so on) is not recommended while you’re accessing the web through a public Wi-Fi network. Unless, of course, you are using a VPN, which puts every bit of data sent to and from your device into an encrypted tunnel, so an unauthorized third party has no way of accessing it.
You can easily access regionally-restricted content through a VPN
Have you tried watching certain Netflix shows online only to find out you’re only allowed to access them in a specific region? It’s not hard for Netflix to know where you’re trying to connect from — examining your IP is all it takes. While you’re behind a VPN, however, there’s no way for them to see your real IP, since they will be looking at the VPN provider’s IP instead. As such, you can trick them into letting you in. When you’re considering which VPN to get, make sure it gives you the option of being able to pick from a wide range of IP addresses and lets you rotate them with ease. By installing it on a router with the VPN passthrough feature (click for more information), you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite content across all your computers and smart devices without having to set up a VPN on every single one of them individually.
Your ISP may be in bed with the government
If you’re worried about nosy neighbors and hackers, you’re on point. But what if there was another enemy lurking in the shadows? That’s right — government surveillance is not to be underestimated by any means. In fact, the US Congress has allowed ISPs to sell the user activity data to anyone who’s interested. Even though the ISPs assure us they’re anonymizing it, it’s hard to know for sure. By using a VPN, it will be much harder for them to trace your online activity back to you.
A VPN can help you make a stand against censorship and oppression
Speaking of which, there’s another way the government can make your life harder — by imposing censorship and preventing you from accessing certain websites. China, for example, prohibits their residents from accessing Facebook. Can you imagine your life without it? Most people no longer can. But if you live in an oppressive country, this can be the reality that you somehow need to learn to deal with. Here’s when a VPN comes in; by using it, you take power from the government’s oppressive measures and put it right back where it belongs — in your hands.
With a VPN, finding the best deals online is easy
Did you know that some online retailers display different prices based on your location? As already mentioned, they can deduce it by looking at your IP, which is revealed when you connect to one of their websites. Flight or ticket prices and even consumables may display different price tags to residents of different countries. If you’re from one of the richer ones, they may be trying to get more money out of you — while such practices might be deemed unethical, it makes sense why they’re doing this. Nevertheless, as a consumer, it’s in your best interest to find the greatest deals possible and avoid their schemes. So get a VPN that allows you to rotate your IP address until you find the lowest prices. Although this might take a while longer, the money you’ll save by doing this is certainly worth the effort.
Conclusion
The reasons mentioned above should be convincing enough to motivate you to start using your VPN at home. To sum it up, a VPN protects your privacy and personal data, allows you to access content that would otherwise be restricted to you, and even lets you save money in certain situations. What’s not to like about that?