If you don’t know what a virtual private network is, then you should stick around for this article. VPNs are essentially there to protect your identity and IP address while using the internet, and every device including mobile phones should have them. The service does that by connecting you to a secure and private server that is encrypted.
Virtual private networks can be installed on any device that has access to the internet. That includes every desktop PC, mobile phone, tablet, laptop, etc.
This tool is mostly used when needing to connect to a particular network. Not only that, but this tool hides your identity and protects it. But it isn’t only your identity that a VPN protects; it also protects your sensitive data.
In this article, we are going to talk extensively about why you should use a VPN for your mobile phone, and we’ll get into the pros and cons of using this service.
Pros – All-Round Protection
We mentioned that the primary role of this service is to provide all-round protection while surfing the World Wide Web. However, the web is made from far more than simply going on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.
The World Wide Web is essentially a service of the Internet. The internet as a whole is much bigger than what you’d normally expect. For example, another service of the Internet is email. Email is a separate service from the World Wide Web, but can now be easily accessed from it.
So, a VPN will protect you while doing anything on the Internet. That includes browsing webpages, synching emails, exchanging all types of data, your social media platforms, etc.
But with all that said, you still find it hard to grasp what a VPN does. Well, let’s give you a clear example of when this service benefits you.
For example, let’s say you’re browsing the web from an unsecured public Wi-Fi network. You should avoid connecting to public networks because they’re unsafe and breeding grounds for hackers.
Without a VPN, you’re exposing all of your sensitive information such as passwords, credit cards, etc, to hackers.
So, the question of security should be of utmost importance before doing so.
As it turns out, VPNs are built and equipped to deal with security threats by being encrypted services that make hacking a thing of the past.
Cons
A downside to this is that not every provider is honest and sincere with its audience. Namely, some providers actually gather your data for themselves, while hiding it from others. This is a very real problem that users should always be varying off. Virtual private networks might sell you the idea of protection and anonymity, but they might be the ones stealing and collecting data.
Pros – Helps Unlock Restricted Content
Some websites and services restrict their content for certain demographics or by denying access to users from a specific geographical location.
Some of the most popular services and websites that restrict their content are YouTube, The Wall Street Journal, Netflix, Hulu, BBC, Disney, etc.
This means that people from the areas of restriction cannot view or use their services, platforms, or products. While this might sound stupid, they do it mostly to protect themselves. Some of these decisions might even be politically driven, but the fact remains that users from restricted areas have no access.
So, how would a VPN help you with this problem? Well, a VPN provider has servers all around the world; which should be a deciding factor. This means that a provider can essentially allow you to connect to one of their servers through a series of proxies to effectively change your IP address. However, not all the VPNs work good. Luckily there are sites where you can find the best for your needs. You can check CompareMyVPN for more information.
The only way for Netflix, Hulu, BBC, and the rest of the gang to ban users from a specific geographical location is to ban their IP. So, if you happened to live in China (where Netflix isn’t available) all you have to do is simply use a VPN on your mobile phone to effectively unlock and unblock Netflix.
For more useful information with everything VPN related, make sure to visit vpnside.com.
Cons
Another downside to VPN services is that Netflix, Hulu, and everyone else has actually grown smarter and have started building databases of known virtual private networks. While this might sound insignificant to you, they actually use those databases to block the virtual private network protocol and make your VPN ineffective.
Pros – It’s Safe to Send Private Files
We mentioned safety and protection at the start, but one of the reasons why people use such as service is to safely transfer corporate or sensitive files via email. We cannot stress how important it would be for a corporation to safely transfer sensitive data amongst its employees.
While you wouldn’t need a VPN if, at work, you most certainly would need it if you happened to be sent from a remote location. This way, you are effectively preventing any company leaks. You can download it at any time from sites such as Nord VPN.
Cons
The company in question might have a specific service that they use for their mobiles. So, this might not really come off as a con, but you would be limited to using a specific service; which is better than not using at all.
Pros – Better Bandwidth
A somewhat unusual benefit, but using a virtual private network actually increases your bandwidth while streaming videos from your smartphone. However, this is only the case with bonding virtual private networks.
But not only that, but these specific services can also lower the latency for international and business calls. This is a great benefit since it eliminates connectivity issues, buffers videos at a better rate, and allows you to watch and stream at a better quality.
Cons
A clear and obvious con is that not everyone provides has this option as a feature. Select few have this unique and distinct feature, and they should be used whenever the time for it comes.
Regardless of why you would need such a service, it’s important to use it just for the sake of keeping you anonymous and securing your sensitive information. Using VPNs has become something of a norm with businessmen, and people in the IT industry. Since they know first-hand how important safety on the internet is, we recommend you follow in their footsteps as well.
For more information on how VPNs work: https://www.privacyaffairs.com/beginners-guide-to-vpn/.
