What is a VPN and why would I use it?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is most commonly used by companies to allow users from several locations to access the main work server but they can be used for many different things.
You could even turn your home PC into a VPN and connect to it from your Notebook while away.
Use as a proxy server is very similar to the home VPN example. Usually you would pay for a premium VPN service. You are given a login or sometimes software and can then connect to the VPN from anywhere you are. The VPN is a Computer/Server somewhere online. When you connect through the VPN you are seen as that computer rather than your own if you were to then go to a website, etc.
There are even HTTPS VPN solutions that allow you to connect to them through a secure connection. Your session with HTTPS is encrypted, giving much better security than a regular HTTP connection.
VPN compared to other Proxy options
A VPN gives you a very good mix of the best features from each of the main ways to use a proxy server.
- You can generally login to the VPN from anywhere without the need for software.
- You can use a secure HTTPS connection which is both more secure and typically has a much better success rate of getting around filters.
- Much fast and more reliable than using proxies.
Unfortunately this is generally only a paid service, though some free services do exist they are usually limited somehow and you’ll really need to go fully paid if you intend to use it fairly often.
Here are some Paid VPN services
We highly recommend strongvpn as a paid option. They have been around for quite a while, user reviews are as good as can be and they offer many packages.
- StrongVPN – http://www.strongvpn.com
It’s difficult to even offer a secondary option to StrongVPN when they are so far ahead of most other services. You can find slightly cheaper services elsewhere but you will certainly get what you pay for.
Some FREE VPN services
Free VPN services are not nearly as good as paid VPN services. Do not be discouraged about what a VPN can do by the example of a free service.
Paid VPN services like the above usually have free trials.
- UltraVPN – https://www.ultravpn.fr/ (If you get a warning it’s because it’s https:// There’s nothing to worry about.)
- ItsHidden – http://itshidden.com/
How to setup your own VPN
If you are more tech savy and would like to create your own VPN you can do so on any machine you like with the right software.
One very good option is OpenVPN which is an opensource solution.
Typically you would install OpenVPN on a VPS Server such as a XEN HVM VPS or other compatible VPS that has TUN/TAP enabled. By doing this you have a remote location VPN Server very similar to how the premium services do things.