VPN is short for Virtual Private Network. There's a lot of hype these days about getting a VPN connection and service. Most of this hype is about using a VPN connection from home.
Some of the big names are Nord VPN and Norton VPN.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet connection, ensuring your online activities remain private and secure from your Internet Service Provider and other snoopers. Some of the benefits of using a VPN connection from home:
A VPN connection masks your home IP address, making it difficult for third parties to track your online activities or location.
By routing your internet connection through a VPN server, you can bypass geo-restrictions and access content that may be blocked in your region.
A VPN connection is encrypted from your computer to the Internet. This means your Internet Service Provider cannot see the content coming into your computer.
There may be times you want your home IP number to be visible. Here are several reasons:
Even if WiFi in a coffee-shop or conference venue is encrypted, you may want to additional security by connecting to the Internet as though you are at home.
If you are out of the country, you may not be able to connect to your financial institution with a foreign IP number.
Some workplaces ban connections from foreign IP numbers. By connecting to a home VPN server you will appear at home.
Nearly all databases that allow remote access require that the originating IP number be whitelisted. Connecting to a home VPN server means you only have to list the IP number once -- your home IP number.
Many streaming services are now blocking access from commercial VPN providers and business accounts. By using a home VPN server the streaming service will see you as a home user.
Comcast (Xfinity) TV subscribers provide remote access to the content you pay for -- except content from local TV stations. A home VPN server solves this problem. Real example: Seattle resident with Comcast TV watches any -- including his local TV stations -- from as far away as Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Tried and tested many times.
A good friend went to Ireleand for vacation. This was during the COVID era. He got COVID and could not leave Ireland until tested safe. He had his laptop and was able to work from Ireland, but the Seattle-area business he worked for blocked foreign Internet connections. I gave him acces to my home VPN server and he was good to go in 10 minutes.
A high-end travel agent I know was in the UK and could not connect to her usual travel tools because of a foreign connection. I created an account for her on my home VPN server and she was able to connect and do the business she needed to do.
An attorney who travels likes to keep up on local Seattle-area news. His Comcast TV service would work remotely, except for local channels. I set up a home VPN server for him and he was then able to watch ALL Comcast channels as though he was sitting at home.
My e-guide, "How to Stream ALL Xfinity (Comcast) Channels Away from Home," provides step-by-step instructions with screen shots on how to set up and configure a own home VPN server. Even if you don't have Comcast TV, this e-guide provides the necessary information -- including hardware recommendations and screen shots from the hardware -- to get going for any one of the reasons listed above. This information is based on direct, hands-on experience of setting up many home VPN servers.
You may think this is too geeky for you. Maybe, but it really is much simpler than you might think. Sure, there are details -- and I tell you about those and how to deal with them. And the screen shots from the actual hardware I recommend are included. The hardware is a little bigger than the size of a deck of playing cards and is easily available from Amazon.com.
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I'm Bruce Miller. I have been a multi-decade magazine writer and a multi-decade IT Manager and consultant. You might also also be interested in my other publication on eliminating sales tax from certain purchases: NoMoreSalesTax.com. Or, SlashYourPhoneBill.com.