Suppose you are away on business, and you would like to take advantage of the Wi-Fi networks you find around to play online games, but you are afraid that these are insecure and might allow someone to sneak in to spy on your activities. We cannot blame you; it is a real risk, but we must tell you that, in this regard, there is a quick, simple, effective, and (often) inexpensive solution: VPNs. It certainly won’t be the first time you’ve heard this term, but I want to help you understand a little more about these tools so you can decide if they’re the solution for you.
VPNs are popular tools through which you can both protect your connection and disguise your IP address, thereby bypassing regional blocks imposed by some Internet sites. In even simpler terms, a VPN is a system that acts as a conduit between the user’s computer and the sites (or services) being used, hiding their identity (the connection, via VPN, may appear to be coming from another country) and protecting incoming and outgoing traffic.
Although on the surface, the whole thing may seem complicated to you, I guarantee that this is not so: understanding the techniques involved in VPNs is not difficult, and, above all, using this type of service is far from complex. In the following lines, we will explain everything you need to know about how VPNs work, the mechanisms that characterize them, and how they are secure, reliable, and adaptable to numerous purposes.
Benefit from a faster connection for gaming
As technology has evolved, the graphics of so many games have become so realistic that you almost mistake them for the real thing! Additional features such as multiplayer mode and competitive online games, such as NBA 2K and Madden games, transform the user experience even more! Say you are about to win a game, and suddenly you lose your connection – what a disaster! Imagine, for example, that you’re playing casino games at Bovada or any other gambling platform where you can play slot machines, roulette, poker, or other games of chance. You’re just about to win when the connection goes and the game starts to lag. That can certainly put a dent in a round of live poker, for example. If you’d prefer to enjoy a seamless experience with flawless internet, a VPN could be part of the solution!
Today, more and more gamers are affected by the quality of their Internet connection, with a drop in FPS (frames per second) and very high ping directly affecting their performance in online matches. For this reason, using a VPN network might be beneficial. It lets you connect to less busy server hosts with lower latency, which can create a smoother gaming experience, reduce your ping, and eliminate lag. All sounds good, right?
Connect internationally
For everyone living in 2024, one of the most outstanding advantages of a VPN is the possibility of accessing content that is geographically restricted. Lots of sites will only let you visit them if you happen to live in the right country. However, with a VPN, you can bypass this in a lot of cases, letting you view content that might otherwise be behind a region restriction.
Let’s take sport as our example here. We all know that sports have a huge influence on the lives of a considerable part of the world’s population. Great proof of this is the massive audience at global events such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games. However, some content is only broadcast locally and not made available to other countries in the world.
By using a VPN, you can connect to a server in the country or region covered by the broadcast of a particular event, giving consumers the chance to watch what they want. A good example of this is college sports conference channels like the Big Ten Network, which broadcasts games from any of its universities, such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, etc. Having a VPN allows you to access the content regardless of where you are.
Plus, you’ve got extra security and anonymity at your fingertips. A VPN protects you by redirecting you to a secure network, concealing what you’re doing and preventing your data from being exposed.
Other security options
VPNs aren’t the only tools for offering increased security and anonymity online, of course. They are powerful, but it’s still worth checking out the other options! For starters, we’ve got proxies, which are like cousins to VPNs. We’ve also got tools that are designed to protect your data.
One of the biggest concerns for Internet users today is the danger of having your data shared beyond the websites you register with. With this in mind, some tools provide a specific service that protects your real online identity, called Alternative ID. Among its many benefits, this service is based on maintaining the privacy of your name and email address, minimizing the risk of getting spam emails, and keeping your information out of the hands of data thieves.
In addition, some platforms also offer the Data Breach Alert tool, which is an alert sent to the user that warns them immediately if their data is leaked, speeding up the process so that they can protect themselves virtually.