By Don Trauger – Kennett
Published July 2022 in the Guide and Digest
You may have seen a TV ad for NordVPN and wondered what it is all about. What is a VPN and do I really need another computer add-on? Doesn’t my antivirus protect me against all kinds of malware?
First, a VPN service safeguards your identity, location, and activities online. It performs this operation by encrypting your Internet connection between your computer and your website destination. When you connect to your desired website your Internet connection is decrypted so you can view the website normally. With a VPN, you connect to a private server first, which scrambles your data and makes it far more difficult for third parties to track what you are doing online. A VPN is incredibly useful for increasing security when you use a public Internet service at an airport or a hotel where the Internet service is provided to all including hackers. It is highly recommended when using a banking website. I recommend you consider including a VPN for added security.
An anti-virus program can only manage unwanted intrusions coming into or leaving your computer. It cannot control or protect you once your data has left your computer or on its journey back from a website. A VPN protects you both ways on the Internet journey.
VPN’s carry a typical monthly charge between $4 and $10 a month. However, top line anti-virus programs may include a VPN free of additional charges. I have Bitdefender Total Security anti-virus and they include a free VPN app. Setup was quite simple. Overall, I have been satisfied with its performance so I can recommend both Bitdefender anti-virus and its VPN app.
However, not all was perfect. VPN’s have a downside, not in regard to security, but in connection speed. This can complicate an Internet connection if your home’s wireless signal (WiFi) strength is weak. A computer that is wired to the Verizon router should be able to manage a wired connection with no problems. If you want to check your home’s WiFi speed, download the free Ookla speed test app for Windows at: Speedtest for Windows: Internet speed test for Windows. A MAC version is also available at: Speedtest for Mac: Internet speed test for MacOS
Verizon’s top available speeds are 150 Mbps for both upload and download speeds. I have experienced a 50% decline in speed to around 75 Mbps when using VPN. This decline will not affect any operational conditions including watching streaming video. However, if your basic Verizon speed is less than 75 Mbps, it could affect streaming video along with a temporary VPN speed reduction. Normal website viewing should be fine. A long distance from the router to your computer is the prime factor in reduced Verizon speeds because maintaining connection stability comes first. That requires the Verizon router to reduce connection speed. On the plus side, using Bitdefender’s VPN, normal speeds are achieved better than 90% of the time. The VPN speed reduction is normal for all VPN’s and comes from high use by other users.
You can separately add a VPN app to your computer. NordVPN and ExpressVPN are two recommended ones. Just Google “Review VPNs.”