A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, such as the Internet. It enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. Applications running across the VPN may therefore benefit from the functionality, security, and management of the private network.
Virtual Private Networks may allow employees to securely access a corporate intranet while located outside the office. They are used to securely connect geographically separated offices of an organization, creating one cohesive network. Individual Internet users may secure their wireless transactions with a VPN, to circumvent geo-restrictions and censorship, or to connect to proxy servers for the purpose of protecting personal identity and location. However, some Internet sites block access to known VPN technology to prevent the circumvention of their geo-restrictions.
A VPN is created by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, virtual tunneling protocols, or traffic encryption. A VPN available from the public Internet can provide some of the benefits of a wide area network (WAN). From a user perspective, the resources available within the private network can be accessed remotely.
Traditional VPNs are characterized by a point-to-point topology, and they do not tend to support or connect broadcast domains, so services such as Microsoft Windows NetBIOS may not be fully supported or work as they would on a local area network (LAN). Designers have developed VPN variants, such as Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), and layer-2 tunneling protocols, to overcome this limitation.
WHY USE VPN
If you’re reading this review you’re I guess interested in a VPN solution and trying to figure out which to pick in an ongoing growing list of VPN providers. Its not easy to find the best among providers all claiming the same things like speed, safety and locations.
To make your search for the best a little easier I will try to sum up some issues related to normal internet use and explain their importance in relation to your safety.
First of all you don’t need to be doing illegal stuff on the internet to make you want a VPN, as ordinary users have an even greater risk surfing the internet as they are not always aware of the tricks being used to steal information.
If you’re using Wi-Fi which you probably will, you’re more exposed to the outside world then when using cable-network. Reading a simple online-newspaper which shows you advertisements between the lines always establishes a connection with your IP-address just in order to show the images. Reading your emails which many times include images and links transfer your IP-adress to external servers filtering your behavior. To make it simple YOU’RE EXPOSED to the world. For all doing the wrong-illegal stuff on internet like downloading films and music there’s a simple warning. Stop doing what you do..or get fined …or get a VPN to make yourself invisible to the outside world.
Being invisible, is what all VPN providers claim, but are you really safe and protected ? No way…check :
- ipleak.net (IPv4, IPv6, WebRTC, and DNS)
- Perfect Privacy (based in Switzerland )
- VPN.ac (based in Romania )
Any VPN which has its base location in the USA is not fully safe proof. They have to deal with severe law regulations regarding logging of users and there internet use. So the first thing you need is a provider NOT LOGGING any IP or online activity! Simple and safe.
Easy VPN – Install and start protecting online activity with just a few clicks.
Mobile VPN – Protect privacy on the go with NordVPN mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Multiple devices – Connect up to 6 devices simultaneously with single NordVPN account.
Dedicated IP Address – Enjoy better connectivity and faster VPN experience with a personal IP.
Customer support – Experiencing any troubles with NordVPN? Contact their customer 24/7 service.
Kill switch is a technique that helps you prevent unprotected access to the internet, where your traffic doesn’t go through the VPN.
There are two key differences in the Kill Switch functionality in our NordVPN applications:
- The PC version of the Kill Switch, found in our Windows and Mac (OpenVPN version)applications, terminates the applications you specify if the VPN connection suddenly disconnects, preventing those applications from sending unprotected traffic to the internet.
- The Mobile version of the Kill Switch, used in our iOS application, as well as the IKEv2 version of the Mac app, disables system-wide internet access if the VPN connection suddenly disconnects – that way it protects all apps, without terminating them. It will also try to reconnect you to the last server you were connected to. ( I was unable to enable Kill Switch without choosing applications like the Windows version ??? )
Military-grade encryption – Secure Internet traffic with cutting-edge encryption technologies.
CyberSec – Shield from intrusive advertisements and malicious online threats.
Double VPN – Encrypt Internet traffic twice to create an extra layer of online privacy.
NordVPN uses the DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA encryption suite for its OpenVPN connections. This almost certainly means ordinary RSA-2048 key encryption and HMAC SHA1 authentication. Use of a Diffie-Hellman key exchange provides perfect forward secrecy.
Official NORDVPN Statement regarding their privacy commitment ( Below ). Being based in Panama we may rest assured this commitment is followed up.
We, NordVPN, confirm that we take full control of our infrastructure. It has never been compromised or suffered a data breach. We have not disclosed any private keys or any information of our users, and we have not been forced to modify our system to allow access or data leakage to a third party of any kind.
As of January 15th, 2018 we state the following:
We have NOT received any National Security letters;
We have NOT received any gag orders;
We have NOT received any warrants from any government organization.
!! We are 100% committed to our zero-logs policy – we never log the activities of our users to ensure their ultimate privacy, security and anonymity. !!
Protect your IP address – Send Internet traffic through a NordVPN server to change your real IP address.
Strict no logs policy !! – None of your private data is being tracked or monitored.
Automatic Kill Switch – Internet traffic will be protected, if VPN connection drops. ( only Apps !! )
DNS leak protection – DNS leak technology ensures that your private data is protected at all time.
Onion Over VPN – Combine the benefits of VPN with The Onion Router for maximum online security.
Browser Proxy Extensions – Secure browsing on Chrome and Firefox.
NORDVPN SETUP & USE
So having mentioned all known facts about NordVPN. we now come to setup and use NordVPN. After downloading the software and register your account, all we need to do is fill credentials for logging in. Connecting to their servers is fast. NordVPN will pick the best possible connection for you. Thats means best bandwidth and ping time.
There is little finetuning necessary with the application. Some options available are Cybersec (CyberSec – Shield from intrusive advertisements and malicious online threats ), Connection on start, Kill Switch, Obfuscated servers, Protocol and Custom DNS.
Enable the switches you want to use, but keep in mind the the Kill-Switch is not completely switching off all internet connection/traffic! This switch enables you to prevent chosen and added applications to connect to the internet. This is strange behaviour as I feel a Kill Switch needs to Kill all traffic.
Now all thats left really is push the ‘Connect’ button and you’re set and done. Check the weblink below to see if your connected server shows any leaks ! If so, pick another server which is safe and sound.
Ultimately you bought a VPN protection to be untraceable/invisible on the internet, so don’t take connections for granted.
NordVPN has a strict No Logging policy, which is most important for ANY VPN provider. This is where NordVPN beats many competitors, there absolute No Logging policy being a Panama based company and therefore not limited to US regulations or such.
NORDVPN IP & DNS LEAK TESTING
IP Leaks: Using the testing site ipleak.net, makes it easy to identify leaks and problems, especially when you are connected to a VPN server outside your country.
“Note”, the WebRTC leak test will show local IP addresses (usually beginning with 10.xxx or 192.xxx or sometimes an alpha-numeric IPv6 address that is also local).
- ipleak.net (IPv4, IPv6, WebRTC, and DNS)
DNS leaks: Find a VPN that uses its own secured, encrypted DNS resolvers. Below are two VPNs that use only their own secure DNS resolvers and did not have any leaks:
NORDVPN SPEED TESTING
Big variations in speed all depending on choice of server. Servers performance is due to load of bandwidth. The different images show download performance between 13mb/s – 103mb/s !! all different servers. NordVpn has an inbuilt ping and bandwidth solution, providing the best connection possible at the specific time and place. You may of course choose and set your personal favourite location.
NordVPN provides a great price with solid performance and stability. Their No-Logging policy is to me more important then some higher download speed. NordVPN Servers are in huge numbers, so there’s always one available with good bandwidth.
Speed is very different between locations, but the application automatically picks the best option for the user. So its not the best in speed, but its best in Privacy, Pricing and available servers. NordVPN ranks in our top 3 offering best value for money.
If you’ re looking for a good VPN provider and no logging policy, check their huge offers as discounts make them even more desirable.
NORD VPNFrom $ 3,29 2/year plan
30 day money-back guarant.10.0/10
24/7 live chat support9.0/10
Auto best connection10.0/10
Cybersec,Ad blocking feature8.0/10
- Kill Switch
- 30 day money-back
- 24/7 live chat support
- No logging
- Cybersec,Ad blocking feature
- Multi Protocols
- 2600+ servers
- Auto best connection
- Speed variations servers
- Kill switch only apps.