When should I have a VPN?
A lot of people come up to me and ask me "Do I need a VPN?" and I always respond the same way: "Maybe."
So let's dive a little deeper, and see when it makes sense to deploy a VPN. If you haven't already read our blog on what a VPN is, please do so here:
When to use one
The risk of not using a VPN is mainly in untrusted networks where someone may be trying to either collect data on what you're doing, or redirect your browser with malicious intent. Remember too, your connections to "https" websites are still encrypted, so people can't see what you're doing there even if they are listening to your traffic or have setup a man-in-the-middle.
Places you may want one:
- Public Places
- Public Networks
- Networks without a password on them "Open" wifi networks
- Coffee Shops
- Airports
- Hotels
- When Traveling out of the country
Places you probably don't need one:
- Your home network
- Your office network
- Your phone's hotspot
The best solution to these networks, is just to hot spot from your phone, but if that's not an option then get a VPN.
Which one to get?
There are a lot of VPN options out there, so which one should you get? You'll have to decide that yourself, but here are some you may want to check out:
- Opera Web Browser (has a VPN built-in you can turn on) | https://www.opera.com/
- NordVPN | https://nordvpn.com/
- SurfShark | https://surfshark.com/