You have no doubt heard of VPNs before – and likely more than once. Beloved YouTubers, slightly paranoid friends, and articulate strangers on forums all seem to go on and on about how important it is to protect your privacy with a Virtual Private Network.
Now, if you aren’t all that concerned about your privacy (or simply think there are more effective ways of protecting yours) you might assume a VPN isn’t for you. But that’s not necessarily true. There are more than a few awesome functions of a VPN that have nothing to do with browsing privately or staying secure.
1. Getting Better Deals on Subscriptions
You might have heard about the trick of using VPNs to find better flight deals. While this trick usually doesn’t work anymore, you can still use a VPN to get better deals for other things, like software services.
Think subscription offers for video and music streaming, cloud storage, web hosting, and more. In some cases, all you need is a VPN while you sign up to get cheaper offers. India and Turkey are two VPN countries you can choose from that will usually get you some of the lowest prices.
With some services it’s as simple as turning on your VPN. However, other services might require more from you, such as verifying your location and payment method. Either way, using a VPN makes getting cheap deals a lot easier.
If you use this trick, you might quickly find that even paying for a premium VPN pays for itself! This is without a doubt one of the smartest uses of a VPN that is well worth the effort, especially since the payments are recurring and you therefore save each month.
2. Exploring More Entertainment Options
Geo restrictions can affect platforms accessible to you, as well as the content on those platforms. A VPN is an easy way of getting around this. While you can use this on well-known platforms like Hulu, VPNs can help with entertainment for a lot more than simply streaming movies.
For instance, you can sign up at a VPN-friendly casino from anywhere in the world through a VPN service, to open up a world of new options. According to cardplayer.com casino expert and writer Andjelija Blagojevic, these online casinos restrict users from several countries for various reasons. Nonetheless, a good VPN circumvents this barrier and exposes users to a varied selection of online casino platforms.
3. Torrenting
Depending on where you live, it’s important to use a VPN when you’re torrenting. Not doing so could result in getting throttled or even banned from your ISP. Worse yet, there could be legal consequences or fees.
An important thing to remember if you’re using a VPN for torrenting is to enable the kill switch. Since torrenting often takes hours and you might leave a torrent on overnight, it’s important to ensure your traffic is encrypted all the time. A kill switch will shut down all internet traffic if the VPN connection drops – ensuring you stay protected and anonymous no matter what.
4. Researching Local Options From Afar
If you’ve done some international traveling, you might have noticed that the search results when you’re abroad often look quite different than the ones back home. That’s because Google tries to provide you with accurate results based on your location and because different ads show depending on where you’re located. Unless you use a VPN, that is.
If you’re planning a trip somewhere, setting your VPN to that location can save you a lot of frustration when doing research. You’ll see what the local options really are before you get there, which will make it much easier to think ahead long before you get on the plane.
5. Bypassing Speed Limits on Your Network
It’s pretty common for your internet service provider (ISP) to restrict your network speed without telling you, through a practice called ISP throttling. Using a VPN, you can sometimes get around this to access the high-speed internet you were promised.
Why does it happen in the first place? ISPs sometimes use throttling to balance the bandwidth used between different users on the same network during periods of high usage. A user can also get throttled for using up a lot of internet data, or hitting a limit when there’s a data cap.
In other cases, an ISP will throttle specific websites – video streaming services, for example – to discourage customers from using them. It’s in these cases that a VPN will come in handy. By encrypting your traffic, you’ll be able to access your favorite streaming service without getting thwarted.
Conclusion
While VPNs are mainly touted for their privacy benefits (which ARE indeed important) there are many more perks to consider. A Virtual Private Network is a versatile tool that can be used to enhance your internet experience in various ways. While not everyone will need a VPN, most could use one. Although usage is not compulsory, choosing to not use a VPN might be you robbing yourself of several exciting benefits.
