Should I have a VPN ?

[AMD]

Hi,

I have been reading various snippets on the forum about VPN's and have grasped the general idea of it.

I am not too hot on securiry/privacy but I suppose it would be a good idea to hide my identity and encrypt online data etc.

I generally use IE9 when browsing within Sandboxie, and I use Avast Safezone for online banking, but I am not sure if a VPN would be necessary or not.

I was hoping for some feedback to determine if it is something I should have and perhaps some recommendations, preferably cheap or free and with easy configuration.

Many Thanks

Andy

[mirimir]

There are three main reasons to use VPNs:

• you don't want your ISP to see what websites you access
• you don't trust the public WiFi hotspot that you use
• you don't want websites that you access to see your IP address

You might like AirVPN.

[LockBox]

Or try the new Norton VPN for just $2 for a "day pass."

[mirimir]

Originally Posted by LockBox

Or try the new Norton VPN for just $2 for a "day pass."

Using a VPN from Symantec just seems weird

[hogndog]

Here's an interesting read..

http://www.windowsecurity.com/articl...ver-part1.html

http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/VPN-Options.html

Hogndog

[box750]

Two more reasons to use a VPN:

• Watch online US TV or listen to music from abroad (Hulu, CWTV,Slacker,Pandora,etc)

• Bypass ISP filtering (The Pirate Bay website is blocked in the UK)

For the activities above you can use a free advertisement supported VPN like HotSpotShield, but if what you want is privacy you will be better off with a paid for VPN like SecurityKiss, AirVPN, or Mullvad.

[mirimir]

@Hogndog

pfSense is arguably better on both ends of the VPN than MS anything.

[LockBox]

Originally Posted by mirimir

Using a VPN from Symantec just seems weird

I should have clarified....here's what I wrote in another thread earler this afternoon:

I call a VPN like this from Norton a "Coffee Shop VPN' (not to be confused with a VPN used for serious pseudo-anonymity). With that said, this might be the best of the Coffee Shop variety. The $19.99 a month is a bad deal. The $49.99 a year is an incredible deal. The $2.99 "day pass" is perfect for every now and then use.

I like this VPN for what it is. Nice software package, reliable name, good speeds. Can't go wrong for this 'class' of VPN.

[hogndog]

Originally Posted by mirimir

@Hogndog

pfSense is arguably better on both ends of the VPN than MS anything.

Personally i prefer Tor..

[AMD]

Many thanks for your responses. I will investigate the comments and see which one best suits.

Thanks again

Andy

[tooth]

Originally Posted by mirimir

There are three main reasons to use VPNs:

• you don't want your ISP to see what websites you access
• you don't trust the public WiFi hotspot that you use
• you don't want websites that you access to see your IP address

You might like AirVPN.

I would agree with these reasons...I never used to bother with it (I know what I'm browsing and cover my bases though), but traveling a lot more lately, I use one setup on my server when on the road.

It wouldn't hurt to use a better browser like Firefox or Chrome, and install HTTPS Everywhere, so at least a good chunk of your sites that really matter are for sure going through SSL.

[PaulyDefran]

To the OP:

Yes.

PD

[Amit]

I use SecurityKiss Tunnel free.

[AMD]

Thanks again for the comments.

I managed to get a free year's promo of Cyberghost so I am trying that at the moment to see how it goes.