13 Cool and Interesting Uses of VPN
A VPN is generally known to perform the functions of protecting your privacy by encrypting your data. This comes in handy when you are on the web and are wary of hackers and other snoopers. As true as this function of VPNs is, it’s not the only thing you can use a VPN for. And so in this article, we will discuss all the interesting uses of VPN so you can get the most out of the service.
A VPN routes your internet traffic through its server, and processes said traffic. This includes a change in IP address and data encryption. It then sends the request on your behalf to the web so that the server sees the request as coming from the VPN and not you.
By this, no one can monitor your online activities. Heavy data encryption also comes in handy in case of hackers intercept your data.
Table of Content
How VPNs Work
VPN is short for Virtual Private Network. One of the interesting uses of VPN is to provide much-needed internet privacy and protection to users. This is necessary due to the vulnerability of data connections over the web. A VPN is like a tunnel through which your internet requests are routed.
So instead of having a direct link to the internet, the VPN takes your request and sends them on your behalf. This makes you anonymous because the request would be sent with a different IP address. So those stalking you won’t know what you are up to. Your connection would also be secure and your data protected thanks to the encryption VPNs use.
How to Use A VPN
- Go to LimeVPN and choose a plan of your choice
- Register and subscribe to the plan
- Download the VPN app and log in using your details
- Connect to any server of your choice and access the internet anonymously and securely
Also Read : Step by Step Guide on how to Install A VPN On Firestick and Supercharge
13 Cool and Interesting Uses of VPN
1. Secure File Download and Upload
Peer to peer (P2P) file-sharing is useful for many reasons. These include sharing large data sets across a network, open-source software, or even public domain videos. P2P activities are however frowned upon by many ISPs and so they slow down the users when they discover this activity. But with a VPN, you can hide your peer to peer file sharing activity from your ISP.
Your IP addresses are also exposed to all users on the same network as you, and it’s a security concern. A VPN hides your real IP address and makes you anonymous. These two are some of the very interesting uses of VPN.
2. Save Money Online
The cost of different services varies with the points of sale. And so you can take advantage of this and get the cheapest deals on air tickets and hotel bills. The trick here is to connect to an IP address in a location where the prices are lower. The website would see this IP address from the VPN and think you are connecting from that address, then cost you based on this.
You can also clear your browser cookies after multiple searches so that the website doesn’t remember you and increase the price due to multiple searches.
3. Stream Blocked Content
Sometimes you may get an error response when you try to stream a particular video online. This is because the video is not available in your region. This is one example and such blocks are usually due to two reasons:
- The government has banned the video from being viewed in the country.
- The video doesn’t have the required license to be shown to your country.
You can bypass this limitation with a VPN. What you have to do is connect to a country where the content is available, and stream it. The web server would see your IP as coming from a country where the video is available, and let you gain access.
4. Watch Videos Without Your ISP Slowing You Down
While streaming videos from the internet, you use up a lot of internet bandwidth. This slows the speed of other internet users and your ISP would always slow you down so that the same speed can be made available to everyone else. Nothing is more frustrating while streaming from a platform than getting buffers and slow internet speed. And so to prevent this, connect to a VPN. Since a VPN keeps you anonymous, your ISP won’t know what you are up to, and therefore won’t be able to slow you down.
5. Bypass Internet Censorship
Countries such as Iran and China control the type of information their citizens can have access to. And so they block many websites and social media platforms from being accessed in the country. Some other countries also block file sharing sites.
To do this, your ISP blocks your DNS requests to the web. VPNs however step in and prevent this from taking place, thanks to the strong encryption and private DNS servers they use. So you can still gain access to any website your country has blocked out. It’s the same principle that is applicable at work or in school when the administrator has blocked your access to certain sites.
Some countries have also put up firewalls to avoid the use of VPNs by citizens to bypass censorship. This isn’t game over as you can still bypass this firewall using Stealth VPN Protocol. These types of VPNs disguise your traffic as SSL traffic so they don’t look like VPN traffic at all.
6. Play Games Without Being Slowed Down
Online games also take much of internet bandwidth and so ISPs slow you down to provide equal speed to other users. Some game makers also add BitTorrent to allow for the transfer of large amounts of data. This goes further to take up more internet bandwidth and so your ISP would slow you down. Slow internet can be a nuisance during gameplay and so a VPN would come in handy here.
7. Keep Your Home Network Secure
Using a VPN with your router will add a security layer to the firewall that exists on the router to protect your network. So if your router is under attack, your VPN would stand in the way and receive the attack sparing the router.
8. Make Cheaper VOIP Calls
VOIP calls allow you to reach out to friends and family over long distances. They are preferred to regular phone calls as they are cheaper and also easy to use. All you need is an internet connection. The charges are not quite fixed as it depends on your location and where you are calling too. So it can get expensive sometimes. You can however enjoy cheap VOIP calls with a VPN as it’s one of the interesting uses of VPN. By connecting to the country you are calling, you will appear to be present there and that will reduce your charges.
9. Research Your Competition Anonymously
When you visit a website, the website administrator can discover your identity and ultimately know what your interest in the site is. This is an obstacle if you are a competitor trying to research, the website may block you or worse, feed you with false information.
A VPN however allows you to do this research anonymously. The website owner won’t know who you are, and you will be seen as a random user. This is one of the interesting uses of VPN and it helps with digital commerce.
10. Avoid Website Tracking
Ever wondered why you get ads for sunglasses some hours after you search for a pair of sunglasses online? The answer is targeted ads. Unlike with TV and radio commercials, websites target their ads specifically to every user. This is one of the ways they generate revenue to maintain the servers and keep the site running. For this to be effective, however, websites track you and save your data. This data includes your IP address and your internet activities.
It’s a cause for concern as you don’t know who is getting what data, and for what purposes this data is being collected. One of the interesting uses of VPN is to protect your data and keep you as anonymous as possible. This way, websites can’t track you and send targeted ads your way.
11. Get The Best Shopping Deals
One of the ways online stores cost their products is by the customer’s location. So if you are an American for instance, and you wish to buy a bag from a German store, it would be more expensive for you as compared to a German resident. Your IP address is a criterion to cost the product for you.
You can take advantage of this by connecting to a server in the location of the store. This way the site will display costs at a lower price.
12. Use Public Wi-Fi Securely
Public Wi-Fi isn’t secure and provides your data with no security at all. That is why your boss must have warned you never to do any office related work over public Wi-Fi. With public Wi-Fi, hackers can intercept your data, or steal your bank details if you shop online over such an unprotected connection.
You can easily avoid all of these if you need to connect to a public Wi-Fi by connecting to a VPN. VPNs encrypt your data so that nothing can be read even when intercepted. So every data you share in the airport, train, hotel, cafeteria, and other public places with Wi-Fi can be safe.
13. Private Conversations
The possibility of someone listening in to your conversations is very high and there are hardly any channels you can trust to keep your communication safe. VoIP services are however more difficult to hack into these days, but they can still be hacked into. What’s more, is that skype isn’t available in every country, so you may find it difficult to communicate with your loved ones if you are in such a country.
The encryption that VPNs offer is enough to keep your conversations secure. So third parties that are looking forward to monitoring you would have their plans nullified. A VPN also allows you to bypass geo-blocks so you can reach out to your loved ones no matter where you are.
Conclusion
There are many interesting uses of VPN as it goes beyond just being used for change of location and IP. So now you can avoid bandwidth throttling, and also get the best deals when shopping online or paying for services. There are different VPNs and they all offer you various packages, but not all of them are made equally. Only choose premium VPN service if you must get the most out of your VPN.
LimeVPN has servers in various locations around the world. It also provides you with strong AES 256 encryption. So you can connect to various locations to bypass geo-blocks, or get the best deals online. You can also ensure your privacy when you share data or make calls.
Rachael Chapman
A Complete gamer and a Tech Geek. Brings out all her thoughts and love in writing blogs on IOT, software, technology etc
