What is a VPN?

VPNs are widely advertised on the Internet, but do you know what a VPN is? Understand and discover if you need one.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a network that allows one or more devices to communicate privately with encryption over a public communication infrastructure such as the Internet.

They emerged from the need to access remote content privately through an open network. For example, when working remotely, it may be necessary to access confidential company files from your home. In this case, the company typically sets up a VPN for the employee, ensuring that only the traffic directed to the company passes through the VPN. This creates a secure path to the company’s servers and the files stored there.

Users can choose to use VPN software that is not necessarily tied to their companies. When using such software, data packets pass through the VPN server before reaching their destination. On these servers, the packets are encrypted, and the user's IP address is hidden behind the VPN server's IP, creating a secure, tunnel-like path through the Internet up to the packets’ destination. The response packets are also encrypted and travel back to the user in reverse.

By encrypting data and creating an exclusive communication channel, VPNs can enhance your privacy when using public or open networks, where reliability cannot be guaranteed.

However, some smart devices such as sensors and smart bulbs that require the real IP address to communicate may not work with VPNs. In this case, it is necessary to install the VPN service directly on your router. While this is a more complex process, it will help improve the security of your devices.

Would you like to use a VPN? Before installing one, it’s important to do some research, as there are various services available on the market, both paid and free. Most promise not to save browsing logs, ensuring your privacy, but it's always wise to be cautious. Check user reviews, specialized websites, and the VPNs’ privacy policies.

Choose the option that best suits your needs.

Video Description

The animation starts with a girl sitting in front of a laptop. Next to her, a large computer screen shows that she is watching a video in which a man announces a VPN through a megaphone. Above is the phrase "Have you heard of VPNs?"

In the second scene, the phrase "A VPN provides a private tunnel" appears at the top. Below, two houses are connected to the Internet, represented by a spinning globe surrounded by network-related images. Each house uses a different path to connect to the Internet. In both cases, trucks carrying packets are traveling toward the Internet. However, on one of the paths there is a VPN. The phrase then changes to "with encrypted access." A padlock appears from within the VPN, and the trucks disappear.

Next, the phrase "for your Internet traffic" appears along with new elements. A magnifying glass examines both paths. In the house without a VPN, the traffic (represented by the trucks) can be inspected, and an evil face appears, smiling inside the magnifying glass. In the second house, the magnifying glass attempts to examine the packets but finds only arrows without any information. The evil face becomes angry. The girl from the beginning of the video appears in the house with the VPN and claps her hands in approval.