How to know which is the best VPN (Virtual Private Network)

A VPN (virtual private networkvirtual private network) allows the connection between a device (computer, tablet, smartphone…) and a network isolated from the rest of the Internet. It is a security reinforcement that, in addition to its use in professional environments, is very convenient for any user of public WiFi networks (restaurants, airports, stations…).

VPNs allow you to connect to the Internet in a protected way, isolating the connection from the rest of the network

The result of connecting through a VPN is the creation of an encrypted tunnel that allows you to send and receive information in isolation from the rest of the network, so that the data transmitted and received are protected from unauthorized intruders. In addition to reinforcing security, they also pose an obstacle to the different systems for collecting data on the use of web pages, online platforms and social networks.

But given the variety of VPN solutions on the market, how do you determine which is the best VPN? Different parameters would have to be analysed.

What you should evaluate to find the best VPN

-Speed: It is inevitable that, when a VPN comes into action, the browsing speed will be reduced, albeit very slightly, due to the very operation of that “encrypted tunnel” that protects the data, so that one of the characteristics to be evaluated would be the percentage of connection slowdowns and downloads that a VPN provides. That speed also depends on the number of servers the VPN service provider has, their location, and the type of hardware they use.

A point to determine is also the number of IP addresses you can offer and whether they are dedicated IP addresses. The protocol considered safest and most widely used for this purpose is Open VPN, open source, and which allows you to measure the connection speed of the selected VPN service with its different servers, something that can be done using Ookla Speedtest, so that you can obtain an average of the relative velocities. In this measurement, the network used to access the Internet must be taken into account. You will not get the same speed over fiber optics at home or at work as over 4G/5G wireless or public Wi-Fi, which often have limited bandwidth.

-Security: Since the main reason for using a VPN is to protect the connection, it is essential that the security provided by the service offers the maximum guarantees. Especially relevant is that the VPN service can be used effectively in territories, such as China, where Internet access is severely limited.

Relating to geographic location, the use of VPN can allow the use of streaming platforms (see Netflix) from locations other than the real one or vice versa, to access content that the platform does not have available in the user’s country of residence but is available in others. Although for most users it will be enough for their device to be safe from unwanted interference when using a public WiFi connection. It should be borne in mind that some VPNs advise against the use of P2P technologies such as torrent file downloads and the like due to the possibility that their use allows data leaks from the equipment. In any case, all these circumstances can be analyzed with tools such as DNS Leak Test by Perfect Privacy, IPLeak or IPv6 Test.

-Jurisdiction: For those most concerned about the possible access to their connections by certain governments, it is advisable to resort to VPN services that do not collaborate with the agreements that allow the sharing of information with the intelligence agencies of the United States but that, at the same time, have a visible structure that allows its verification.

This forces you to carefully review all the information from the VPN service provider regarding its data collection policies and its possible action to share them, even with its parent companies, since these could be the ones that are subject to the obligation to share them with government agencies.

-Indications for not advising the use: Some VPN platforms offer a history of sharing user activity data, even for advertising purposes to get funding for free services, but even these would be ill-advised to trust.

The problem is that they all claim that they do not share user data, but it is very difficult to verify. It would be necessary to analyze news in which this behavior is reflected and, especially, if the person who has incurred in it is the parent company on which said service or VPN platform belongs or depends.

-Encryption: It is the key to the proper functioning of a VPN and the minimum that should be required to trust one of these services is the use of AES-256 encryption. Below these parameters, its use could continue to be safe, but it will always be less.

-Instant off button: In some circumstances the connection through VPN can fail, blocking the transmission and reception of data. In that event, it is imperative to have an easily accessible button that immediately shuts down the VPN and protects your data and traffic.

-Technical assistance: Especially for professional users, the existence of a technical assistance service available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week is especially valuable. Even if it is only through a chat, but in the event of any eventuality, it allows an answer and a possible solution to be available as soon as possible.

-Price: Finally, some VPNs are free and others are paid, with different price plans and with different recipients, from individuals to professionals. It will be necessary to compare prices but also benefits and, where appropriate, if it allows payment through PayPal or Bitcoins.

For business use, it will be necessary to check if the VPN allows multiple connections as well as if it is compatible with the different ecosystems (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android) in addition to evaluating (through the trial periods that many include) its operation with the equipment and software used by different users.