The acronym VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network”, which pretty much sums up the operating principle of such a system.
The purpose of the VPN is to create a private network, a sort of protective cocoon in which your activity on the Internet remains anonymous and secure.
When you connect to the web through a VPN, you leave no trace behind and no one, not even your ISP, knows what sites you visit, what files you download, or what country you are in. .
The use of a VPN can, as such, be very practical for accessing content that is geographically blocked, such as streaming video platforms or certain websites.
Indeed, VPNs make it possible to geolocate virtually in dozens of countries around the world.
But to be able to take advantage of these features, it is necessary to understand how to use a VPN.
This guide is here to help you.
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Using a VPN: the key steps
First of all, it is essential to subscribe to the offer of a VPN among those available on the market.
You can find free ones, but these are usually limited in terms of bandwidth and the amount of data you can download in a month.
Moreover, it is never certain that a free VPN does not keep your personal data on its servers: therefore, it is recommended to opt for a paid offer, which generally costs only a few euros per month, instead. picture of NordVPN, for example.
Once you have subscribed to the offer of your choice, you must download the software dedicated to your VPN on your computer, or the associated application on your smartphone.
Each time you use the service, the software generally asks you to identify yourself: this is a security measure that ensures that you are indeed a person authorized to use the account.
Once this step is completed, you have access to the VPN connection interface.
In most cases, you have two easily accessible choices:
Automatic connection:
if you have no particular preference concerning the country in which you wish to be recognized, this option is the quickest to activate.
It connects to the easiest server to access, usually with the fewest active users at the time. In this way, you can enjoy a VPN-secured connection immediately.
Selective connection:
here, you choose in which country you want to connect.
The selection is made via a map or from a drop-down list.
This proposal is useful if you want to geolocate yourself specifically in a country, in particular to access a geographically blocked site, or to take advantage of a localized video catalog.
Sometimes you can even choose the city when there are multiple servers in the country, but that usually doesn't impact the connection.
Once connected, you just have to surf the Internet to enjoy perfectly secure browsing in the country of your choice.
An icon indicating that you are connected appears at the bottom right of your computer on Windows, or at the top right on macOS.
A notification is highlighted on an iOS or Android smartphone.
When you want to disconnect, just click on it to bring up a menu that offers you this possibility.
Don't forget that once disconnected, you become visible on the Internet again.
In what context should you use a VPN?
You can use your VPN with Netflix, Disney+ or even Amazon Prime Video, to access new programs that are not yet available on the French version of the service of your choice.
Let's say you want to watch a movie that's only available in Netflix's US catalogue: connect your VPN to a server accessible in North America, then launch the Netflix app.
This recognizes you as if you were on American territory, including if you have a French Netflix account: indeed, if you travel to the United States, you have every right to use your account there!
The VPN therefore simulates a trip abroad.
On this point, you should know that most connected televisions allow you to install a VPN application,
Using a VPN can also allow you to take advantage of advantageous rates when buying plane tickets or booking hotel nights.
Indeed, some airlines adapt their prices according to the purchasing power in certain countries.
You can therefore compare prices by locating abroad: prepare to be surprised!
Generally speaking, using a VPN while shopping online is always a good idea.
Finally, the use of a VPN is recommended when you surf the Internet via public networks, for example in cafes, hotels, airports, stations... Even when these networks offer a connection that seems secure, the the fact that they are accessible to a large number of anonymous users makes them vulnerable to personal data theft.
This is why, after connecting, it is useful to activate your VPN to protect yourself as much as possible.
A valid recommendation on all devices.
NordVPN, an industry benchmark
NordVPN is one of the most popular VPN services around the world.
The offer of this platform is particularly solid: there are nearly 5600 servers present in 59 countries, which gives you a wide choice when you connect to one of them to geolocate yourself with precision. .
Plus, each NordVPN subscription lets you use it on up to six devices at the same time, which is especially useful for keeping all of your gear secure.
NordVPN uses a set of advanced technologies that ensure its customers a particularly fast connection, for quality that is always there, including when watching streaming videos.
The entire connection is encrypted, and NordVPN keeps no logs of activity on its servers, for complete anonymity.
If necessary, online assistance is available 7 days a week to answer your questions, help you configure the service on your devices, or resolve any difficulties in use.
At the moment,
NordVPN is offering three months of subscription to its new customers as part of a subscription to one of its offers for two years
.
The Essential subscription costs 3.49 euros per month and gives you access to VPN, virus protection and an ad blocker.
For 4.29 euros per month, you can opt for the Advanced subscription, which adds to that a cross-platform password manager and a vulnerability scanner.
Finally, the Ultimate subscription at 5.49 euros per month completes this proposal with 1 TB of storage in an encrypted cloud, to protect your most precious files.
You choose !
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