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Important factors to keep in mind when reading VPN reviews

Mitch Avatar By: Mitch | Last updated May 9, 2021

Digital image of people using secure connection


Introduction

Virtual Private Networks or VPNs are services which internet users can use to gain full anonymity. While not necessarily a common tool for all users, it is actually a necessity nowadays because of the rampant lack of respect of most websites for its users’ privacy.

The dangers of going online, why do you need a VPN?

Unbeknownst to many, most websites in the internet regularly collect data from its users. This includes their name, their surfing habits, and their preferences. The websites a person regularly goes to will be compiled and will cause them to be given a category for where they belong. This enables advertisers to give them personalized advertisements in hopes of making them purchase products that similar people are buying. This process may make some uncomfortable because of the fact that someone is keeping track of their activities.

Aside from this, not being anonymous while on the internet may make you more vulnerable against hackers who may want to steal your private data such as your name, contact information, and even your banking details. In the end, this might turn the user into a victim of identity theft which usually requires a lot of effort and money to recover from. 

How does it protect users?

VPNs allow users to gain anonymity while online by hiding their IP addresses. The latter is a number assigned to an internet user whenever browsing online. This address can allow third parties to trace the location of access of the user and the websites they visit. Aside from hiding this, VPNs can also provide the user with a fake IP address. Once this is traced, it will reveal a location far away from the user. 

The user can choose where the IP will be virtually traced to be coming from. For example, someone living in the USA can choose to show themselves to be coming from Australia. This misleads those who may want to trace their activities on the internet.

Aside from this, VPNs can provide full encryption for the information that the user accesses online. Because hackers can get access to the full browsing session of the user (including the private information they store online), users must protect the data. Once your data is encrypted, the data that the hackers will be able to gather will be unreadable for them therefore allowing you to still secure your data. 

What can you use a VPN for?

VPNs not only protect the anonymity and security of the user. It can also provide you with additional content which you may not access from your country. A great example is for streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Because their content is limited by licenses that may not be applicable for worldwide viewing, users may want to show themselves to be coming from countries where the content they want is available. However, this will still depend upon the strength of the VPN.

Aside from this, VPNs can also provide security and anonymity whenever torrenting. This is because this type of downloading data may be especially risky because of the need to download and upload data.

The importance of reviewing VPN services before buying one

While VPNs are important for ensuring total anonymity while online, users must first ensure that the specific service they will be using is the best for them. This is because there are a lot of services that offer these services that differ in terms of various features, pricing, and more. It is important to read reviews about different VPNs to ensure that it will be best for you. 

Best Review Guide takes pride in our capability to review VPNs based on multiple factors. We have a dedicated team that studies different VPNs and looks for the best one using industry standards and a solid set of criteria.

Factors to consider when reviewing a VPN

Best Review Guide uses different factors to decide which VPN is the best. These are standard for all products and have proved to be effective when choosing for the service with the best quality. The following are the features that we considered whenever reviewing a VPN product:

  1. Speed of the VPN – While VPNs may provide anonymity for its users, it may also make their internet connection slower. This is because it needs to make the user have another IP address where the data they upload will be sent. Aside from this, the data they upload will also be encrypted to ensure that it will not be readable in case a hacker takes hold of it. This process naturally makes connection slower and makes it hard to play online games without lagging. Here in Best Review Guide, we ensure that the amount of decrease in internet connection is minimal for the VPN service no matter the server that the user is using. We also make it sure that users can still freely download files, stream movies, and even play online games at a reasonable speed.

  2. Security – Users of VPN must ensure that the security they get is the best. This is because without it, full anonymity can never be guaranteed. To ensure this, we test the VPN’s capability of avoiding IP leaks as even a single second of it being exposed can inform trackers about the real location of the user. Aside from this, we must also ensure that the VPN provider is located in a country that does not legally require its businesses to upload the data they get from its users to the government database. This is why VPNs located in the British Virgin Islands are usually rated higher.

  3. Features – Aside from providing anonymity for its users, a good VPN service must also have additional features to aid in convenience and security. Aside from hiding the IP address and encrypting the user’s data, a good example of a feature is being able to bypass geo-filters of streaming services. This shows that the IP addresses used by the VPN is strong enough to conceal the true location of the user. Aside from this, there are also other helpful features such as an adblock or even virus protection.

  4. User support – An often-overlooked part of VPNs is the amount of user support it can give. It should always be a priority as users can encounter issues all the time while using the service. The best products always have an available online FAQ or even 24/7-open customer hotline or live chat. This enables them to quickly report cases of IP leakages and even to ask for specific inquiries about billing, features, and more. 

  5. Pricing – The pricing of the VPN is also measured by Best Review Guide to ensure that it is equally ratioed with the amount of content and features that their service gives. This is because there are already free VPNs available for users. We expect paid ones to be worth paying for in terms of giving good speeds, features, and security. Aside from this, we also rank VPNs that award users with discounts for purchasing for yearly plans higher. Lastly, users must also not have trouble whenever asking for a refund in case it is still within the allowed period.
Do you really need a VPN?

Nowadays, using a VPN service is quite the necessity. This is because the use of the internet is almost guaranteed for everyone now considering the increase in the number of people with online jobs along with those who regularly use it for classes and for social media. The amount of data they upload online will always be vulnerable which makes it important to always use a VPN. Most of these services offer free trials anyways which allows users to test out its features and see if it is compatible for their internet connection and for their browsing habits.

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