By: Tamara | Last updated February 29, 2020 
Virtual Private Networks are the solution to the rising threat of lack of internet security. As more and more information is being uploaded online, the number of hackers and their ways of tracking users are also increasing. Without protection, a user’s information can be stolen. This includes your identity, address, and even the location of access. VPNs are tools used to protect you from these online dangers.
Surfshark VPN is a new name in the industry. Despite this, it manages to be one of the top rated services in line with known names like NordVPN and ExpressVPN. This is because it is able to offer top security, speed, and reliability for its users.
For a relatively new name, Surfshark boasts over 800 servers that can be linked to up to 50 countries. This is an excellent number that the service has a wide range. Aside from this, their tunnel protocols use IKEv2 and OpenVPN which are both industry standards.
How does SurfShark protect me?
Virtual Private Networks, in general, are built to allow users to become anonymous while on the internet. Without it, other websites are able to see your IP address which can be traced to discover your location. Aside from this, it can also be used to trace all your internet activities. If you are dealing with sensitive information or just want privacy in general, this is bad news that is, unfortunately, being done by advertisement websites and hackers to unsuspecting users.
Once subscribed to a VPN, you are first given the option to select a country which you will be displayed to be coming from. The amount of people allowed to be within the country’s server depends upon the service that you will survive. It can be either virtual or physical. A testament of a VPN service’s good quality is if their servers are abundant in space.
After this, all of the information that you will upload online will be encrypted. This makes sure that even if hackers will be able to bypass your security, your information will still be secured. After encryption, your data will be sent to their server of your choice. The server will then send the information to the website of your choice.
Because this a long process to ensure your security. Some services also have an option to let you connect to up to two servers to maximize security. The whole process causes internet speed to be slowed down due to the work involved in processing.
The standards that we will be using to review Surfshark will be divided into the following:
Speed – Because VPNs are known to decrease overall internet speed, the quality of Surfshark will be reviewed depending on the speed of surfing whenever it is open. A better VPN will be able to provide speeds that are close to the original.
Security – A good VPN must be able to protect your IP address and your information. It must also use industry-standard protocols and technology.
Torrenting – Because torrenting makes it easier for other users to be able to gather your information because of its peer-to-peer technology, a good VPN must still be able to protect you even if you download through this method.
Good customer service – New users and experienced ones alike can have some difficulties in terms of accessing the technology. Because downtimes are a crucial scene that may cause breaches in security, quick and responsive customer service must be expected. 24/7 live voice or chat must also be available for the users to maintain anonymity and for faster inquiries.
Features – The security of VPNs must not stop at only giving anonymity and providing servers. VPNs must also offer features along with its basic security tools. This includes browser plugins, antivirus software, and more. Aside from this, it must also be accessible for users without much knowledge in the technology.
Interface – The interface should also be given attention. It should be simple enough to be usable by new users and functional enough to do all of the features with simple clicks.
Speed
After enabling Surfshark, the internet speed of our test computer was close to the original. Connecting to its Europe server while being on the United States gave us 90 Mbps of speed form the original of 110 Mbps. Upload speed was 30 Mbps from the original 50 Mbps. These are great speeds for European servers in comparison to other VPNs.
However, when tested on Asian servers particularly Hong Kong, the speed, original from 50 Mbps went down to 25 Mbps, almost half of the originals peed. Ping went up to 200ms showing that it will be hard to play online with such speeds.
While this shows a slower speed and more ping in general, it is still good considering the fact that our test computer is located in the United States. Connecting up to Hong Kong means having thousands of miles away from the original location.
While this may discourage some, having slower internet speeds for both uploading and downloading is to be expected whenever using virtual private networks. This is because of the process involved in connecting you to their server and then sending it to the actual website of your choice. Encryption also comes into the process which may secure it but may also slow down the connection. Surfshark proves itself to be one of the most reliable in terms of speed.
SPEED – Faster on closer countries, slower on those opposite on the globe. Fast speeds mean a reduction of about ¼ of the original speed while slower speeds mean reduction of half of the original speed. Ping also increases with more distance.
Security
The main reason for using a virtual private network is to ensure that you will be given anonymity while online. This is sometimes compromised by some VPNs who may be allowing viruses and malware to come to your systems while being used. Some also act as a logging program that keeps track of your activities while online.
