4/08/2014

How to choose the best VPN service


Some often forgotten but very important considerations for choosing the best VPN service

There are literally hundreds of VPN products competing in the market place. We've put together a simple guide to help you identify the most important yet often overlooked factors.

1. Easy to use Graphical User Interface (GUI):
Don't be fooled by low subscription prices and promises of easy setup! Does the VPN have a GUI? If it doesn't then you will lose much of the power of a VPN. Would you really like to manually change settings in control panel every time you wish to choose a different location? What happens when the server you've selected is fully loaded? What if you want to choose a location that allows P2P? Check the screen shots!

2. Ability to choose switch IP locations freely at will:
Many people look at the list of IP locations available and choose their VPN provider based on this. For example StrongVPN, one of the more popular providers, limits the number of locations subscribers can use and charges for additional switches. If you don't want to have to choose between US Netflix or Hulu and BBC iPlayer then choose a VPN that allows unlimited location switching. Save money and do more online.

Choose a VPN provider that has all of he locations you need including one close to home and anywhere you'd like to access regionally restricted content. Also look to whether they include locations that you can legally P2P from.

3. Maximize privacy with no server logging:
If your browsing data is stored then it can be shared or hacked. The easiest way to identify a VPN provider as a logger is to see where they are incorporated. Edward Snowden's leaks revealed that US and UK based providers are legally required to log users activities. Why use passwords if you don't care who accesses your information? Same goes for a VPN: why use one if you are still creating a permanent, shareable record of all activity? One of the largest VPN providers (HideMyAss) confirmed this by working with the FBI to identify a LULZSEC member who had used their service for anonymity. For the highest level of privacy choose a VPN that accepts bitcoin.

4. Level of encryption:
The strongest encryption available publicly is AES256bit. Many encryption levels beneath this can now be “read in the clear”. Go with the strongest available.

5. Access from anywhere with Deep packet inspection shield (DPI):
As we recently saw in Turkey, the Internet can be censored and blocked based on a users location. Losing access to social media sites including Facebook, Youtube and Twitter can be inconvenient for travelers to highly disruptive for people whose business relies upon it. These efforts to block have included targeting VPN users. Choosing a VPN that can hide the fact that you are using a VPN ensures you can keep access no matter where you go (including behind the great firewall of China), for this use a VPN with the option to use “deep packet inspection shield”.

6. Transparent and active server load management:
For reliable speeds when connecting to the Internet via VPN choose one that actively manages server loads and gives the user tools to select a server that is not heavily loaded.

Considering all of the above we recommend VPN4ALL as the best VPN for people where they are located. The present locations are identified below. 

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