What Is A VPN & How Does It Work

Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a data encryption method that allows for total privacy and anonymity in the internet world. Data encryption means converting online information into a format that is not readable by others. Imagine your regular text and language scrambled up into words and alphabets that are foreign to you. Data encryption is quite similar to this.

It is done to prevent data from falling into the wrong hands and being abused. It ensures that the identity and other sensitive information about the sender of data is not compromised in any way. Today, let’s talk a little more about VPN.

What is a VPN?

A VPN is essentially a private network that offers a layer of protection and anonymity to all the data you send online. Even when using a public network, a VPN will encrypt your data and make it inaccessible to those who need not see it. It is like a blanket of security that does not allow for data leaks online. This way, the internet service provider (ISP) and other third parties need not find out about your online habits, the websites you visit, your history, online activities, etc. Your VPN converts all your data into an unreadable format, so it is not accessed by outsiders and third parties and used to your disadvantage.

Many private organizations offer a variety of VPNs throughout the world. Although some of these are free, usually, you need to pay up an amount to use a VPN. When it comes to picking out the best VPN, ExpressVPN comes to mind. Other good examples are NordVPN, Norton, and Surfshark. Some companies like CyberGhost allow you to try free VPN for a limited period.

What Should a Good VPN Do?

An essential purpose behind installing a VPN is to protect online data and ensure privacy and security when undertaking online activities like shopping, business transactions, etc. But a good VPN should go beyond this. Let us talk here about the various tasks a good VPN should perform to help protect your devices from untoward entities.

Must Read: How to Use a VPN and Why You Need One

1. Ensure Full Proof Encryption of Online Data

Your VPN should convert all your online data into an enciphered format that third parties cannot read. This is to ensure others do not access the data in the first place. If all the online information exchanged is not encrypted, it will be easily viewed by anyone and might end up compromising your identity and online spaces. So data encryption and protection from nefarious individuals is one of the most critical tasks a VPN should undertake.

2. Not Revealing Your Location and IP Addresses

By default, a VPN is a private server that acts as an intermediary between you and the internet. This remote server is like your representative or internet proxy. Because the location of such a private server may be in another country, your original location always stays private and is known only to you. Due to this, all your Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and areas associated with all your online activity remain anonymous and unknown to others. This goes a long way in ensuring your privacy and securing your online identity.

Another thing that a good VPN must do is never keep logs of your activity. Although internet service providers maintain a record of your online activity, no such record is stored by the VPN. This ensures that sensitive information is not accessed and used by outsiders, some of whom might misuse the said info.

3. Providing Access to Global Online Content

Different countries worldwide have different online content in the form of web series, movies, blogs, etc. Most VPNs have servers in various countries and allow their users to download and view content from all of them. A good VPN must facilitate this too.

How Does a VPN Work?

We have already discussed data encryption. Apart from this, a VPN routes all your information to its private server instead of your ISP. This way, all the data from your devices to the internet comes from your VPN and not your computer/smartphone/laptop.

A VPN acts as a barrier of sorts, a strong middleman that does not reveal your identity and other vital factors about your online presence. This way, your IP address remains anonymous and unknown to third parties, thereby keeping your online presence private and secure.

Your VPN acts as an intermediary between your devices and the internet, ensuring that your confidential information does not reach individuals with malicious intentions. It also creates a tunnel through which data travels via the internet in an encrypted fashion. Essentially, it is like scrambling data, so it cannot be interpreted even when it is accessed.

Such encryption is crucial for online financial transactions, protecting passwords, respecting data privacy, etc. Encrypted data is quite similar to unreadable code. So even if third parties access it, they won’t be able to understand and use any of it.

By allowing you the service of a private server – the one belonging to the VPN – your original IP address remains unknown and protected. This is very important to avoid identity theft, and the IP address displayed on your devices is the IP address of the VPN’s server. So, if your browsing habits are not very healthy and you have accessed unsafe sites, you are still well-protected.

There is one more critical function that VPNs perform. Most of them allow users to download internet content (online shows, videos, movies, etc.) that would not otherwise be available in their area. So, even if you are based in New York, e.g. you can download a movie from Spain which otherwise would not have been available on the internet. Hence, VPNs also provide you with global entertainment options.

Your VPN affects the functioning of your devices to some extent, depending upon the kind of software you are using. Most VPNs work directly with the settings of an operating system such as Windows, Mac, OS, iOS, Android, etc. Aligning the VPN to the operating system’s settings ensures that all apps in the devices are well protected.

VPNs are of different types. There are standalone VPN services, browser extensions, and router VPNs. There is also a corporate VPN for company employees who work remotely. The Namecheap VPN offers standalone VPN services. A browser extension is like an add-on, something additional to it, which you can install to browsers and search engines like Google and Opera to make them more secure. Then you also have VPN-enabled routers, which are similar to the modems your ISP offers. The VPN user can access the internet with a username and password.

Benefits of Using VPN

There are several benefits of using VPN; however, below are the major ones.

• Security – It helps safeguard personal information and other data while surfing the internet.
• Privacy – It is a way to hide essential aspects such as your IP address, the location of your computer, and your search history to block website trackers, Internet service providers, and hackers.
• No data and bandwidth throttling – By using a VPN, you can avoid data usage caps and encrypt your device’s internet traffic, so you can get the same speed on each website.
• No more censorship – With a VPN, you can access any website from anywhere in the world without getting geographical restrictions. You can watch Netflix, Prime videos, Apple TV, and many more.

What VPN To Use?

There are a lot of VPN services available in the market. However, not all can be trusted. Therefore, to save you from sifting through them and finding the reliable one, we recommend using Systweak VPN. It is a fast, secure, and trustworthy VPN service that allows accessing geo-restricted entertainment content and websites anonymously.   It uses Open VPN and AES 256-bit encryption, to secure incoming and outgoing traffic thereby ensuring no one accesses your information or traces you using digital footprints. This makes Systweak VPN one of the best VPN services for Windows.  Some of its features are:

1. Compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, 8.1, 7, and Windows XP
2. Comes with a zero log policy
3. Has a Kill Switch to protect your data
4. Unblocks Netflix and other streaming services
5. DNS leak Protection

How To Use Systweak VPN on Windows?

Once you download Systweak VPN, you can follow the below steps to stay anonymous while surfing the internet:

1. Launch the VPN

2. Now, you need to either sign in if you have an account or Sign up if you are a new user.
3. Once done, locate the ON/OFF slider from the top left side of the app and click on it to enable Systweak VPN

4. As soon as the connection is established, you can start browsing the web incognito

Summary:

This is how a VPN works. If you surf the internet a lot or want to access geo-restricted content, a VPN service is a must. Systweak VPN can help you protect the sovereignty of your data and assure ethicality. To know more about Systweak VPN, download now!