Should I Leave My VPN on All the time?

VPN is a virtual private network. It allows the network to redirect your IP address through a specially configured remote server (run by the VPN host), thus hiding it. This means that if you use VPN to access the Internet, the VPN server will become your data source. That is, ISPs and third parties cannot see what websites you visit and what data you send and receive online. VPN is like a filter, turning all your data into "garbled code". Even if someone gets the data, it is useless. The privacy security provided by VPN is an important factor for people to choose VPN.

Should I keep the VPN open after I have it?

The answer is that unless you encounter special circumstances, you should keep the VPN open. Especially when you encounter the following situations, VPN is probably necessary.

① When you link to public Wi-Fi

When you are in a library, coffee shop, airport and other public places, if you need to use the public Wi-Fi service provided by it, it is necessary to start VPN. Because public Wi-Fi is usually connected by many people, public Wi-Fi is often the target of hackers. Or some public Wi-Fi without password itself is fraudulent Wi-Fi provided by hackers. At this time, keeping your VPN open can effectively avoid personal information disclosure.

② Avoid bandwidth limitation by ISP

When your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is in peak use, it will limit the bandwidth consumed by users in order to reduce network congestion. A classic example is that when you are watching a 1080p YouTube video, the definition suddenly decreases after a period of time, it is likely that the ISP has restricted you. Using VPN can effectively avoid the restriction of ISP on you. VPN hides your traffic in front of your ISP through encryption, so that you can avoid the restrictions imposed by your ISP.

③ When you accept or send sensitive information or financial transactions

Hackers may block your connection, but when your traffic is encrypted through VPN, it will be hidden from any snoop. It will be very useful to apply this feature to banking. The bank's website itself is always encrypted, and your information should be secure in the bank. However, hackers may intercept in other ways, such as public Wi-Fi and unencrypted websites. When you need to conduct banking transactions in the above scenarios, please keep the VPN open.

④ When you visit an insecure website

Not all web pages use secure HTTPS extensions. There are still many websites that use old HTTP extensions. At this time, it is a good choice to keep VPN open. In addition, websites using HTTPS do not mean there is no threat. In fact, HTTPS encryption is usually weaker than VPN, so use HTTPS and VPN at the same time as much as possible.

⑤ When you want to avoid annoying personalized advertising

Personalized advertising is painful. If you search for Canon cameras one day, you can imagine that in the next, all online advertisements are full of Canon cameras. Because your ISP will record your actions and sell them to advertisers, advertisers will use this information to provide relevant products for you. VPN will hide your actions from third parties and ISPs, making your actions invisible. If you are tired of annoying personalized advertising, please open VPN.

⑥When you are in another country/region

Not all services are available globally. Some countries/regions may restrict the local use of some services, but this service may be indispensable to you. At this time, you can open VPN to disguise your actual location. The VPN server acts as your proxy on the Internet. Since the statistical location data is from servers in other countries/regions, your actual location cannot be determined.

When might you need to turn off VPN?

① When you need a stable and high-speed network

Since VPN needs to encrypt all your online activities, opening VPN may reduce your network speed. When you are in video conferencing or other situations that require high-speed and stable network, closing VPN may be a better choice. However, there are also VPNs that can provide high-speed and stable networks while ensuring the security of encryption, such as MetroVPN.

② Powerful anti-VPN software

Some major streaming media platforms, such as Netflix, will attempt to use anti-VPN programs to block VPN connections. But reliable VPN service providers can avoid these obstacles.

③ Complexity of configuration

For ordinary people, it seems impossible to configure a VPN service on their own. If the configuration is wrong, they may even be more vulnerable to attack. Therefore, we might as well start with some more humanized VPN service providers. MetroVPN allows you to start using VPN safely, conveniently and quickly.