The popularity of VPN (Virtual Private Network) has increased among a variety of users including travelers, gamers, and investors in streaming media and cryptocurrency services, which has led to rapid growth in the Virtual Private Network industry in the recent past.
But did you know that by simply updating and properly configuring your VPN app, you can greatly improve the speed, convenience, and security of your Internet connection? But how did that happen?
VPN service, new protocol:
After activating the VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection, you can establish an encrypted connection through one of the VPN service provider's servers to change the public IP address and protect your data.
All VPN services have been using the outdated and not quite secure connection protocols PPTP and L2TP for years, as well as the newer, slower and more secure OpenVPN protocol.
But new VPN protocols have appeared recently, for example: the (Catapult Hydra) protocol used in Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection.
Catapult Hydra is the fastest protocol with which Kaspersky VPN recently won a benchmark test for leading VPN solutions.
Since the Catapult Hydra protocol is not open source, cybersecurity researchers have questioned its security and privacy. However, a recent independent review of the Catapult Hydra source code found no serious vulnerabilities.
Another popular protocol is WireGuard, which transfers data much faster than OpenVPN and is designed to reduce latency and provide instant connections.
Also, OpenVPN is an open source protocol and can be found on many VPN services, including: Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection.
Workaround: Select the correct protocol in each device's VPN settings. The protocols, in descending order of speed, are: Catapult Hydra, WireGuard, and OpenVPN. Other protocols cannot provide you with enough security, especially for financial transactions.
Best server:
The most important factors that you should pay attention to when choosing a VPN service are the number of servers and their geographical location, as the number of servers increases the chances of a good connection.
It makes sense to choose a server that fits your specific needs, whether that's as close as possible to your physical location or in an area where you want to access available websites.
So if you are using a VPN to play safely, you should choose a VPN server located in the same country as the game server to ensure a faster and more stable connection. Servers in the country where the content is being streamed also tend to provide a more stable connection when watching the content.
Sometimes municipal or government services are not available from abroad for various reasons. In this case, the right VPN server can help city dwellers or citizens of any country get the information they need when they are outside the country where the service is provided.
Excessive use and congestion of the closest available servers can slow down connections. In this case, it is worth trying other servers in the same region.
In addition, Kaspersky VPN outperforms most of its competitors not only in speed but also in the number of servers available: 99 locations in 80 countries with more than 2,000 servers in use.
What to do: Update the app regularly and check the updated server list. You can also choose the best VPN server for your task, keeping in mind the geographic distance of the online service you want.
Protect all devices and the entire network:
Most VPN services offer versions for Windows, Android, and iOS, but most of the companies that develop these services sometimes ignore Mac computers. But effective solutions exist not only for Mac computers, but also for smart TVs, game consoles, and smart home devices that don't support VPN.
It's about setting up a secure VPN within the router itself, allowing you to route any usage from any device on your home network through the VPN. The service (Kaspersky VPN) is known to work on routers and also offers a native version for macOS.
What to do: Make sure all your devices are running a VPN, especially the one you use for financial transactions.
Advanced Settings:
In the beginning, almost all VPN applications were based on the simple principle of turning the network on or off. But in real life it is not always appropriate. For example, smartphone users still want to secure encrypted wallet applications with a VPN and don't want to manage financial information without using an encrypted connection. Some online stores now require you to disable the VPN.
Therefore, modern VPN applications allow you to configure split tunneling and a kill switch. The split tunneling settings allow you to choose which apps are always running over the VPN, or vice versa: choose which ones you don't use. For example, you can use two different browsers: one that allows access to websites through a VPN and one that provides direct access.
On the other hand, the setting (the kill switch) prevents all data from being transferred if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly, for example when your smartphone automatically switches from using mobile data to using Wi-Fi. -Fay experienced in this situation.
What to do: Configure the VPN individually for the apps you need, or disable it for specific apps. You can also access the site using another browser, with or without a VPN connection.