Virtual Private Networks/VPNs
 

Is anyone using a VPN while on the 'Net?

I've read some VPN providers are good while others can be...not so good. One question that is important is-do they collect your information and use it/sell it?

Some time ago I played around with one VPN and the drag it caused on getting to any website was so bad I gave up. Perhaps they are better these days.

While traveling I sometimes need a public wifi connection (I don't use a smartphone) and use such public connections as little as possible. A VPN would be a huge help as far as security goes but it also would be great while at home.

Any help appreciated.

Yes, some of them are just there to re-sell your usage info. I'm shopping around again myself (have been using ExpressVPN, but looking to switch) and Mullvad looks good.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullvad

I've definitely seen man-in-the-middle stuff happening in hotels, and using in-the-store wifi on my phone. Usually my mail app(s) will start complaining that they can't verify the mail server identity. It's not crazy to be using a VPN on those sorts of networks.

I used Nord VPN while in Mexico to trick my home cable company into thinking I was still in the USA so I could access my cable in a foreign country. Worked great. Nord is one of the more expensive options.

Does Nord VPN slow the speed of your Internet speed, was thinking of same ?

Not that I noticed. I used it in New Hampshire, San Francisco and Mexico. Some of my Xfinity stations would not let me watch live, but I could record it on my home DVR in San Francisco, from anywhere.

It took a few seconds to load on startup and sometimes I would chose the location of the ISP I needed to access. I found no issues with speed.

The VPN also replaced any need for another anti-virus program and your identity can't be tracked nor ID'd.

Another one to look at is https://www.f-secure.com/us-en although they don't have a linux client.

VPNs
 

VPNs are a good idea but look at evaluations before use. VPNs resell info as a basic operating function. Nord is based in Russia.

AI Overview
Does NordVPN Work in Russia? - A Full VPN Guide
NordVPN has no servers in Russia and is not located there, having shut down its Russian servers in 2019 to avoid complying with government requests. The company is based in Panama for privacy reasons, with its parent company, Nord Security, headquartered in the Netherlands.
No Russian servers: NordVPN shut down all of its servers in Russia in April 2019 and removed the option to connect to them.
No Russian-based operations: The company is not based in Russia and has no connections there.
Headquarters: The parent company, Nord Security, is headquartered in the Netherlands.
Operational jurisdiction: For privacy reasons, NordVPN operates under the jurisdiction of Panama, which has strict privacy laws and no mandatory data retention requirements.
Availability in Russia: Users in Russia can still access NordVPN, but they must connect to servers in other countries, as there are no Russian servers available.

Home based VPN
 

Another option is a VPN provided by your own router. Then, no matter where you are in the world, your communiciation routes through your own home. You own the logs and your subscribed services think you are at home. If you have symetricial (ie, fiber) high-speed internet, latency will be acceptable. The Unifi product line is what I use, although there may be others.

I use Surfshark VPN for only one thing. My streaming TV service. It lets me watch my home market wherever I am in the country. $60/yr. Well worth it and it works flawlessly…..

Can you watch all TV shows live? NORD isolates some channels to the ability to record the program but not watch live. At home it's all available live, but not away from home.

All live all the time. I choose a Boston IP address and the streaming service thinks I am in my home area.

Thank you all-very helpful.

I found this one: https://one.one.one.one/

Their landing page details what they don't collect-interesting.

Cloudflare icon is on upper left of their landing page-same Cloudflare I think
this site uses. I sometimes see a splash screen for Cloudflare when I go to Winniesaukee.com.

- Don perhaps you can weigh in on all of this as well as the VPN I pasted in above?;

- Also, when I use a VPN, is ALL internet usage encrypted across my PC or can I
set up a VPN using say Firefox but not Opera or other browser?

- Does a VPN shield my email traffic too? I use a separate app (MS-Outlook) not a browser-based email plan like Yahoo, MSN etc.;

I can tell you that with Surfshark you can set up whatever sites you want to use it. The rest will use your home base IP.

I use Quad9 as my DNS server for decades. Highly recommended by my IT experts at Enterprise Information Services. Using Quad9 and Windows Defender has faithfully kept me out of trouble.
I recomend everyone to use dns security such as Quad9 or Cloudfare.

I use Express and haven't had any issues with it. I'm curious why you were looking to switch.

I have used PIA, Private Internet Access for several years and I'm very happy with them. You can chose a location almost anywhere. I like Canada but you get more options if you use a USA address.

The wikipedia page for expressvpn has some sketchy behavior noted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExpressVPN