A mobile VPN (Virtual Private Network) gives users anonymity and online privacy by creating a protected network connection while they use the internet. Using a VPN will make it difficult for third parties to steal your data or track your online activities.
No one likes to be tracked or watched, right? Therefore, people who often use free Wi-Fi hotspots must use mobile VPNs to hide their IP (Internet Protocol) addresses and make their browsing private.
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How Does a Mobile VPN Work?
A VPN establishes an encrypted and secure connection between the network and your device. It basically masks your IP address and forces the network to redirect it via a configured remote server managed by the VPN host.
Simply put, it creates a private tunnel for your data while you use the internet. A VPN also uses encryption protocols to turn your data into utter gibberish, so even if someone manages to access the data, it will be useless for them.
Benefits of VPN on Mobile Phones
The use of mobile VPN on iPhone or Android phones offers innumerable benefits to the users, some of which include the following:
1. Access Blocked Websites
You can use mobile VPNs to access blocked websites in your region. Since VPNs mask your IP addresses, they make the sources think you’re browsing from a region or location that allows access.
However, you must be mindful of the fact that some countries impose penalties for circumventing rules via VPNs.
2. Get Rid of Data Throttling
Internet service providers sometimes slow down your internet speed if you use up a certain amount of data. They do this to increase the internet speed for some users, but you can avoid being subject to the data capping by hiding yourself from the prying eyes of your ISPs.
3. Location Privacy
A VPN makes it impossible for everyone to discover your actual location because your demographic location comes from the host country’s server.
Furthermore, most VPNs do not keep track of anything you do online. Therefore, you can rest assured that your location is permanently obscure.
4. Lower Chances of Corporate Data Breaches
Do you work from home? If you do, then you may need to use the internet to access work-related data. Since VPN encrypts the data as it travels to and from your device, it can eliminate all risks of confidential data leaks.
5. Connect to Public Wi-Fis Without Worrying Much
Almost every public space, including hotels, libraries, pubs and coffee shops, offers free Wi-Fi access. But unlike the home routers, strong password security and encryption protocols do not protect these networks.
Therefore, it is always a good idea to use a VPN to connect to a public network as it will mask your identity and encrypt your data.
5 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Mobile VPN Provider
If you’re planning to use a VPN for the first time, choosing the best VPN provider can be a challenge. Therefore, we have made a checklist of all the significant factors that all first-timers need to consider before choosing a VPN provider.
1. Logging Policy
Logging policy is the first thing you need to look at when choosing a VPN service provider. Reading this policy will let you know everything there is to know about the information that the provider will store about your activities.
It would be best if you choose VPN providers with “No logging” policies because it means they won’t save any information whatsoever about the files you download or websites you visit.
2. Level of Encryption
Checking how strong the level of encryption is also critical. The stronger the level of encryption, the stronger the security of your data will be.
Even though some VPN providers offer 128-bit encryption, the standard for the industry is 256-bit encryption.
3. Is it Really Free?
A free VPN can sometimes mean fewer features and a slower connection. Also, some free VPN providers sell their users’ data or use ads to cover their costs. So, you need to ask yourself, is using a free VPN worth it?
4. What Protocols Do They Use?
Not all VPN service providers are the same. Therefore, we suggest you avoid all VPNs that work on PPTP protocols because of its weak encryption. Such VPNs may be good enough for coffee shops but not for serious data privacy and security.
To cut a long story short, you should always go for an OpenVPN to get the maximum level of data security.
5. How Many Servers Do They Have?
For your own convenience, you should go for a service provider that offers multiple servers to connect to. You can check the provider’s ‘Server List” to see how many servers are there on offer for you to connect to.
It would be best if you went for VPN providers with most servers because you will be more likely to find a reliable and fast server. Therefore, we suggest that you at least go for a provider with 500+ servers.
6 Common VPN Protocols Explained
Before we go on and discuss the types of VPN protocols, let’s tell you what a VPN protocol actually is. It is a set of rules that dictates how your data is going to be packaged and sent over the network.
Now that you know what a VPN protocol is, let’s look at some of the most common VPN protocols in more detail.
1. OpenVPN
OpenVPN is hands down the most popular and one of the most secure VPN protocols. It protects the user’s data via the AES-256-bit key encryption, 160-bit SHA1 hash algorithm and a 2048-bit RSA authentication.
It runs either on the UDP or TCP internet protocol, while the former will focus on speed, and the latter will ensure the delivery of your data in the right order.
Since it is open source, you are free to use it in any other project or check its code for any vulnerabilities.
2. PPTP
PPTP stands for point-to-point tunnelling protocol. It first came out in the mid-90s, making it the oldest VPN protocol. It uses MPPE cipher to encrypt data, making it quite vulnerable to attacks.
However, it can offer you the best speed, so if you just want to use a VPN to stream videos, you may go on and use it.
3. L2TP/IPSec
The L2TP stands for Layer 2 tunnelling protocol. As its name implies, it is just a VPN tunnelling protocol that doesn’t provide authentication or encryption but creates a connection between the VPN server and your device.
It relies on the IPSec tool to encrypt your data and keep it secure and private.
4. IKEv2
IKEv2 stands for Internet Key Exchange version 2. It is a joint effort of both Cisco and Microsoft. Like the L2TP, it is also a tunnelling protocol and uses IPSec for authentication and encryption.
It may not be as popular as other protocols on this list, but many mobile VPN solutions use it. The reason is that it is good at re-establishing connection in case of a network switch or temporary internet loss.
5. SSTP
SSTP stands for Secure Socket Tunnelling Protocol and is a reasonably capable and secure VPN protocol. It sends the L2TP or PPTP traffic via the SSL 3.0 channel and uses a 256-bit SSL cipher for data encryption and 2048-bit certificates for authentication purposes.
Furthermore, you can use it to bypass most firewalls as it uses the standard SSL and TCP port 443.
6. WireGuard
It is the fastest and newest tunnelling protocol that the industry has to offer for now. The use of the latest technology, like ChaCha20 for encryption and Poly1305 (Cryptography Package) for authentication, enables it to outshine the industry leaders, including IKEv2 and OpenVPN.
However, it is still in the experimental phase.
How to Setup VPN on Android Phones Manually?
Did you know that you can set up a VPN on any Android phone without an app? However, you need to know that just because Android phones offer free VPN support doesn’t mean the service you plan to use will also be free.
The steps for setting up a manual VPN are relatively simple as well. However, they may vary depending on the make and model of your phone.
So, in general, the manual steps for setting up a VPN on Android phones are as follows:
- Open your phone’s ‘Settings’.
- Go to the network settings page by tapping ‘Wireless Networks’ or ‘Wi-Fi & Internet’.
- Tap ‘VPN’ or ‘More’ to expand the list and find the ‘VPN’ option.
- Access the advanced menu option. You can generally access it by tapping the vertical dots icon at the screen’s top right corner.
- Once you access the advanced menu option, you will have to enter the username, password, select the VPN protocol, and server address (Note: You can get this info from your network admin).
- ‘Save’ the new VPN profile once you enter all the above information.
Once the profile is ‘Saved’, it will appear under the ‘VPN’ tab. You can just tap it to establish the connection and go under the cover.
How to Set Up a VPN on iPhones Manually?
Even though using a mobile VPN app is the quickest and easiest way to go undercover for iPhone users, like Android phones, it isn’t the only way to make browsing private on iPhones.
Setting up a VPN on iPhones is just as easy as shooting a fish in a barrel. All you need to do is:
- Go to your phone’s ‘Settings’.
- Tap ‘General’.
- Scroll down a bit and tap ‘Add VPN Configuration’.
- Set up the login credentials, select the VPN protocol, and enter the server address & Remote ID (Note: You can get this info from your network admin).
- Once you enter all the information, tap ‘Done’ to save the profile.
After setting up the VPN profile, you can enable it from the ‘Settings’.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why Should I Use Mobile VPN?
Anyone who has access to the network and intends to see your data can view it if it is not subject to encryption. So, the reason to use a VPN on mobile phones, whether it be an iPhone or Android phone, is simple. You need it to guard your internet traffic against interception.
Best Android VPN Apps
Unfortunately, most VPN apps on Play Store are not good. Some lack essential security features, while others keep user logs or reduce internet speed. Therefore, it is safe to say that finding the one that suits you the best is just like finding a needle in a stack of needles.
However, we have made a list of the best mobile VPN apps for Android phones to make things easier for you:
- ExpressVPN – Best for users who value speed above anything else
- NordVPN – Brings an extra layer of security to the table
- CyberGhost VPN – Budget-friendly, fast and secure
- PrivateVPN – Provides good streaming support and has a minimalistic design
- Surfshark – A bit tight on the budget? Then this is the best app for you
Best iPhone VPN Apps
Apple takes pride in rolling out phones with maximum security. However, it still doesn’t mean you should not consider beefing up your phone’s security with a VPN. Since not all apps can seamlessly pair with iOS, the leading VPN providers are now focusing on rolling out Apple-focused VPN apps.
However, before you rush to the AppStore to look for an app, take a look at our list of the top 5 Mobile VPN apps for iPhones:
- Atlas VPN – Offers a comfortable browsing experience to the users
- NordVPN – Known in the market for its enhanced security features
- IPVanish – Want to crack into Netflix? If yes, then this is the best option for you
- PrivateVPN – Offers customizable encryption for iOS devices
- Surfshark – Best if you want unlimited connections simultaneously
Wrap Up
We hope you now know everything there is to know about Mobile VPNs. Feel free to comment—we at Talk Home value any input we receive from our readers.
