There was a lot of talking lately about Hotspot Shield, a free VPN service. The tool is ideal for watching Hulu, ABC, NBC, Fox or other restricted video streaming sites for visitors outside US. As I have received a lot of questions regarding VPNs, I have gathered info from several sources that explain what VPNs are and how they work to hide your IP address. Enjoy!
Basically, a VPN is a private network that uses a public network (usually the Internet) to connect remote sites or users together. Instead of using a dedicated, real-world connection such as leased line, a VPN uses “virtual” connections routed through the Internet.
One of the best things about VPNs is that they allows computer users to access a network via an IP address other than the one that actually connects their computer to the Internet. This service is exposed to general public through anonymous VPN servers.
Anonymous VPN servers create an encrypted tunnel which is used to route your Internet traffic, hide ip address and protect it from ISPs or system administrators’ snooping. Your email and ICQ correspondence will be safely protected as well as your Internet activity. There are different companies offering anonymous VPN access, like AnchorFree, AlwaysVPN or Relakks.
Here are some advantages of using anonymous VPNs servers:
- Hide IP address for anonymous surfing
- Secure protection against data retention.
- Secure VPN connection also for WiFi/WLAN
- Used for all Internet applications – Web, Email, Usenet, VoIP, P2P, Emule, Torrent, tor, …
- Easy to install on MS Windows or Mac
Sources: Wikipedia, HowStuffWorks & AnonymousIndex
2 Trackbacks
[...] Shield is a small software that creates a VPN between your computer and an Internet gateway. It’s ideal for watching Hulu, ABC, NBC, [...]
[...] Mozilla Thunderbird or other desktop application to send you emails the best solution is to use a VPN service. The downsides of this approach are that you have to find a VPN service with IP addresses in the [...]