VPNs can be incredibly useful for numerous different reasons, but a lot of people install them on mobile devices and phones rather than their desktop computers and laptops. Whether you are doing research for work or just browsing content online in your free time, a VPN for PC can help.
No matter what you are doing, having a VPN available as an option allows you to be much more versatile with your internet habits, as well as opening up more ways to find the information you need or the content that you love. But why should you get a VPN if you do not have one already?
Location
The biggest benefit of a VPN is being able to set your location to almost anywhere. Even if this does not benefit you when you are using the internet normally, it lets you get access to all kinds of shows and sites that might not be available in your country.
This can seem like a small use at first, but it actually makes a major difference. Many sites are only available in certain countries for various specific reasons, and it can be annoying to research specific information if half of the websites are blocked or unavailable in your area.
With a VPN, you can spoof your location, getting access to all kinds of websites that would otherwise only operate in a specific country. Not only can you catch internet shows that might not be available in the US, but you can also find out important information that might be relevant to your job.
Laws
Many countries have unfair laws about internet access, including laws that may be based on prejudice or political tensions. This can often mean that it is impossible to access content that you would otherwise be legally allowed to access, including things that are vital for your job or home life.
A VPN can allow you to get around aggressive internet policies that would otherwise stop you from being able to do your job and live your life, which can be important in countries or areas where there are not any other options. This allows information to stay accessible to everybody.
Remember that VPNs need to follow the laws of the country where their headquarters are based in, meaning that the country of the VPN provider is important too. So be sure to research as much as you can before making any decision.
Anonymity
There is a lot of confusion about how VPNs work and what they can do, but they are a valuable tool for staying anonymous. Not only can they help hide some of your activity from the sites that you visit (or at least credit it to the VPN instead of you), but they can act as an extra layer of internet security.
A VPN works like ‘safety in numbers’, making sure that most of your activity can’t be credited back to you. A site or service might still see what you are doing but will not necessarily be able to tell that it is your exact address that is doing it – not even your own ISP.
Since so many people use the same VPN servers at once, it is impossible for most services to tell which of the VPN’s users is actually accessing it at each moment. You are able to hide among the ranks of the VPN’s other users, anonymous but still able to explore content at your own pace.
Security
Most VPNs have their own built-in security measures and these ‘stack’ with the security measures on your own computer. Since PCs often have the most comprehensive and customizable security options available (compared to phones and tablets, at least), this can be a very powerful combination.
Not only can VPNs generally help to keep you secure, protecting both your data and the files on your device, but they can also work with your computer’s security system to give you even stronger protection. If one misses something, the other is likely to catch it.
This can be a great reason to browse the internet with your VPN turned on at almost all times, no matter how mundane your searches are. Good VPNs offer no backdoors for viruses to slip into your system, giving you an extra layer of protection from common internet hazards.
Encryption
Not only do VPNs hide the identity of the people using them, but they are able to encrypt other information – which can help prevent data loss and leaks. The encrypted information is a lot harder to pick apart and is much less likely to get used against you, making it much more secure.
This has a huge range of benefits, but the most obvious is your own personal safety – your details are kept completely safe, and you are not put at any major risk. Even if a service you use through the VPN needs your personal details, they will not be shared with every person that passes through.
Thanks to encryption, this essentially means that your online details, messages, and passwords come across as garbled strings of text. Even the most prepared hackers will struggle to decrypt your information, and unprepared ones will simply give up, helping you stay safe online.
Bandwidth
A lot of ISPs and internet network businesses will throttle your bandwidth if they detect that you are using too much or if you are engaging in certain internet activities that they deem a waste of bandwidth. With a VPN, though. You have more ways to avoid bandwidth throttling issues.
This is because your ISP can’t generally see what you are doing or where you are going, meaning that automated throttling systems are not as much of a problem. This also means that you can download a lot of content from another country without having your download limits capped or your speed slowed.
VPNs might have their own bandwidth limits, but these are purely because of how many people run through the server at once. As long as you are not using your VPN for thousands of major downloads every day, this cap should not be a problem most of the time, if it even exists for a certain VPN at all.
A VPN for PC use can be incredibly powerful, but you need to choose the right VPN for the job. Every user is different, so make sure to choose one that matches your personal needs.
