Question Questions about installing a VPN

[SL149]

Hi,

I am thinking about downloading a VPN for my new computer. I have been looking into Avast VPN since I have Avast Premium Security. I was reading the reviews about their VPN and they were just average/so so. I have also been looking into NordVPN which got excellent reviews. The question that I have is, if I download NordVPN, will it be compatible with my Avast security software? I am looking for a user friendly VPN that will work with Avast.

I appreciate any help and/or suggestions!

Thanks!

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

if I download NordVPN, will it be compatible with my Avast security software?

yes.

and using extra large fonts just makes the thread a bit annoying to look at and will probably deter many from bothering to answer.

 

[kanewolf]

Hi,

I am thinking about downloading a VPN for my new computer. I have been looking into Avast VPN since I have Avast Premium Security. I was reading the reviews about their VPN and they were just average/so so. I have also been looking into NordVPN which got excellent reviews. The question that I have is, if I download NordVPN, will it be compatible with my Avast security software? I am looking for a user friendly VPN that will work with Avast.

I appreciate any help and/or suggestions!

Thanks!

What benefit do you believe you will get from VPN software ? You might be wasting your time.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hi,

I am thinking about downloading a VPN for my new computer. I have been looking into Avast VPN since I have Avast Premium Security. I was reading the reviews about their VPN and they were just average/so so. I have also been looking into NordVPN which got excellent reviews. The question that I have is, if I download NordVPN, will it be compatible with my Avast security software? I am looking for a user friendly VPN that will work with Avast.

I appreciate any help and/or suggestions!

Thanks!

The thing about VPN's is really down to how many servers they have in different country's, and what the cost is.

I have Avast VPN. It works as expected. It has many location servers. I've also tried Nord VPN, and prefer Avast, For a multilicence I have Avast VPN it on phones, tablets etc.

 

[SL149]

yes.

and using extra large fonts just makes the thread a bit annoying to look at and will probably deter many from bothering to answer.

Thank you for your reply.. but I don't see too well so I need the extra large fonts!! 🙄 What would you do, if you had a problem with your eyesight??? 🙄 🙄

 

[SL149]

What benefit do you believe you will get from VPN software ? You might be wasting your time.

A secure server, but that's why I'm here, to ask for advice.

 

[SL149]

The thing about VPN's is really down to how many servers they have in different country's, and what the cost is.

I have Avast VPN. It works as expected. It has many location servers. I've also tried Nord VPN, and prefer Avast, For a multilicence I have Avast VPN it on phones, tablets etc.

Thank you! I have just 1 desktop, 3 Iphones, 1 old MAC laptop and 1 old Ipad. Do you recommend I buy the Avast VPN?

 

[kanewolf]

A secure server, but that's why I'm here, to ask for advice.

A VPN service does not provide a server. You can have an encrypted network path to a host outside your IP address. If you are trying to get around geographic restrictions you might benefit. If you are trying to get additional security, you get only a small benefit. Most network traffic is already encrypted with HTTPS or other protocols.
A VPN client does not provide a secure entry to you personal network from a remote location.
Does a VPN provide you benefits? Only you can answer. I do not use one.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

What would you do, if you had a problem with your eyesight?

i actually do.
and i wear corrective lenses.

 

[SL149]

A VPN service does not provide a server. You can have an encrypted network path to a host outside your IP address. If you are trying to get around geographic restrictions you might benefit. If you are trying to get additional security, you get only a small benefit. Most network traffic is already encrypted with HTTPS or other protocols.
A VPN client does not provide a secure entry to you personal network from a remote location.
Does a VPN provide you benefits? Only you can answer. I do not use one.

I don't understand what you are talking about....I'm a novice when it comes to VPNs. That is why I am asking questions on this forum. From what I have been reading about Avast and Nord VPNs, they do provide a private server. But, I'm not sure what you mean, so please answer me in laymen's terms. Thanks!!

 

[SL149]

i actually do.
and i wear corrective lenses.

Yes, and so do I, but on certain websites, including this one, the font is way too small for me to see, even with glasses! I'm not going to apologize for my eyesight problem. Have a good day.

 

[kanewolf]

I don't understand what you are talking about....I'm a novice when it comes to VPNs. That is why I am asking questions on this forum. From what I have been reading about Avast and Nord VPNs, they do provide a private server. But, I'm not sure what you mean, so please answer me in laymen's terms. Thanks!!

Maybe the term "server" is being misunderstood. Here is the pricing page from NordVPN -- https://nordvpn.com/pricing/ I do not see the availability of a general purpose server in their plan.
Basic description of a VPN. You put software on your PC. That PC then makes an encrypted connection to a server farm somewhere. Then when you access the internet movie database (IMDB.com), for example, your request goes to the server farm via the encrypted link. A host in that server farm then connects to IMDB.com. The results of that connection to IMDB are relayed over the secure link to your PC. That is the definition of a VPN server.
OR do you actually want a host somewhere "in the cloud" where you can host software and webpages, etc ? This is the definition of a "server" to me.

 

[SL149]

Maybe the term "server" is being misunderstood. Here is the pricing page from NordVPN -- https://nordvpn.com/pricing/ I do not see the availability of a general purpose server in their plan.
Basic description of a VPN. You put software on your PC. That PC then makes an encrypted connection to a server farm somewhere. Then when you access the internet movie database (IMDB.com), for example, your request goes to the server farm via the encrypted link. A host in that server farm then connects to IMDB.com. The results of that connection to IMDB are relayed over the secure link to your PC. That is the definition of a VPN server.
OR do you actually want a host somewhere "in the cloud" where you can host software and webpages, etc ? This is the definition of a "server" to me.

What I basically want is a secure connection to do my online banking and anything else that I do which is sending emails, going on websites, etc. I don't want my IP address showing or any other personal information. So, the bottom line is, do you think I need a VPN? I'm not a business...I am just a home user with a family, BUT, I don't want my information compromised on the internet.

 

[USAFRet]

What I basically want is a secure connection to do my online banking and anything else that I do which is sending emails, going on websites, etc. I don't want my IP address showing or any other personal information. So, the bottom line is, do you think I need a VPN? I'm not a business...I am just a home user with a family, BUT, I don't want my information compromised on the internet.

I would answer your question with "No, you do not need a VPN service."

The connection between you and your bank or email provider is already encrypted.
Or even your connection to this site.
As evidenced by the "https" in the address bar.

 

[kanewolf]

What I basically want is a secure connection to do my online banking and anything else that I do which is sending emails, going on websites, etc. I don't want my IP address showing or any other personal information. So, the bottom line is, do you think I need a VPN? I'm not a business...I am just a home user with a family, BUT, I don't want my information compromised on the internet.

If you believe you need to hide your home IP address then you need a VPN. Banking, websites, most e-mail is already encrypted by HTTPS, so you don't get any extra security. You do get cookie blocking, with a VPN.
I personally don't believe there is any benefit to hiding my IP address from my bank, for example. I live in a country where I don't worry about the govt (some would say I am nuts with that attitude).
I believe that the VPN companies over-hype the risk, to boost sales. If you aren't scared, then they have no product to fix your "problem".

 

[SL149]

@kanewolf @USAFRet Thank you, I don't think I will get the VPN! Thanks so much for your help, I truly appreciate it!

 

[kanewolf]

@kanewolf @USAFRet Thank you, I don't think I will get the VPN! Thanks so much for your help, I truly appreciate it!

I don't have a bias against VPNs, if you are getting benefits. If you told me you had to use hotel internet 30% of the time, then I might say you could benefit. Of if you were worried about a man-in-the-middle attack at a coffee shop, then a VPN could benefit you.
BUT, I am trying to give you some less biased (maybe not completely unbiased) discussion about what the actual benefits are. There can be benefits. A home user, with wired or WIFI encrypted with WPA2 and a reasonably complex password has VERY little security to gain with a VPN.
If you said "I want secure remote access to my network at home." then a VPN could be beneficial, but it is a different kind of VPN than you have described. That would be a VPN server on your home network, not VPN client software on your devices.

 

[bill001g]

A couple example of why you would want a VPN.

It allows you to get around geolocation. Some companies have been abusing this for example to show you ads from local business. People will do it say to watch netflix or maybe bbc in countries where you can't get it. Lately some states changed the porn laws and the porn sites now want a copy of your ID to make sure your 18 based on the state you ip is in.....like that won't get hacked.

Sometime it allows for better game performance but only on certain games and generally only on the vpn providers who specialize in gaming.

It allows you to hide what sites you are going to from your ISP or maybe your employer if you are using their network. They can't see the actual data or what you are doing because of https but they can see the ip addresses you access. ATT was known for tracking sites you visit as part of their advertising.

And of course there is the oldest use which is to pirate things like movies and software. VPN only partially protects you when you are doing illegal stuff.

None of these really is security.

VPN also has a few downsides including the costs. The VPN software can be tricky to use and not sometime leak data around the vpn. You will also see lots and lots of captch challenges because sites are seeing mulitple people using the same IP and that breaks their tracking cookies. Some sites also detect you are using VPN based on the IP ranges the VPN provider is using and prevent you from using their site. Hackers use VPN so some sites just assume everyone using a vpn is a hacker.

 

[NedSmelly]

Yes, and so do I, but on certain websites, including this one, the font is way too small for me to see, even with glasses! I'm not going to apologize for my eyesight problem. Have a good day.

Set your system’s display scaling to suit your eyesight, and use the default forum font size. Ctrl + to embiggen your browser window.

The way that you’ve done it mandates the rest of the internet to use your giant font. Some may interpret that to be just as inconsiderate.

What I basically want is a secure connection to do my online banking and anything else that I do which is sending emails, going on websites, etc.

Don’t need a VPN for that application.

I have PIA for VPN and only use it when I need to access region blocked sites. All other times I don’t use it. Don’t even bother with it on public wifi as (1) a lot of public wifi blocks known VPN addresses, and (2) personal cellular access is more secure regardless.

Edit: another thing worth mentioning. When using a VPN you are sharing an IP address with other VPN users and some sites will think that you’re up to nefarious purposes, leading to blocked access. E.g. Google search will constantly throw you a Captcha, which gets old very quickly. It’s even possible that your bank might block a VPN IP address, or flag it as fraudulent access.