Relatively recently VPN technologies have become very popular among users of computer and mobile technology. Most, however, do not really think about why a VPN is needed on a phone, tablet, desktop computer and laptop, or how it all works. Let us try to consider some aspects of these issues, without particularly going into technical terms and descriptions of the principles of functioning.
What is a VPN in a general sense?
The acronym VPN is derived from the English phrase Virtual Private Network, which literally means "private virtual network." Unfortunately, this term does not fully characterize the very organization of such networks, the principles of operation, and why a VPN is needed at all. Yes, of course, some conclusions can be drawn from the definition. In particular, it can be clearly understood that such a definition means a network to which a limited number of users have access.
However, this network is not simple but secure, so that the transmitted and received data passes through a kind of tunnel in an encrypted form, and it is almost impossible to access them outside the network. But this is only a general concept. If you dig deeper, you can find a lot of similarities between VPNs and anonymizers or similar proxy servers that can provide not only information protection, but also anonymity of a user’s stay on the Internet, naturally, even with concealing traces of visiting certain resources.
Understanding Tunneling Technology
There’s no need to talk about why a VPN is needed without understanding how it all works, even at the most primitive level. Therefore, we briefly dwell on the principles of the functioning of connections of this type. For simplicity of explanation, we use the following example.
Data is transferred from one computer or mobile device to another exclusively through a special secure channel called a tunnel. At the output, the traffic is encrypted, and at the input, decryption can be done only if there is an appropriate key that is known only to the transmitting and receiving sides. Since access to the network is also limited, only registered users can use it.
But, talking about why you need a VPN at home or in the office and on different devices when working on the Internet, you should especially pay attention to the fact that when using such technologies, the external IP address of the device from which you connect to a specific resource is changed. Why is this done? The fact is that each device, when connected to the World Wide Web, is assigned a unique external identifier (IP address), even if it is dynamically changed, which directly depends on the geographic location of the provider. Based on this, it is easy to figure out that access to certain services or sites in a certain region can simply be blocked. And VPN just allows you to circumvent such restrictions.
Why do I need a VPN?
If we talk about the practical side of the need to use a VPN, you can give a few specific examples. Suppose you come to a cafe where you can get free Wi-Fi access, and enter some social network with a username and password. Since the public Wi-Fi network itself has a very low level of protection, or it is completely absent, it will not be possible to gain access to your data to any competent attacker by hacking the transfer channel. Well, if it comes only to such resources. But what if at the moment you are trying to perform some kind of banking operation using the same mobile application? Where is the guarantee that such information will not be stolen? Now, probably, it becomes clear why we need a VPN on an iPhone or Android device. The same goes for all desktop or laptop computers.
Another sad example is Ukraine, where relatively recently one of the most ridiculous laws on blocking some Russian social networks (Odnoklassniki, VKontakte) and services, including Yandex search and postal services, was passed at the state level and Mail.Ru, not to mention the prohibition of some online information publications. At first, this caused a real shock among the user audience, but then many quickly realized that using a VPN allows you to bypass these restrictions in two ways, even without any special knowledge in the field of computer technology. Another thing is China and North Korea. In these countries, even a VPN does not help, because such powerful firewalls are installed that it is almost impossible to break through their protection.
Another aspect can be associated with the presence on the Internet of services that are available only for individual regions. So, for example, just listening to an Internet radio intended for broadcasting exclusively in the United States will not work, since for Eastern Europe this service is closed. That is, after determining your region on the basis of the external IP device from which you are trying to connect, you simply will not get access to the service. Changing the address through the use of a VPN client solves this problem easily!
How to use VPN in browsers?
Why do we need a VPN, a little figured out. Now let's look at the practical use of such technologies in relation to the most common Internet browsers. For all browsers today, you can find a lot of plugins in the form of additionally installed extensions, among which there are specialized VPN clients like friGate, Browsec and the like. Favorably different from all other browsers, the Opera browser, in which such a client is built-in.
To activate it for the first time, you must use the security section of the main menu, and to enable or disable it again, use the special switch entered in the panel to the left of the address bar. In this case, you can trust the automatic settings or choose your preferred region yourself.
The image above shows an example of access to the Yandex start page in Ukraine with the client turned off and on. As you can see, blocking bypass is elementary.
General Purpose Programs
However, the matter may not be limited to browsers only, since access to the Internet at any time may also be required by some programs installed on a computer or mobile device. Official sites of such applications may also be blocked. In particular, we are talking about updates to Kaspersky Lab antiviruses and Dr. Web Why do I need a VPN in this case, probably, it’s clear that way. Without updating anti-virus databases or components of security programs, full-fledged protection will simply become impossible. But after all, the installation of updates is not done through the browser, but directly when accessing the resource by the program itself. In this situation, special applications that change the external IP of the computer for all installed applets help.
One of the most interesting applications is SafeIP, which can configure addresses both automatically and with the choice of region for the user. This applies equally to all kinds of mail clients such as Mail.Ru Agent, for which blocking bypass is carried out by a similar method.
Why do I need a VPN server?
As for the servers of this type, their purpose is more to ensure network security with limited user access and encryption of information. This allows you to better protect your own wireless connection. Again, after connecting to such a server, it will not be necessary to bypass locks of different levels on individual devices. In addition, it allows you to organize a network based on Internet connections from around the world.
Creating and Configuring a VPN Server Using Windows
In principle, you can even create a server at home using Windows tools. True, the principles used are somewhat different from what third-party programs offer.
In Windows, you first need to enter the network settings (ncpa.cpl), create a new incoming connection, select a user with the maximum set of administrative rights, activate the permission to connect users via the Internet (VPN), use the required TCP / IP protocol and specify the users who will be allowed connection.
To connect, you will initially need to know the Internet address of the created server and login with a password.
Note: this technique only works for devices with static addresses, and in some cases (if the VPN connection is through a router), you need to open (forward) port 1723 on the router, which directly depends on the model of the router used.
Mobile settings and applications
Finally, let's see why we need a VPN on Android. In principle, the purpose of such technologies is practically no different from ordinary computers. The difference can only be in the setting. For example, you can create a server (access point) using the system itself or use third-party applications. For comfortable access to sites, you can use the mobile version of the Opera browser. But why do we need a VPN Master - one of the most popular programs for mobile devices?
In a sense, it is an analogue of the SafeIP application mentioned above and allows you to circumvent possible restrictions for all services without exception, including news, updates of antiviruses, listening to Internet radio or music in special applications like Spotify, not designed for use in a certain region.