Online VPN - is it worth it?

[Meezer]

Does anyone have a VPN and can you explain the pros/cons please?
I am told it reduces hacking and improves security of personal data online from emails to online banking - is it worth it for ordinary people or not? How does it work?
Thanks if anyone knows the answer!

I only use one to watch streaming services abroad.

I use one every single time. Me and husband both work in cyber security so I don’t use anything without one

Does it just protect an email account you sign up with or improve your internet security all round? (Sorry to be dim)

FCC have an easy to understand article to see if it’s something you want/need https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-does-a-vpn-work/

I use a vpn pretty much daily, mostly to get around geoblocking but also for a level of privacy at times.

Thanks- that's helpful, will have a read! Any good ones people recommend?

and should you use your normal email address if you sign up to a VPN, or get a burner one? Does it cover several email addresses (ie in a family home) or not?

What do you mean by covering email addresses? Like for login purposes ?

So I think if anyone in the household is online they won't be so likely to be tracked/ hacked- not just the person whose email was used to sign up for the VPN. Is that right? (Sorry not to be clear- definately not an IT expert!).

Do you have to turn the VPN off if you go on facebook or other social media?

My whole family have used them for several years, all the time, everywhere, without exception. A family member works in cyber security, and has given out dire warnings. We would be silly to ignore him. Ours costs us about £60 a year, for lots of us

The free antivirus AVG uses one but I found it wasn't allowing me to load websites quite often, perfectly innocuous ones, particularly when using mobile data, so I deleted it. Is there any way to rectify this?

Thank you everyone for your help.

You'll need to have a special app running on your PC/phone/whatever to use the VPN. You'll then log in through the app with your VPN's username and password to verify it's your account. Many VPN providers will allow you to run the VPN on multiple devices at the same time but that depends on your account. I use Mullvad VPN which allows up to five simultaneous connections.

A VPN doesn't stop all threats but it does provide an extra layer of protection for quite a few. It's particularly necessary if you tend to use public wifi hotspots such as in coffee shops, airports etc.

That's interesting. I don't know much about cyber security (or computers tbh!), could you explain why it's so important, please? Preferably in very simple language 😂

@HowardTJMoon thanks for this

I started using a VPN mainly for public wifi and some region stuff on streaming, but if you want more control and better speeds, you should rent vps hosting and set up your own VPN. It's a bit more techy to start, but once it's done, it's really reliable and you know exactly what it's doing—no weird logging claims to worry about.

My use of a VPN began with public WiFi and streaming region-specific content, but for more control and faster speeds, renting VPS hosting and establishing your own vpn(https://xnxubdvpnbrowsers.app/xnxubd-vpn-browser-mod-apk/) is advisable. It has a somewhat more technical beginning, but once completed, it proves very dependable and its operations are transparent—no strange logging claims to be concerned about.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) creates a secure, encrypted "tunnel" between your device and the internet, masking your IP address and protecting data on public Wi-Fi. It basically turns your data into gibberish to outsiders so if you are on your online banking on a public WiFi connection, for example, you know that no one can see your details if you have a VPN.