What are VPNs: why should I care, what can I do with one and how easy is it to set one up?

You may have heard of a VPN or you may have absolutely no idea what they are or what they do. First of all, a VPN stands for a virtual private network and they offer a reliable way to share information across computer networks.

In a nutshell, a VPN is s private network that uses a public network such as the internet to connect either remote sites or users together.

How a VPN works

The technology behind a VPN is nothing new. Companies have used them for a long time as they can help employees connect to their networks to access secure data, without that content needing to pass onto the "public internet".

A VPN is essentially a virtual version of a secure, physical network and most modern VPNs are encrypted so anything you connect to them, such as computers, devices and other networks, are connected using encrypted tunnels.

Put simply, a connection from your computer to another network would use the internet, but the VPN would provide a much improved level of security meaning sensitive data would be safe.

Reasons to get a VPN

There are a number of reasons a VPN comes in handy. While one of the main ones is for companies to enable employees to access files, applications and printers, that's not all they can be good for.

You can also use them to access your secure home network while you are on the road, as well as use them for connecting multiple networks together, whether that is as a business or your home networks for personal use.

Additionally, a VPN can also be used as a security practice if you are concerned about your online privacy and you are using a public or untrusted network, such as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Using a VPN to watch a video

A VPN could also be useful to enable you to watch videos on iPlayer when you are abroad as iPlayer is blocked outside the UK.

For watching videos online, you're making use of the technology without really caring much about the security aspect. So if you're in France on a business trip, and you want to watch Eastenders on iPlayer, you would get a message telling you you're outside the UK normally.

But, if you connect to a VPN in the UK, then to iPlayer, you will appear to be in the UK. The VPN then gets the video, and sends it to you over the secure connection between you.

This process is simple, but for it to work you'd need to have a server in the country you wish to appear to be from. There are services that offer this all over the world, many free for the basic service, and many more that charge.

Choosing your protocol

There are four popular networking protocols for setting up your VPN.

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is the least secure VPN method but it supports pretty much all operating systems.

Layer 2 Tunnelling Protocol (L2TP) and Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) are a little more complicated to set up but are still widely supported and are slightly more secure than PPTP.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is easier and more reliable than the previous ones on this list, as well as providing the same level of security as banking sites.

Finally, OpenVPN is an open-source VPN that is based on SSL code. It's free and secure but you will need to install a client as many operating systems don't natively support it.

Setting up a VPN

If you are using Windows, setting up a VPN is easy as it comes loaded with a VPN client that supports PPTP and L2TP/IPsec protocols. On Windows 8, all you need to do is bring up search, type in VPN and launch the VPN wizard, which will guide you through.

You can also use third-party VPN software such as Gbridge or TeamViewer to create a VPN between a number of computers without having to configure your router or dedicate a PC to act as the VPN server.

There is also the option to set up your own dedicated VPN router to provide remote access to an entire network. You can either purchase a VPN router, or a cheaper option is buying a consumer-level router and uploading aftermarket firmware such as Tomato to enable VPN functionality.

Last but not least, you can use a third-party VPN provider such as Hotspot Shield to protect you when you are using public Wi-Fi. Something like Onion Router is also worth looking into as it will keep your browsing activity anonymous but it is free, so a good option if you can't afford a paid VPN.

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