I’m away on business at the moment, and as this is happening with alarming regularity I’ve slipped into a habit of bringing my “home comforts” with me. Trouble is, you can’t always get every home comfort. The tea for example, it’s just not the same.
However, with the help of a VPN and my mobile data (or a WiFi hotspot), I can make it look like I’m home, even if I’m not. Whether you’re using an iPhone, iPad or an iMac, you’ll want your network to be private, secure and uncensored. With a public WiFi in a cafe or somewhere similar, the last thing you want to worry about as you surf the web is if anyone is watching what you are doing or trying to steal information.
However, if you try and watch home TV streams when you’re abroad, things can get a bit tricky. This is where a VPN can save you (as it’s done for me tonight), as it’ll let you enjoy those little home comforts by magically transporting your phone onto a connection in your home country.
I’m an Android user, but with a work iPhone I can just install an iOS VPN? For the uninitiated, a VPN is a virtual private network. What it does is it creates a tunnel with your internet connection. All of the data that flows through this data is encrypted, making it virtually private and as secure as possible. The “endpoint” can be located in another country too, which means that you can relocate yourself easily.
Here’s a few other reasons why it’s good to install a VPN …
For Your iPhone
Your smartphone will travel with your everywhere. It’ll let you stay connected with your friends and world events. So, when you go into a coffee shop, airport or any business that offers free WiFi, you’ll probably just connect in order to save the amount of data you consume on your normal mobile plan. Without second-guessing, you’ll probably connect.
The problem with public WiFi connections is that they’re not very secure and they tend to have an ulterior motive. The owner of that hotspot wants your details, your Facebook “Like” or your browsing history and behaviour. They want to sell you things, and users could see your traffic quite easily too. Plus, it could be any WiFi. I could sit next to you and setup a “Free McDonalds WiFi” hotspot on my phone right now. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
So, by installing a VPN for your iPhone, you are encrypting your data as it flows through the public connection. No one will then be able to spy on your data or gather information from your device.
For Your iPad
iPads are handy to have if you want to watch movies or catch up on favourite TV shows while travelling. If you like to stream online, you’ll have probably tried to access a website only to find it blocked because of your region.
A VPN for your iPad will get you past that denial. As I touched on before, it makes it look like you are using your device in another location, even if you’re not. So, if you are leaving the country, you will still be able to watch your show.
For Your iMac
Your home computer is still vulnerable to hacking, even if your network is private. Your computer stores so much personal information. Plus, how often are you accessing important sites like online banking? If someone was able to see your bank account information, your private passwords or your credit card number, you are at risk of identity fraud or a very high credit card bill.
Just like for your phone, the VPN will encrypt your data to secure your network. Someone can hack into, or watch what you are doing at any moment if you do not have your computer protected. So using a VPN service will ensure anything you do on your computer, remains private.
So if you are debating about installing a VPN service for any of your iOS devices, you should. Encrypt your data and secure your connection, so it does not fall into the wrong hands. But not only that, give yourself access to content that is blocked just because of your location. Whether you are at home wanting to access a site from across the ocean, or on vacation and trying to connect back home, your VPN will allow you all the access you need.