Any Free VPN Users Here?

ZeeOSix

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I want to setup a VPN for my computer. Is there anyone here that is using a free version VPN and have any recommendations? I'm sure a paid version is better, but just looking for a good free version now to see how it works out.
 
To keep me from wasting my time researching and not understanding what I'm reading, can someone please tell me, in layman's terms, what a VPN is and why someone would want one. Thanks in advance from a technically challenged individual.
 
I use Avira free (came with the free AV software). I used to use NORD, but it's painfully slow.

With a virtual private network, your internet use is routed through a 3rd party (usually) company's network of servers (they may have sets of servers all over the country and all over the world.) In doing this, you've created your own virtual network to surf the internet through. This has the benefit of hiding your internet use from your internet provider and others. If a VPN server you're using is in, say Buffalo, NY, the internet thinks you're in Buffalo, NY, meaing advertisers also will show ads based on you being in Buffalo, NY. I don't really care as much about this feature, but if you don't want ads (et al) knowing where you are, it's a nice trick.

I used a VPN in Oman several years back to bypass the country's nanny blocks. I had access to the entire internet, with really not much of a speed hit.

W/ out VPN: Your computer --> Your router/modem --> Your Internet Service Provider --> Internet
-----Your ISP sees EVERYTHING; the internet sees your location, roughly if you have location settings turned off

WITH VPN: Your computer --> Your router/modem --> Your internet Service Provider --> VPN --> Internet
-----Your ISP and the internet only sees the address for the VPN; VPN promises not to sell your data (usually)
 
Ill agree, choose opera if you want free, make sure when you down load the browser its enabled in settings I dont know if it is by default, I dont think so.

I bought a "lifetime" subscription to "VPNSECURE" for a killer one time price two years ago, I could not be more happy, no place do I see deals like I got anymore.
But doesnt mean they are not out there, if anyone looking for a paid plan, check them out.

Dont believe comments from people like your VPN knows what you do, that is complete B.S. and ignorant remark that paints the industry is an incorrect WRONG way.

Your responsible for what you purchase. Looking for low cost solutions, like "free" then be careful to read the disclosures of what private information will be used in return for "free"

Just like google offers everything for free in return for your personal information and people in the know will stay away from google and not prostitute themselves in the name of "free"

One thing that is free without strings attached is duckduckgo.com search engine. I use it almost exclusively now and bing and google as a second source when I need too.
Next was the move to Apples operating system, cell and desktop.
 
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Originally Posted by 94astro
Use Opera browser, already built in VPN, works well

+1. It's reasonably fast, always there, no bandwidth restrictions, no freemium services.
If you're on Windows you can even just download the portable version that requires no installation. I carry copies of Opera on all of my devices (it's cross-platform) and USB sticks.
 
Originally Posted by gathermewool
I use Avira free (came with the free AV software). I used to use NORD, but it's painfully slow.

With a virtual private network, your internet use is routed through a 3rd party (usually) company's network of servers (they may have sets of servers all over the country and all over the world.) In doing this, you've created your own virtual network to surf the internet through. This has the benefit of hiding your internet use from your internet provider and others. If a VPN server you're using is in, say Buffalo, NY, the internet thinks you're in Buffalo, NY, meaing advertisers also will show ads based on you being in Buffalo, NY. I don't really care as much about this feature, but if you don't want ads (et al) knowing where you are, it's a nice trick.

I used a VPN in Oman several years back to bypass the country's nanny blocks. I had access to the entire internet, with really not much of a speed hit.

W/ out VPN: Your computer --> Your router/modem --> Your Internet Service Provider --> Internet
-----Your ISP sees EVERYTHING; the internet sees your location, roughly if you have location settings turned off

WITH VPN: Your computer --> Your router/modem --> Your internet Service Provider --> VPN --> Internet
-----Your ISP and the internet only sees the address for the VPN; VPN promises not to sell your data (usually)




Keep in mind, your ISP only sees unencrypted traffic, including DNS queries (even if they aren't resolving them, DNS traffic is usually unencrypted). So they don't see "everything", as most sites use encryption nowadays, so they'd know what the site is you are visiting, but that's it.

Of course the VPN providers all utilize ISP's and have egress points where traffic, once unencapsulated, is visible in the same manner. So the primary benefit here is that you are obscuring your browsing habits from your ISP and assuming that whomever is the provider for the VPN, that they have less interest in where you go.

To use your method I'd revise it thusly:

W/ out VPN: Your device --> Your NAT/PAT gateway --> Your ISP --> Internet
-----Your ISP sees DNS and other unencrypted traffic, subsequent hops can see unencrypted traffic (IP addresses visited for example, but not the DNS queries unless you use a 3rd party DNS provider)

WITH VPN: Your device --> encapsulation begins (assuming device-level, not router-level) -> Your NAT/PAT gateway--> Your ISP --> VPN --> encapsulation ends --> Internet
-----Your ISP sees the DNS query and/or socket attempt made to the VPN provider. VPN provider can see all traffic exiting their link, their provider can see all the same traffic your ISP could see including DNS queries if DNS isn't performed inside the scope of the VPN provider's local link, but even that will use forwarders.

Ad providers will typically use the physical location associated with an assigned subnet, so, as noted, if the VPN provider is located in Moncton, that's where these services will think you are. It's not overly specific, most ads think I'm in a village about 20 minutes away from the city I live in because that's where my ISP is based out of.
 
Originally Posted by 94astro
Use Opera browser, already built in VPN, works well

I am experimenting with it .
 
Originally Posted by alarmguy
Dont believe comments from people like your VPN knows what you do, that is complete B.S. and ignorant remark that paints the industry is an incorrect WRONG way.

Your VPN provider can absolutely see what you're doing if they care to check, just like your ISP can if you're not using one. ALL of your internet traffic is going through them so of course they have a way to look at the data if given a reason to. It's ignorant to believe otherwise.
 
Originally Posted by alarmguy
Dont believe comments from people like your VPN knows what you do, that is complete B.S. and ignorant remark that paints the industry is an incorrect WRONG way.


As somebody with decades of networking experience and who has constructed hundreds of VPN's, the only one showcasing ignorance on the topic is you. Calling out other remarks as ignorant or wrong because it doesn't align with your, ironically, ignorant view of the technology isn't a laudable position.
 
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
WITH VPN: Your device --> encapsulation begins (assuming device-level, not router-level) -> Your NAT/PAT gateway--> Your ISP --> VPN --> encapsulation ends --> Internet


So I take that "encapsulation begins" means all the date is encrypted on your computer before it's sent out to the internet. So does that mean if I'm using a wireless laptop on a vulnerable WiFi network that the VPN engine will encrypt my data on my computer before it's sent through the air from my computer to the wireless modem/router?

That is what I'm looking for. I want my "in air" data to be encrypted so someone with a WiFi packet sniffing device can't glean data coming from my computer.
 
Well structured arguments are hard to come buy. As one eminent scientist said in light of current "expert" dramas:

"The idea that water can have a memory can be readily refuted by any one of a number of easily understood, invalid arguments." Dr. Brian Josephson on critique of Dr Luc Montangier.
 
So does the VPN function built into the Opera browser encrypt your data before being sent over the air between the computer and the WiFi modem/router so someone can't glean any data by "packet sniffing"?
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
So does the VPN function built into the Opera browser encrypt your data before being sent over the air between the computer and the WiFi modem/router so someone can't glean any data by "packet sniffing"?

I would wager any and all VPN services are encrypting the data that traverses between your device and the VPN server. Hence any device at the router level and beyond will just see a bunch of obfuscated gobbledegook.

I am not sure Opera's VPN service operates truly like a VPN, though. Its function, I think, is more like a proxy in order to hide your IP and perhaps allow you to view content in another country (a godsend for me in Canada trying to access US media!)

EDIT: Yup - It's a secure proxy service, so even though it's not operating like a true VPN, the traffic is still encrypted:

From: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/opera-vpn,review-4496.html:
"The Opera "VPN" is technically a secure proxy service. It encrypts only the Opera browser's traffic and routes it through a server operated by Canadian VPN provider SurfEasy. Opera won't protect other web browsers or stand-alone email clients."

FWIW I think the speed for a free service is not any worse than other free providers; but there is not bandwidth cap.

ANOTHER EDIT:

A good review of Opera's "VPN" https://proprivacy.com/privacy-service/review/operavpn
 
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Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
I want to setup a VPN for my computer. Is there anyone here that is using a free version VPN and have any recommendations? I'm sure a paid version is better, but just looking for a good free version now to see how it works out.

Free ones will be slow and/ or will come with a monthly bandwidth cap. I have never happened across one that I'd default to as my daily driver internet connection.

May I ask why you're interested? There is the "I want all of my traffic encrypted" angle (which, given the prevalence of browsers now spitting out warnings if a web site isn't https:// , and given how many sites are setting up SSL certificates, most web traffic is encrypted anyhow...) and there is the "I want some given service in another country to stop blocking me from accessing it" angle.

Internet traffic is more and more defaulting to using encryption. If you're concerned about your ISP snooping in on your traffic you could always just switch to another DNS provider like Cloudflare, Google or OpenDNS.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
WITH VPN: Your device --> encapsulation begins (assuming device-level, not router-level) -> Your NAT/PAT gateway--> Your ISP --> VPN --> encapsulation ends --> Internet


So I take that "encapsulation begins" means all the date is encrypted on your computer before it's sent out to the internet. So does that mean if I'm using a wireless laptop on a vulnerable WiFi network that the VPN engine will encrypt my data on my computer before it's sent through the air from my computer to the wireless modem/router?

That is what I'm looking for. I want my "in air" data to be encrypted so someone with a WiFi packet sniffing device can't glean data coming from my computer.


I'm no expert, but I believe the answer is yes, the crypto starts at your device (computer), part of the software you download when you get a VPN.
Ref: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/vpn7.htm
Quote
In a VPN, the computers at each end of the tunnel encrypt the data entering the tunnel and decrypt it at the other end.
 
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