With plenty of global VPNs available to the Australian market, how can you choose which is best for you? VPN providers offer various features, so it is best to consider what you need from the network and what cost you are willing to pay.
As Neel Baggam, a cyber security engineer for Deloitte explains, some of the most crucial factors to consider when comparing VPNs are to “read the privacy policy to understand what kind of logs and data the vendor collects from the user, and how it is stored”.
Baggam also recommends making sure the VPN provider has a fast network speed and an extensive server network. Here’s what that all means, along with additional VPN features to consider.
Related: Nord VPN Review
Number of servers and locations
The number of servers and locations a VPN has can affect the overall quality of the network. If it has a large number of servers, this means all of the VPN providers’ users will be spread out across those servers. With a smaller number of users on each server, this allows for better connection speeds and stable performance.
Additionally, a higher number of servers across various locations allows users to switch between preferred locations. This can enhance the security of your connection, as it makes it harder for third parties to track your data if the server you are accessing websites with is based in Australia one day, but connecting from the UK the next day.
Simultaneous connections
VPN providers offering a varying number of simultaneous connections. This means that you, your family or your business are able to connect to the same network at the same time across various devices.
Even while connected to the same network simultaneously, the individual user’s data will not be shared between devices. It is most common for a VPN provider to offer around five simultaneous connections, although some offer more.
Connection and download speeds
“Anytime you go online, speed is important. Nobody wants to deal with loading pages, long downloads, buffering streams, or lagging video games,” writes VPN.com founder Michael Gargiulo.
Using a VPN, however, has shown to slow the average internet experience by 10-20%–a difference which would hardly be noticeable, Gargiulo believes. But for individuals with download-heavy internet use, finding a VPN without a speed lag is paramount.
Access to streaming services
While it may feel like a loophole, accessing overseas streaming services while in Australia is entirely legal.
“According to the Australian Copyrights Act, it is not illegal to use a VPN to access geographically blocked content from legitimate providers,” Baggam explains.
“However, it is still illegal to access content that infringes the copyright.” This means illegal torrenting and pirating of content remains a criminal offence.
Overseas usage
Generally speaking, the larger the VPN provider, the safer they are to use. This is due to the aforementioned number of servers compared to number of users, making it harder for third parties to track data that is spread far and wide.
However, the size of a VPN provider also puts it at risk of being put on a block list in certain countries.
According to VPN.com, a full ban on VPN usage is in place in China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Oman, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Belarus, while some specific VPN providers are blocked in other countries even though VPN usage is allowed.
No log policy
A “no log policy” means that the VPN will not collect or log any information in its network, unalike to how a regular network would store your browsing history. If a VPN provider says it has a no log policy, it will not keep any records of your online activity–including what sites you access, what you download, or what you search for.
It will also not store any data that can be used to identify you. This means that on the off chance a VPN provider was subject to cybercrime, the hackers would not be able to access any of your personal or browsing data as it wouldn’t be stored on the network in the first place.
Kill switch
A VPN kill switch automatically disconnects you from the internet in the event your VPN connection is lost. This protects you from temporarily exposing unencrypted data, making it an important feature for users to consider when comparing VPN providers.
Price
Obviously, a large factor to consider when comparing the right VPN for your personal or business use is the cost efficiency.
Oftentimes, while a provider may seem cheap and have a significant amount of users, it could also be a provider that is more heavily used by people trying to use VPNs to do the wrong thing: access illegal content, or commit cyber crime.
Using a slightly more premium provider reduces the risk of your traffic and data being mixed in with or attributed with such users. Usually, a user would be looking at around $12 a month for a decent provider.
Companies trying to break into the market may be lower, and providers with additional features may be more expensive.
In any case, you are better off choosing a provider that suits your needs for a reasonable price.
