While VPN is commonly used to get unrestricted internet access, it also offers many lesser-known benefits. It reduces data throttling, improves connection security, limits ad tracking, lowers the risk of phishing, and more. Here are the top reasons to always keep a VPN enabled on your Windows PC.
1 Stop Your ISP From Monitoring Your Activity
Typically, our Internet Service Provider (ISP) can monitor the websites we visit, the services we use, and even our search history. To stop the Internet Service Provider from tracking my online activities, I always use a VPN on my device. A VPN encrypts my data, transforming it into unreadable code for anyone trying to intercept it, including my ISP.
This way, my online activity remains private, preventing the ISP from viewing my browsing history or accessing sensitive data. This is my primary reason for keeping a VPN enabled.
2 Access Content Without Geographic Restrictions
If you live somewhere where companies (or governments) regularly restrict access to numerous websites and popular social media platforms like Twitter, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to bypass these limitations. I use one regularly—A VPN masks my IP address by routing my traffic through a server in another country, making it appear as though I’m browsing from that location.
With a VPN, I can access region-locked content, including streaming services, news sites, or gaming servers limited to specific areas. This means I don’t have to worry about location-based restrictions. I often connect to a server in the U.S., which gives me access to most of the websites and resources I need.
3 Eliminate Data Throttling
Most ISPs throttle your connection, intentionally slowing down your internet speed during specific activities like streaming, gaming, or downloading large files. This means that even with a high-speed connection, downloads can take much longer, streams may lag or buffer frequently, and online gaming might suffer from high ping.
With a VPN, however, my data is encrypted, and my online activity is hidden from the ISP, making it difficult for them to detect whether I’m gaming, downloading, streaming, or just browsing. This reduces the likelihood of throttling based on activity, allowing me to fully enjoy the fast speeds I’m paying for.
4 Safeguard Your Privacy on Public Wi-Fi
Public networks are often poorly secured and prime targets for hackers and cybercriminals, so I used to worry about my data being intercepted by malicious users whenever I connected to a network in my office or a public space. To protect my activity on public Wi-Fi, I now keep the VPN enabled for an extra layer of security and privacy.
Using a VPN on public Wi-Fi encrypts my internet traffic, making it difficult for others on the network to access my data—such as login credentials, browsing activity, or sensitive files. I always ensure that it is enabled when connecting to less secure networks like those in hotels, coffee shops, and airports.
5 Track Price Discrimination Based on Location
Online retailers, airlines, and booking sites often adjust prices based on your location. To check for price variations, you can switch your VPN to a different state or region and compare costs. For example, airline tickets or hotel reservations might be listed at a lower rate than what’s shown in your area.
If you notice significant price differences, you can make purchases or bookings with your VPN enabled, potentially saving a substantial amount. This strategy is especially useful for frequent travelers or online shoppers, as you can spot retailers that mark up prices based on your location so you can avoid them in the future.
6 Block Ad Tracking and Targeted Ads
VPNs track and use our IP address and location to create personalized advertising profiles. To prevent targeted ads from following me online and to make it more challenging for ad networks to collect my data, I activate a VPN. This masks my IP address and encrypts my internet traffic, effectively disrupting data collection.
As my online activity becomes anonymous and my traffic is rerouted through various servers, ad networks cannot monitor my actions, especially as I frequently switch between servers around the globe. So, if you prioritize privacy like I do and want to keep your data safe from third-party ad networks, always enable your VPN before browsing the internet.
7 Maintain Privacy From Network Administrators
When connected to networks managed by a company, school, or other entities, network administrators typically can monitor the traffic that flows through the network. They can track the websites you visit, the services you access, and how you use their network connection. This poses a significant privacy concern that I take seriously.
By using a VPN to encrypt my traffic, I ensure that even if a network administrator intercepts my data, they won’t be able to see my online activities. That’s why I always enable a VPN when connecting to networks at my workplace, school, library, cafe, or public space. This gives me peace of mind that my activity remains private from prying eyes.
8 Guard Against Phishing and Harmful Websites
VPN services like NordVPN have a built-in phishing protection feature that blocks known malicious sites before they load. A VPN adds an additional layer of security between you and phishing or harmful websites, lowering the risk of inadvertently accessing a phishing page or a site that could infect your device with malware.
Also, if a phishing link redirects you to a counterfeit website, a VPN will alert you to suspicious activity, helping you avoid it. Since phishing attacks are particularly prevalent on public and shared networks, I always enable my VPN to reduce exposure to various threats. This gives me greater confidence while browsing.
9 Protect IoT Devices on the Same Network
While I primarily use a dedicated VPN app on my Windows PC, I also occasionally enable a VPN at the router level. This secures my Windows PC and protects other IoT devices connected to the same network. By safeguarding my smart home ecosystem and IoT devices from cyber threats, I indirectly make it harder for anyone to compromise my PC.
With the VPN in place, I can manage my smart home devices more confidently through the apps on my PC, ensuring that no malicious actor can access my computer by exploiting another device on my network. Also, even devices that do not natively support a VPN connection, such as gaming consoles, are protected when the VPN is enabled at the router level.
Considering how secure a VPN connection makes my Windows computer, I ensure it is enabled before I start using it. However, remember that using a VPN has some drawbacks, the most significant being that the additional processing can noticeably slow down your internet compared to when the VPN is not in use.
