VPN Trick #1 – Bypass Bandwidth Throttling

Buffering is the bane of one's existence while viewing Youtube videos or downloading anything via torrents. Whoever engages in bandwidth-intensive online activities like streaming, file sharing, or gaming may experience bandwidth throttling. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) commonly use throttling to control network traffic and alleviate bandwidth congestion.

A VPN allows you to circumvent bandwidth throttling and get access to faster connection speeds. Since your traffic is encrypted, your ISP can no longer see or manipulate it.

VPN Trick #2 – Get Around Geo-Blocking And Unblock Censored Content

Geoblocking is the way platforms/websites block or restrict access to content and services based on your location. They’ll monitor your IP address and check where you’re logging in from. They’ll then either authorize or deny access to certain sites. This means some content can only be accessed by users in specific countries.

A lot of it comes down to licensing, copyright, and some red tape around jurisdiction. Gambling sites may block regions they don’t operate in. Streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc., may exclude some of their content for certain countries, or some countries restrict access to a wide range of services, some of which are incredibly popular elsewhere. Luckily, there’s an easy way to get around geo-blocking: connect to a VPN.

VPNs work by routing your traffic through a server in another country. This hides your real IP address — often used to determine your location — and replaces it with a temporary, country-specific IP address. As a result, no matter where you are, you can use a VPN to get around geo-restrictions and watch your favorite content from back home or even on the go.

VPN Trick #3 – Download & Upload Files With Zero Risks

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing offers a lot of advantages, but many internet service providers disapprove of the activity. As a consequence, connection speeds are slowed down, bandwidth is capped, or access is limited to file-sharing websites such as The Pirate Bay, KickassTorrents, and others. Since the nature of P2P file sharing makes it possible for other users to see your IP address, it can put your privacy and safety at stake.

A VPN is your best choice if you want to engage in P2P activities securely and without your ISP throttling your connection. It will cloak your online activity from prying eyes by hiding your IP address and encrypting all of your data.

VPN Trick #4 – Protect The Privacy of Your Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) Conversations

Want to make free calls? Does your favorite game use voice for a chat? There's a good chance you've already used VoIP, even if you've never heard of it before.

VoIP is a technology that allows the delivery of voice and multimedia content over any network that uses Internet protocol. VoIP is most commonly used to connect phone calls and video chats through the open Internet instead of using the phone network. The advent of VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol has not only made our lives easier but also more affordable. Those days of costly calls are long gone.

Unfortunately, countries with state-run telecoms like the UAE and Saudi Arabia often block VoIP to stop citizens from making free calls. This makes it hard to use apps like Whatsapp, Skype, Discord, Facebook Messenger – and even the native chat feature within online games. However, they’re not the only reasons. VoIP's main downside is that, while it is cost-effective, VoIP is still susceptible to eavesdropping by hackers. Security and anonymity are the main reasons most people seek to combine a VoIP service with a VPN.

Not only does VPN enable you to utilize VoIP services from any location in the world, but they also stop third parties from eavesdropping in on your conversations by encrypting all of your data.

VPN Trick #5 – Stay Safe Over Public Wi-Fi

Although public Wi-Fi hotspots will come in handy, they often lack adequate security, making them prime targets for hackers. Packet sniffers are only one example of how your data traffic may be intercepted and stolen by cybercriminals. Enable VPN whenever you connect to a public Wi-Fi network in cafes, hotels, and airports to keep yourself safe and sound from hackers and snoopers who use public Wi-Fi to get their hands on your personal and financial data.

VPN Trick #6 – Circumvent Internet Censorship

Internet censorship is the suppression of content on the internet, which may be undertaken by governments to limit knowledge. Heavy-duty internet restrictions are likely to interfere with your internet habits. The Great Firewall of China, for example, blocks Google services, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Even Wikipedia was banned in China at some point. Russia, North Korea, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates may not be as dead set on internet censorship as China, but they still hinder your connectivity quite a bit.

Whenever a regime censors the internet in a crisis, many users in their helplessness resort to the simplest solutions. These are often VPNs. A VPN establishes an encrypted tunnel from your smartphone or computer to a remote VPN server. From this endpoint, once you begin using a VPN that routes your traffic to a VPN server, websites that you access will only be able to see the IP address of your server, rather than the address of your actual internet-connected device. If, for example, you are using a computer or smartphone in Germany but your VPN server is located in Japan, then the operators of websites you visit will think you're in Japan. This game of hide-and-seek is based on the fact that you do not appear with your own IP address, but with that of the VPN server. And because your device’s IP address isn’t being routed to the site you want to access, you also reduce your risk of falling prey to cyberattacks such as ransomware.

VPN Trick #7 – Save Money When Booking Your Flights, Hotels, Car Rentals and More

Did you know that many types of businesses, such as subscription services and airlines, offer the same amenities or products for different prices? Visitors from wealthy nations could be charged more than those from less wealthy countries.

You change the appearance of your location to a place where services are offered cheaper, you can avoid price hikes based on your location and end up with big savings. You can also take advantage of specific discounts available to other regions.