Any proud Mac owner knows that their state-of-the-art device is the pinnacle of computer technology: it is reliable, easy to use, and incredibly powerful. So, do you really need a VPN for your Mac? The answer is a resounding yes. A VPN (short for Virtual Private Network) is, basically, an encrypted server you can connect to from any place in the world. While “encrypted” strongly implies that a VPN can tighten up your security, there is really a lot more about this service.
Benefits of VPNs: Limit Your Limitations
To describe the benefits of a VPN for Mac users let us describe the limitations, inconveniences, and cyber security threats most people have to put up with on a daily basis:
- Internet service providers (ISPs) and various government agencies collect data about your online activities. They know the sites you visit, the information you are interested in, and can even get hold of the logs of your chats;
- Web-sites you visit can know your geographical location from your IP address;
- Online streaming platforms can block your access to shows/movies/sports events if you happen to be outside a specified geographical area;
- Cybercriminals can intercept your data if you use a public Wi-Fi hotspot;
- Online stores can inflate their prices if they believe that you live in a “rich” country.
VPNs address all these and numerous other issues: use them to open up new opportunities and protect your privacy.
7 Reasons for Using a VPN On Your Mac
While the full list of the benefits you get from pairing up your Mac with a VPN can go on and on, here are the top 7 reasons why you should not delay doing this:
#1 Protect your Internet privacy
VPN services encode all the data you send to/receive from VPN servers using virtually unbreakable encryption protocols. This means that no third party – including your ISP — can decode and read it. Your privacy is fully protected: you can visit any websites you like and download any kinds of files you want without any risk of exposure.
#2 Keep your IP address hidden
A Virtual Private Network replaces your actual IP address with a new one allowing you to stay anonymous. If you don’t think that the owners of the website will treat your personal information with discretion, a VPN is the perfect way to protect yourself reliably.
#3 Access all kinds of geo-blocked content
If a streaming platform or game server denies you access to some kinds of content because of your geographical location, simply connect to a Virtual Private Network server that is located within the whitelisted area. Films, TV shows, sports events, online games, web radio stations: there is not a thing that cannot be unblocked this way.
#4 Secure an unsecured public Wi-Fi
Public WiFi hotspots often feature no encryption of data that is exchanged between your Mac and the WiFi router. This means that hackers equipped with a special radio receiver can easily intercept your information and use it to their advantage. A VPN encrypts your Internet traffic thus making this attack-prone type of connection secure: the intercepted information will be impossible to decode.
#5 Forget about drops in your connection speed
Activities like downloading large files, HD media streaming, and playing hi-def online games can involve sending and receiving huge amounts of data. Your ISP can limit your bandwidth if it believes you overload your connection — this practice is known as bandwidth throttling.
If you use a VPN, the ISP cannot read your traffic and your chances of avoiding bandwidth throttling get significantly higher, which means that you can use numerous data-heavy Internet services to the full.
#6 Secure your online banking/shopping and work from home
There is no such thing as too much security, especially when your life savings are at stake. So, even if your bank establishes a secure connection, a Virtual Private Network will add an additional level of security to it and hackers will never be able to intercept your credit card details and other sensitive banking information.
The same goes for buying from online stores which sometimes feature not very rigorous security frameworks, and accessing your corporate network from your home office: any breach of security can be extremely costly for both you and your employer.
#7 Forget about price discrimination
Some international online stores base their prices on the IP addresses of the buyers: slightly more for people who come from developed countries and slightly less for the customers from developing ones. So, if you are purchasing car insurance, plane tickets, or food supplements, you might want to connect to a Virtual Private Network server abroad to see if you are entitled to a pleasant discount.
What should be the perfect VPN for your Mac feature?
You are getting a fair deal if the VPN you are going to try offers:
- A lot of VPN servers all over the world. Bonus points if the are several servers in such popular (and traffic-heavy) countries as the USA
- A high-speed connection
- Numerous devices that can be tied to a single account
- State-of-the-art encryption like AES-256
- A free trial period so that you don’t have to buy a pig in a poke
- A money-back guarantee
Now you know the benefits you get from using a VPN for your Mac. Time to improve your Internet experience!
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