Setting up VPN connection and VPN server Windows. VPN on the phone: what is it, why, and how to activate it on iOS and Android What is VPN for PC

After discussing some issues related to a secure connection and anonymous access to the Internet, some users sent their messages asking to explain in a simple way why a VPN is needed and what it is all about. To begin with, the abbreviation VPN (Virtual Private Network) stands for Internal Private Network. That is, it is a separate secure network or tunnel within an unsecured Internet network. I propose to consider VPN technology on an imaginary model.

Let's say you decide to give freelancers secure remote access to certain resources on your office's internal network. You can create such conditions in three ways:

1. Build your personal channel using twisted pair, optical fiber or wireless technologies, but this method is only suitable for short distances of a few hundred meters.
2. You can purchase or rent a channel from a provider. In this case, the provider provides the VPN with direct fiber, L2-VPN or L3-VPN (virtual private network service/service). This offer works for an unlimited distance, but within the coverage area of ​​the provider. The pricing policy directly affects the distance you need.
3. The third option allows you to use the VPN tunnel wherever you have access to the Internet. This is achieved through the GRE network packet tunneling protocol or a whole set of protocols that provide IPSec data protection.

Since the third option is very convenient, it is used in most cases and it will be discussed next. First of all, you need to talk about the benefits of a VPN and mention what such protection is used for. The first and very important point is that this technology allows you to encrypt the transmitted traffic between clients on the Internet using a VPN server.

In addition, the technology allows you to hide your real IP address and stay anonymous online, access another network or download a file from a site where IP addresses from certain countries are prohibited. That is, using a VPN, you remove all restrictions for yourself in another country and you will have access to sites, services, ports and protocols. To be completely clear, I posted a video from a reliable company that provides OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP VPN and services that I use all the time.

Today, open Wi-Fi zones on city streets, in cafes and hotels are very popular, where you can connect to a wireless network from your laptop or smartphone absolutely free of charge and check your mail, make a purchase or log into your social network account. However, using an open and insecure network without a VPN is not safe, because in this case you are constantly at risk of losing passwords or confidential data through the interception of insecure traffic by third parties.

In principle, an ordinary user may have nothing to hide, but in an online business, a VPN is indispensable. We have just considered the use of VPN from the point of view of a proxy, so I will continue to talk about the internal secure network of the company and the principle of VPN operation using the example of an office.

How a VPN connection works.

So, we figured out why you need a VPN, now let's talk about how it works. Imagine that we have an internal network in the main office with a server to which computers are connected, and branches and freelancers are located in other cities. In order to provide access to the necessary data for remote employees and at the same time protect data transmission over the Internet, a VPN server is additionally installed inside the main office and connected to the main server.

A VPN tunnel is created between a remote employee and the main office over an unsecured Internet network. For example, in a simple version, the tunnel is a VPN client that is installed on an employee's computer and a VPN server installed in the office. Now a remote worker can log in to the VPN server via the Internet and gain access to the information provided to him. At the same time, data transmission within the tunnel will be protected by encryption, and the transmitted and received information will be reliably protected from unauthorized persons.

I suggest you watch a short video about the VPN tunnel. Despite the fact that it is in English, you will still easily understand its essence.

VPN (Virtual Private Network) or translated into Russian virtual private network is a technology that allows you to combine computer devices into secure networks in order to provide their users with an encrypted channel and anonymous access to resources on the Internet.

In companies, VPN is mainly used to combine several branches located in different cities or even parts of the world into one local network. Employees of such companies, using VPN, can use all the resources that are in each branch as their local, located at their side. For example, print a document on a printer located in another branch with just one click.

For ordinary Internet users, a VPN will come in handy when:

• the site was blocked by the provider, but you need to go;
• often you have to use online banking and payment systems and want to protect data from possible theft;
• the service works only for Europe, and you are in Russia and don’t mind listening to music on LastFm;
• want the sites you visit not to track your data;
• there is no router, but it is possible to connect two computers to a local network to provide both access to the Internet.

How a VPN Works

VPNs work through a tunnel they establish between your computer and a remote server. All data transmitted through this tunnel is encrypted.

It can be imagined as an ordinary tunnel, which is found on highways, only laid through the Internet between two points - a computer and a server. Through this tunnel, data, like cars, rush between points at the highest possible speed. At the input (on the user's computer), this data is encrypted and sent in this form to the addressee (to the server), at this point it is decrypted and interpreted: the file is downloaded, a request is sent to the site, etc. After that, the received data is encrypted again on server and through the tunnel are sent back to the user's computer.

For anonymous access to sites and services, a network consisting of a computer (tablet, smartphone) and a server is sufficient.

In general, data exchange via VPN looks like this:

1. A tunnel is created between the user's computer and the server with the VPN software installed. For example OpenVPN.
2. In these programs, a key (password) is generated on the server and computer to encrypt/decrypt data.
3. A request is created on the computer and encrypted using the key generated earlier.
4. Encrypted data is transmitted through the tunnel to the server.
5. The data that came from the tunnel to the server is decrypted and the request is executed - sending the file, entering the site, starting the service.
6. The server prepares the response, encrypts it before sending it, and sends it back to the user.
7. The user's computer receives the data and decrypts it with the key that was generated earlier.

Devices included in a virtual private network are not geographically bound and can be located at any distance from each other.

For an ordinary user of virtual private network services, it is enough to understand that accessing the Internet via VPN means complete anonymity and unlimited access to any resources, including those that are blocked by the provider or are not available for your country.

Who needs a VPN and why

Experts recommend using a VPN to transfer any data that should not be in the hands of third parties - logins, passwords, private and work correspondence, work with Internet banking. This is especially true when using open access points - WiFi at airports, cafes, parks, etc.

The technology will also come in handy for those who want to freely access any sites and services, including those blocked by the provider or open only to a certain circle of people. For example, Last.fm is only available for free to residents of the US, England, and a number of other European countries. Using music services from Russia will allow connection via VPN.

Differences between VPN and TOR, proxy and anonymizers

VPN works globally on the computer and redirects all software installed on the computer through the tunnel. Any request - via chat, browser, cloud storage client (dropbox), etc. before reaching the addressee passes through the tunnel and is encrypted. Intermediary devices "muddle the trail" through the encryption of requests and decrypt it only before sending it to the final destination. The final destination of the request, for example, a website, captures not user data - geographic location, etc., but VPN server data. That is, it is theoretically impossible to track which sites the user visited and what requests were transmitted over a secure connection.

To some extent, anonymizers, proxies and TOR can be considered analogues of VPNs, but they all lose in some way to virtual private networks.

What is the difference between VPN and TOR

Like a VPN, TOR technology involves encrypting requests and transferring them from the user to the server and vice versa. Only TOR does not create permanent tunnels, the ways of receiving / transmitting data change with each access, which reduces the chances of intercepting data packets, but does not have the best effect on speed. TOR is a free technology and supported by enthusiasts, so you can't expect stable work. Simply put, it will work to go to a site blocked by the provider, but the video in HD quality will be loaded from it for several hours or even days.

What is the difference between a VPN and a proxy

Proxies, by analogy with VPNs, redirect the request to the site, passing it through intermediary servers. Only it is not difficult to intercept such requests, because the exchange of information takes place without any encryption.

What is the difference between a VPN and an anonymizer

Anonymizer is a stripped-down version of a proxy that can only work within an open browser tab. Through it, you can enter the page, but you won’t be able to use most of the features, and no encryption is provided.

In terms of speed, the proxy will win from the methods of indirect data exchange, since it does not provide for encryption of the communication channel. In second place is VPN, which provides not only anonymity, but also protection. The third place belongs to the anonymizer, which is limited to working in an open browser window. TOR is suitable when there is no time and opportunity to connect to a VPN, but you should not count on high-speed processing of bulk requests. This gradation is valid for the case when unloaded servers are used, located at the same distance from the tested one.

How to connect to the internet with a VPN

Dozens of services offer VPN access services on RuNet. Well, there are probably hundreds around the world. Basically, all services are paid. The cost ranges from a few dollars to several tens of dollars per month. Specialists who have a good understanding of IT create a VPN server for themselves on their own, using servers provided by various hosting providers for this purpose. The cost of such a server is usually about $5 per month.

Whether you prefer a paid or free solution depends on your requirements and expectations. Both options will work - hide location, replace ip, encrypt data during transmission, etc. - but problems with speed and access in paid services happen much less often and are solved much faster.

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Every year, electronic communications are improving, and ever higher demands are placed on information exchange for the speed, security and quality of data processing.

And here we will take a closer look at a vpn connection: what it is, what a vpn tunnel is for, and how to use a vpn connection.

This material is a kind of introductory word to a series of articles where we will tell you how to create a vpn on various operating systems.

vpn connection what is it?

So, a virtual private network vpn is a technology that provides a secure (closed from external access) connection of a logical network over a private or public one in the presence of high-speed Internet.

Such a network connection of computers (geographically distant from each other at a considerable distance) uses a point-to-point connection (in other words, "computer-to-computer").

Scientifically, this connection method is called a vpn tunnel (or tunnel protocol). You can connect to such a tunnel if you have a computer with any operating system that has an integrated VPN client that can “forward” virtual ports using the TCP / IP protocol to another network.

What is vpn for?

The main advantage of vpn is that negotiators need a connectivity platform that not only scales quickly, but also (primarily) provides data confidentiality, data integrity, and authentication.

The diagram clearly shows the use of vpn networks.

Beforehand, the rules for connections over a secure channel must be written on the server and router.

how vpn works

When a vpn connection occurs, information about the IP address of the VPN server and the remote route is transmitted in the message header.

Encapsulated data passing over a public or public network cannot be intercepted because all information is encrypted.

The VPN encryption stage is implemented on the sender's side, and the recipient's data is decrypted by the message header (if there is a common encryption key).

After the message is correctly decrypted, a vpn connection is established between the two networks, which also allows you to work in a public network (for example, exchange data with a client 93.88.190.5).

As for information security, the Internet is an extremely insecure network, and a VPN network with OpenVPN, L2TP / IPSec, PPTP, PPPoE protocols is a completely secure and secure way to transfer data.

What is a vpn channel for?

vpn tunneling is used:

Inside the corporate network;

To unite remote offices, as well as small branches;

To serve digital telephony with a wide range of telecommunication services;

To access external IT resources;

To build and implement videoconferencing.

Why do you need a vpn?

vpn connection is required for:

Anonymous work on the Internet;

Application downloads, in the case when the ip address is located in another regional zone of the country;

Safe work in a corporate environment using communications;

Simplicity and convenience of connection setup;

Providing high speed connection without breaks;

Creation of a secure channel without hacker attacks.

How to use vpn?

Examples of how vpn works are endless. So, on any computer in the corporate network, when establishing a secure vpn connection, you can use mail to check messages, publish materials from anywhere in the country, or download files from torrent networks.

Vpn: what is it in the phone?

Access via vpn on your phone (iPhone or any other Android device) allows you to remain anonymous when using the Internet in public places, as well as prevent traffic interception and device hacking.

A VPN client installed on any OS allows you to bypass many settings and rules of the provider (if he has set any restrictions).

Which vpn to choose for the phone?

Android mobile phones and smartphones can use applications from the Google Play market:

• - vpnRoot, droidVPN,
• - tor browser for surfing networks, aka orbot
• - InBrowser, orfox (firefox+tor),
• - SuperVPN Free VPN Client
• - Open VPN Connect
• - Tunnel Bear VPN
• - Hideman VPN

Most of these programs serve for the convenience of "hot" system configuration, placement of launch shortcuts, anonymous Internet surfing, and selection of the type of connection encryption.

But the main tasks of using a VPN on the phone are checking corporate mail, creating video conferences with several participants, as well as holding meetings outside the organization (for example, when an employee is on a business trip).

What is vpn on iphone?

Consider which vpn to choose and how to connect it to an iPhone in more detail.

Depending on the type of network supported, when you first start the VPN configuration on iphone, you can select the following protocols: L2TP, PPTP and Cisco IPSec (in addition, you can “make” a vpn connection using third-party applications).

All of these protocols support encryption keys, user identification with a password and certification.

Among the additional features when setting up a VPN profile on an iPhone, one can note: RSA security, encryption level, and authorization rules for connecting to the server.

For the iphone phone from the appstore store, you should choose:

• - free application Tunnelbear, with which you can connect to VPN servers of any country.
• - OpenVPN connect is one of the best VPN clients. Here, to run the application, you must first import rsa-keys via itunes to your phone.
• - Cloak is a shareware application, because for some time the product can be "used" for free, but to use the program after the demo period expires, you will have to buy it.

Creating a VPN: choosing and configuring equipment

For corporate communication in large organizations or the consolidation of offices remote from each other, they use hardware equipment that can support uninterrupted, secure networking.

To implement vpn technologies, the following can act as a network gateway: Unix servers, Windows servers, a network router and a network gateway on which VPN is raised.

The server or device used to create a vpn network of an enterprise or a vpn channel between remote offices must perform complex technical tasks and provide a full range of services to users both on workstations and on mobile devices.

Any router or vpn router should provide reliable network operation without “freezes”. And the built-in vpn function allows you to change the network configuration for working at home, in an organization or a remote office.

vpn setup on router

In the general case, VPN configuration on the router is carried out using the router's web interface. On “classic” devices for organizing vpn, you need to go to the “settings” or “network settings” section, where you select the VPN section, specify the protocol type, enter your subnet address settings, masks and specify the range of ip addresses for users.

In addition, to secure the connection, you will need to specify encoding algorithms, authentication methods, generate negotiation keys, and specify DNS WINS servers. In the "Gateway" parameters, you need to specify the ip-address of the gateway (your ip) and fill in the data on all network adapters.

If there are several routers in the network, it is necessary to fill in the vpn routing table for all devices in the VPN tunnel.

Here is a list of hardware equipment used in building VPN networks:

Dlink routers: DIR-320, DIR-620, DSR-1000 with new firmware or D-Link DI808HV router.

Routers Cisco PIX 501, Cisco 871-SEC-K9

Linksys Rv082 Router Supporting About 50 VPN Tunnels

Netgear router DG834G and router models FVS318G, FVS318N, FVS336G, SRX5308

Mikrotik router with OpenVPN function. Example RouterBoard RB/2011L-IN Mikrotik

Vpn equipment RVPN S-Terra or VPN Gate

ASUS RT-N66U, RT-N16 and RT N-10 Routers

ZyXel routers ZyWALL 5, ZyWALL P1, ZyWALL USG

Today, the use of VPN technology is becoming more popular than ever. Someone with its help gets access to blocked sites, someone tries to remain anonymous, and someone increases security on the network.

It would seem that there is no need to explain this abbreviation, although not everyone can clearly explain what it is, what it is for, and what are the advantages of using a VPN. Let's try to figure it out together.

VPN what is it?

If we describe the properties of Virtual Private Network in a technical language, then we get the following - the VPN process is a secure connection to a logical network that occurs over a private or public network. It's not very clear, is it? Well, I will try to describe this technology to you in a much simpler way. In fact, this is a private virtual network that allows you to save user data, getting rid of the geolocation of the client provider, which allows you to bypass blocking sites. At the same time, traffic passes through intermediate nodes, and it is almost impossible to decrypt data passing through the VPN.

VPN is a virtual private network that allows you to organize a secure tunnel, thanks to the movement of traffic through intermediate servers.

How a VPN works

Imagine a labyrinth where there is one entrance, but there are many more exit options. Imagine further that you are being pursued by, say, the Minotaur living in this labyrinth. Here you get on one of them, quickly running out through it, and the Minotaur, at a loss, does not know how to use it and where to look for its victim, thereby losing its lunch in the depths of the labyrinth. This is how a VPN works. One entrance, but then many variations of the exit, which cannot be tracked and do not know what is happening there, in the deepest bowels of the labyrinth. By the way, the closed part of the Internet - the darknet works on the same principle.

What is a VPN for?

A VPN makes the actual IP address invisible, allowing you to surf the web anonymously. Due to this, it becomes possible to download sites that are blocked in the host country. That is, using a VPN, all the doors on the Internet are open for you and there are no places where you would be forbidden to go. And yet, no one will know about it. In addition, it often happens that certain sites block access to content for residents from other countries. For example, on some American sites you can absolutely legally watch movies, however, only for US citizens. A great way to bypass these restrictions is to use a VPN.

Now a few words about security. Let's say you're in a shopping center where you have access to free Wi-Fi. This network is not secure, which means that by connecting to it, you risk losing your data or any confidential information, for example, about your additional income. It's just that an attacker will easily intercept your traffic in an unsecured network. Therefore, it is better to use VPN services in such places. Thanks to data encryption, it becomes almost impossible to intercept them, but even if this succeeds, the attacker will not be able to extract anything valuable from it.

In addition, VPN services have long been adopted by large and not so large companies. They use technology to remotely access the company's server for employees. This approach allows you to save a lot of money, plus increase the security of data transfer.

What is a VPN and how this technology works, everyone can find out. This does not require special knowledge and skills. First you need to decide on the service and download a small program that will take care of your traffic on its own. For an overview of the best VPN services, I suggest starting with the free options.

Tunnel Bear

Let's start with the Tunnel Bear. OS X, iOS, Windows, Android supported. Quite an interesting interface, where you are constantly accompanied by bears. They are there everywhere. Pretty acceptable conditions are provided in the free package. The free VPN in this utility is the following: 128-bit AES encryption and 500 megabytes of traffic. By following the developer's Twitter account and then asking for it, you can get an extra gigabyte of data for a month.

The program is easy to set up, we can say that the settings have already been made for you. First you need to download "Bears" and register an account. To do this, you will need to enter a name, email and come up with a password. After that, go to your mailbox and follow the link received from the "Bear". Well, then the matter is small, install the certificate and start using it. It is very easy to use the service on a computer: install the client, log in, and then select the activation point (USA, UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia or France) and enable tunneling. In general, this is the most creative approach to the execution of a technical program. There are bears everywhere and their growling. In a word - superinterface.

Windscribe

As with TunnelBear, support for all devices, mobile and desktop. A limited amount of traffic is provided for free. To use from a computer, you will need to download a VPN extension for your browser (for Chrome, Firefox and Opera). On Android and iOS systems, there are special applications that are downloaded from the store. You can choose the IP location yourself, or you can automatically select the most suitable one.

With the help of the Double Hop system, traffic passes through at least two servers before you receive it on your device. The system finds cookies and formats information from them that is sent to advertising companies or the site owner. There is also the possibility of replacing the real information sent by your browser with a fake one. And these are free tools. The free package includes country restrictions and traffic up to 10 gigabytes per month.

Hotspot Shield

This service is constantly updated, which every time makes it very convenient to use. In each new version, the functionality is expanded. This program is used for secure Wi-Fi connection. Also available on multiple platforms. From the main plus in comparison with other free programs, one can single out the fact that the traffic is unlimited. Well, the disadvantage is that you will have to endure for unlimited traffic by watching ads. Also on the official resource, the developer claims that he does not store or transfer data to anyone.

OperaVPN

This utility is built into the Opera browser and is available on personal computers, and has also been added to Android. By the way, about the last system - there are available functions for changing geodata, you can block ad trackers. Available countries include Canada, USA, Holland, Singapore and Germany. The list of countries in the future will, of course, increase.

I would also like to note that the service functions a little faster than its colleagues in the shop. Another plus is that everything is also free here and there are no traffic restrictions. As for the browser itself on the computer, it is enough to activate the checkbox provided for enabling / disabling. But there is one drawback, quite significant. This innovation in the browser is not a full-fledged VPN service. It follows from this that sites and services can easily find out your real IP address.

Hideme

Perhaps the best among all, despite its conditional free service. For a new user, one day of free testing is offered. Next, you already need to deposit money into the piggy bank of this developer, but, according to many experts, it's worth it. Let's take a look at their arguments. Firstly, the subscription fee for an annual subscription will cost you only 126 rubles per month of use, while for the rest it varies in cost from 5 to 10 dollars.

Secondly, there are no traffic restrictions. Thirdly, they have 74 servers in 35 countries around the world. While other similar programs mainly use the United States and a small part of Europe. There is no registration, which is also important. This allows you to completely preserve your anonymity, using anonymous bank cards or EPS to pay for the services of the service. This service has existed for more than eight years, and this also says a lot. Well, the funniest thing here is that if any of the government agencies need to pull out your data, then they will have to go to the court of the state of Belize, which is located in the Caribbean. Although there have been no such precedents for the entire existence of the service.

VPN for Yandex browser

Another browser that uses VPN is Yandex. Only here, unlike Opera, you will have to download the extension. There are many similar extensions, I suggest considering a couple of the most popular ones. Let's start with the ZenMate plugin. Equipped with modern design and easy to use. Due to the proxy server, it connects and the expanses of the Internet can be “wooled” without losing speed. The next extension is Hola Better Internet. It is considered effective due to the fact that for security it makes it possible to bypass IP blocking. It is also equipped with a clear interface that allows a beginner to get used to it without any difficulties.

Those who do not have enough functionality of the Tor browser and free VPN services can turn their attention to paid programs. They differ from free counterparts in a wider range of functions, more stable operation, and they have a much wider choice of servers. Yes, they do better in terms of security. Let's briefly go through the best, in my opinion, services.

speedify

Very good and interesting service. Provides a stable and fast connection to the Internet by combining several types of network connections. In practice, it looks like this: you have a laptop in which you simultaneously connected a modem and an Internet cable, and combined them using Speedify. So the speed has increased, and you don’t have to worry about a stable connection. It also encrypts transmitted and received data. The interface is quite simple and clear, which greatly simplifies the use.

Private Tunnel

This development belongs to the OpenVPN company, which is known for its products in the data protection market. In this service you will be offered eight servers located in six countries. Of the minuses, it is worth noting that the tariffs have traffic restrictions, unlike other paid programs. Well, the plus is that you can bind an unlimited number of devices. Anonymizer is supported on all platforms.

NordVPN

Provides servers in 20 countries of the world, there are even in Russia. The developer also tried to equip the service with a simple interface. It is worth noting that on their official website it is written that you should connect to the server closest to you so as not to lose data speed. To protect information, a secure socket layer (SSL) is used, using 2048-bit encryption. The double encryption function is used. This means that before you send information to the Internet, it is encrypted by two different nodes.

ExpressVPN

Against the background of its colleagues, it stands out with a loud statement that it is the fastest VPN connection among all. And according to the reviews of satisfied users, it seems that it is. The interface cannot be called simple, it already requires a professional hand to set it up. It does not store DNS query data or traffic-related data. In terms of cost, as well as in speed, it differs from analogues. It will cost you a little more than the rest. It is also worth noting that the technical support service is developed. It operates around the clock, there is even an online chat for communication.

How to set up a VPN connection

VPN settings differ depending on your operating system. There is a lot of material on the network on this topic, so it will not be difficult for you to find the necessary instructions. These settings relate to setting up corporate networks when you need to access a remote company server. When using the third-party services listed in this article, you will not have to make any additional settings. All the necessary settings will be performed by the program itself, you just have to turn it on.

Summing up the conversation about VPN, one cannot fail to say that with all the positive aspects, VPN also has its drawbacks. This is especially true for free services. The fact is that their development and maintenance requires funds, and if the owner provides it to the user for free, then he earns on something else. Perhaps on your personal data, including in which investment projects your funds are invested. Remember the proverb about free cheese and that the miser pays twice.