By now we're all familiar with the advantages of running a decent VPN right?
I don't have to waste space explaining it? Surely we all know if we don't want to be tracked, would prefer to keep our browsing habits private, would like to access region-specific services only available in other countries - the most important tool we can employ is a reliable VPN.
This isn't about hiding dodgy dealings from the proper authorities, it's about your right to keep your online presence yours - you shouldn't have to share your preferences, habits and searches with anyone you don't know. In fact, it's not just a privacy thing, it's also a security concern. If cybercriminals can't see you, they can't attack you.
This has never been more important as the lines between our business and personal lives online blur more and more every day. Nobody wants to put the whole company's cyber-security at risk just because they had the urge to do a status update on the free coffee-shop Wi-Fi.
But ideally we'd like all the benefits of a VPN without really being aware it's there at all. Norton has updated its Secure VPN app in an effort to achieve just that - attempting to make itself invisible on your phone or desktop while keeping you invisible online.
Some of the features I'll outline here are new, some were already in place but they're all worth highlighting if you're considering Norton as your VPN of choice.
Interestingly, on the list of countries and regions you can choose to virtually locate yourself in, at the top there's one labelled, "Torrent-Optimised Region." There's no need to be alarmed by the word, "Torrent." While it's true online pirates often make use of torrenting as a reliable, fairly anonymous method of sharing video and software files illegally and without permission, not all files people share are illegal downloads and it might just be the most cost-efficient way to transfer large chunks of data without having to pay to maintain some kind of cloud storage.
Unfortunately, because of its darker links, torrenting has been pretty much outlawed in many countries - but not all. So I thought it was pretty cool to see Norton optimising its VPN specifically for this.
There's now a Kill Switch function. This means if for some reason your VPN drops out, your whole Wi-Fi connection will be deactivated until you decide what to do next. Very good piece of mind.
Another new feature is something Norton has labelled, "Split Tunelling." This is really just a fancy name for excluded apps, which is has been offered by many other VPN services for ages. Some apps are quite region specific - especially if they involve a subscription membership, like Netflix, or location-based security settings - perhaps your work office suite. In the past, this would have meant turning your VPN on and off to access these apps but now, thanks to Split Tunelling, you can exempt them from your virtual identity and give those apps direct access to the network. Useful.
There's an Ad Tracker toggle too - personally, I prefer my ads to be targeted to my interests but if you'd like that kind of info to be kept confidential, slide this slider.
And that's about all there is to it, operationally speaking. Even if you haven't enabled the auto-start function, toggling Norton Secure VPN on and off only takes a few seconds so it definitely ticks the ease-of-use box.
However, when it comes to the effect on your download speeds, you'll probably notice the difference. Weirdly though, that depends on which region you decide to connect though. The picture below shows three Ookla speed tests I ran on my iPhone 13. The first result was with the VPN off. The second was when I let the app auto-select (it always chooses New Zealand when I do this). The third was connecting through the Netherlands.
As you can see, while there was only a slight drop when routed through Holland, the local connection was a bit of a disaster. That's in terms of download speeds, anyway. With uploading there was even more of a choke. The lesson here; probably worth experimenting a bit to find the region that works best - and most consistently - for you. I also ran these same tests on a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and a Windows 11 laptop - the contrasts were even more stark.
However, when it comes to cyber security, there's no getting around the reassurance a truly established and global brand like Norton offers. I've read a few horror stories over the last year or so about data breaches involving other, less renowned VPN services. You just don't seem to hear of that kind of thing happening to Norton and besides, they claim they don't even track, log or save your browsing activities themselves, so they don't really have much of your info to lose.
Unfortunately, some of those newer features like Kill Switch and Split Tunelling are currently only available for Android or Windows devices but you can still install Norton Secure VPN on Apple gear too - presumably those extra settings will be incorporated into a future update.
Depending on how many devices you want to protect, an annual subscription starts at NZ$69.99 - which doesn't seem too bad to keep yourself anonymous online, with the proven reliability of the Norton name. Just remember, you might be better off working virtually from Scandinavia than here.
No comments:
Post a Comment