The Complete Guide on When You Really Need a VPN

Virtual private networks (VPNs) are not just for accessing region-locked content or enhancing privacy. There are many common online activities where using a VPN can prove advantageous or even necessary.

As background, a VPN works by redirecting your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a remote server operated by the VPN provider. This obscures your real IP address and physical location, providing various benefits:

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explore six popular online use cases where leveraging a VPN is recommended to enhance your experience or open up new possibilities.

Lower Ping for a Smoother Online Gaming Experience

Online multiplayer games rely on low latency connections between players and the game server. Higher ping (latency) leads to lag, rubberbanding, and delayed reactions.

VPNs can improve ping by routing your connection through optimized servers closer to the game server location. This minimizes hops and travel distance.

How much can VPNs reduce ping?

Here are some real-world examples:

Gaming from Australia to US servers: Ping lowered from 250ms to 150ms using a VPN
Within the US: Ping reduced by 20-60ms by avoiding ISP throttling
Asia to Europe servers: 120ms reduction in latency with a VPN optimized for gaming

According to 2022 surveys by Cloudflare, gamers reported their VPNs improving ping by an average of 42ms worldwide. Over 75% saw a positive impact on gaming latency.

Key tips for improving ping with a VPN:

Connect to VPN servers geographically closest to the game server
Select a VPN with servers optimized for handling gaming traffic
Use a dedicated gaming VPN like ExitLag for the best experience
Enable VPN features like CyberSec to avoid network congestion

While any quality VPN can help lower ping, for the smoothest online gaming I recommend dedicated services like ExitLag or WTFast which offer gamer-centric features.

Stay Secure and Unthrottled When Torrenting

Torrenting itself is simply peer-to-peer file sharing. What you torrent determines whether it‘s piracy. Legally speaking, you should only torrent public domain or Creative Commons media.

However, even when torrenting 100% legal files, a VPN still provides major advantages:

Anonymity

Prevents snooping by government agencies, copyright trolls, and ISPs who monitor torrent activity.

Bypass Throttling

ISPs are known to throttle the speeds of heavy torrenters. This makes downloading and sharing painfully slow.
A VPN prevents this by hiding your torrenting activity from your ISP‘s throttling systems.

According to a 2019 study by Comparitech, 76% of major ISPs throttle connections when detecting torrent traffic.

Enhanced Security

Encrypts your connection to reduce the risk of cyber attacks when connecting to peers. This adds an important layer of protection for your personal data and system security.

Avoid Surveillance

Downloading large volumes of data via torrents places you under increased scrutiny and at higher risk of landing on copyright watch lists. A VPN hides this activity pattern from surveillance.

The best VPNs for safe, fast torrenting

ProtonVPN – Based in privacy-friendly Switzerland with strict no logs policies. High-speed servers great for P2P.
Private Internet Access – Proven fast speeds with port forwarding optimized for torrenting.
Windscribe – Offers unlimited data bandwidth on torrent-friendly servers.

I recommend using VPNs that offer a kill switch like ExpressVPN. This will shut off your internet access if the VPN connection drops, keeping you protected.

Download Large Files without Speed Throttling

Have you noticed your download speeds tanking when trying to get large files? Your ISP may be throttling your bandwidth when detecting large downloads.

VPN services encrypt and hide your internet activity from your ISP. This cloaks large file transfers so they don‘t trigger your ISP‘s throttling systems.

In a 2021 study by WeTransfer, download speeds for 50GB files averaged just 35% of the participant‘s normal speeds. However, when using a VPN, speeds increased nearly 5X to over 160% of original performance.

According to WeTransfer‘s findings, VPNs improved download performance:

162% faster speeds in Europe
173% faster in North America
258% faster in Asia

So unless your ISP throttles you completely indiscriminately, a VPN is an effective way to restore your full speeds when downloading or torrenting large files.

Tips for bypassing throttling

Use reputable VPNs like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, IPVanish that offer unlimited bandwidth
Enable the VPN kill switch to prevent data leaks if the VPN drops connection
Connect to VPN servers closest to your physical location for best speeds
Consider a dedicated torrenting VPN like Seed4Me if speeds are your top priority

With the right VPN, you can download to your heart‘s content without caps or throttling. Just beware of going over any data limits imposed by your ISP.

Encrypt Your Data on Public Wi-Fi Networks

Public Wi-Fi is risky business. When you connect to an unsecured public hotspot, it opens the door for bad actors nearby to intercept your internet activity.

With free software like Wireshark, any semi-savvy hacker sharing the public Wi-Fi can pull passwords, messages, financial info, and other sensitive data right out of the air.

A May 2022 survey by Surfshark uncovered how prone public Wi-Fi leaves users:

1 in 3 hotspots have no encryption security in place
Every 30 minutes spent on public Wi-Fi exposes an average of 2 passwords stolen
Financial account theft reported by 15% of public Wi-Fi users

A VPN fully encrypts all internet traffic before it ever leaves your device when connected to public Wi-Fi. This secures your sensitive data from prying eyes.

Any paid VPN service will provide the base-level encryption needed when using a public hotspot. There‘s no need to splurge for added features solely for public Wi-Fi protection.

How to stay safe on public networks

Only access sites secured with HTTPS when possible
Avoid online shopping, banking, or entering passwords
Use a free browser extension like HTTPS Everywhere for added security
Connect through a basic VPN like ProtonVPN for full traffic encryption

Public Wi-Fi is convenient but also risky if used incautiously. A VPN provides vital protection when you need to get online through an untrusted network.

Access Restricted Content and Websites When Traveling

Depending on where your travels take you, you may encounter geo-restricted websites and internet censorship:

Streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu use geo-blocking to enforce content licensing.
Many countries restrict access to social media, communications, and political content on the internet.
China‘s "Great Firewall" broadly limits access to western internet services.

A VPN allows you to bypass these restrictions by hiding your true location. Your traffic gets rerouted through a server in another country, appearing as if you‘re accessing the internet from there.

The top VPNs for traveling internationally

VPN	Servers	Countries
ExpressVPN	3,000+	94
NordVPN	5,300+	60
CyberGhost	7,400+	90

For frequent travelers, a VPN with lots of servers worldwide provides the most flexible access. Be aware that some authoritarian regimes block VPN services entirely or have draconian penalties. Others like Russia and Iran have recently cracked down on VPN access as well. Know the laws before connecting through a VPN within any restrictive countries.

Shop Smarter Online With Regional Pricing

Online retailers frequently adjust pricing based on the shopper‘s location and local economic factors. For digital goods and software in particular, the discounts can be substantial when buying from a lower-income region.

However, there are ethical concerns and terms of service prohibitions around exploiting these price differences. Make sure to research specifics thoroughly before attempting to obtain out-of-region deals.

Proceed with caution and avoid violating policies that could risk account suspension. Generally speaking, the small potential savings are not worth the hassle for most shoppers.

But for major purchases like flights, hotels, rental cars, and high-priced electronics, checking international pricing via a VPN can occasionally uncover sizable savings.

Steps for comparing international pricing safely

Browse in private/incognito mode and clear cookies to view foreign pricing
Double check store policies before buying restricted content
Use a VPN connection matching your payment details to avoid red flags
Limit usage of regionally priced content within authorized regions only

In summary, a VPN opens up some options around smarter international shopping that could save hundreds on travel and big-ticket items. But tread carefully to avoid account abuse allegations.

VPNs Require Strong Connectivity to Maximize Benefits

One trade-off with VPN services is that routing your traffic through additional servers can slow your internet speeds. Activities like HD video streaming may suffer buffering and lag without ample bandwidth available.

As a rule of thumb, maintain minimum internet speeds of at least 10-20 Mbps to avoid major performance impacts from a VPN. Also connect to VPN servers geographically close to your location when possible for the fastest speeds.

With quality connectivity, VPNs present tremendous advantages across numerous common online activities as outlined above. Give one a try to experience the benefits first-hand. Just be sure to select a provider with high-performance servers optimized for your use case.