Now, come on class, pay attention:
It might help us make a decision between a VPN and Proxy solution to study some feedback from two of the VPN providers I'm using. The 3rd reply was in Russian, and awaiting the 4th and 5th.
VPN Provider 1
Quite simply a VPN is a genuine connection made on a physical server in the UK. We are not blocking or hiding or faking your IP address but by allowing you to connect through our servers we are replacing your IP address with our IP address, ( the address where the connection is made) In addition all our servers have 1GB port speeds hence as you will know all our connections are fast and reliable for streaming video.
VPN Provider 2
There are many advantages using a VPN based system over other systems and they are all linked to the reliability of the system. Our service provides users with a pipe which comes out at one of our servers at a specific physical location. They then are treated as if they are a user from that location, indeed, as far as computers on the internet are concerned, this is exactly what they are. It is a reliable and incredibly secure way to connect. Our servers are also optimised for video streams for the best possible performance.
Masking software or proxies are generally unreliable, present performance problems, are often detected by websites and sometimes create security problems.
Our solution is an optimised, secure and managed solution.
From various sources:
Virtual Private Network or VPN is extension of Local Area Network allowing distant nodes achievable via Wide Area Network (ie. Internet) to behave (logically) like they were connected directly to LAN. VPN is often used by companies or organization to make distant workers or agencies seamlessly integrated into same network but it can be used to other purposes too, for example for hiding your IP address.
Basically, a VPN is a private network that uses a public network (usually the Internet) to connect remote sites or users together. Instead of using a dedicated, real-world connection such as leased line, a VPN uses “virtual” connections routed through the Internet.
One of the best things about VPNs is that they allows computer users to access a network via an IP address other than the one that actually connects their computer to the Internet. This service is exposed to general public through anonymous VPNservers.
Anonymous VPN servers create an encrypted tunnel which is used to route your Internet traffic, hide ip address and protect it from ISPs or system administrators’ snooping. Your email and ICQ correspondence will be safely protected as well as your Internet activity.
Here are some advantages of using anonymous VPNs servers:
Hide IP address for anonymous surfing
Secure protection against data retention.
Secure VPN connection also for WiFi/WLAN
Used for all Internet applications - Web, Email, Usenet, VoIP, P2P, Emule, Torrent, tor,
Easy to install on MS Windows or Mac
Sources: Wikipedia, HowStuffWorks & AnonymousIndex
From a Geeks' site:
1. What is VPN?
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, and is an increasingly popular form of proxy for security and to stay anonymous on net. VPN is a tunnel over the Internet. Each VPN connection is totally anonymous on the internet and it helps to keep your activities anonymous and safe. VPN internet access is an attractive option for people worried about their security and privacy.
2. What are the benefits of using VPN?
a. Provides a layer of security and anonymity.
b. Prevents local ISP from regulating your connection.
c. Prevents harassment from people tracking you by your IP address.
d. Safe/encrypted connection between your computer and the Internet.
e. Access blocked sites and bypass proxy and content filters.
f. Internet Service Provider won't know you are using it.
g. Your office or school won't know you are using it either!
h. Bypass Skype/MSN blocks.
i. Skype sound quality may improve with a VPN connection.
j. Visit all blocked/censored websites.
3. How does VPN work?
The VPN connection behaves like this:
You connect to the Internet in the normal manner, through your ISP.
The VPN client software on your computer initiates a connection with the VPN server.
The VPN server encrypts the data on the connection so it cannot be read by others while it is in transit.
The VPN server decrypts the data and passes it on to other servers and resources.
4. What is the technical difference between a VPN and a proxy?
A VPN has many advantages over a proxy server. Here are some of them:
a. A VPN does not restrict the kind of software you may use. So whatever software you have been using to surf the Net, you can use it after installing the VPN. A proxy almost always require you to make changes to how you use your software.
b. A VPN works at the network level. So when you use a VPN it will not just help your browsing, but every other kind of traffic, including p2p traffic such as skype etc. A proxy only handles http traffic.
c. A VPN encrypts all its data between you and the VPN server. Many proxies do not necessary encrypt the data but rather encode it to bypass detection. Encryption is of course more secure than encoding.
d. When you use a VPN, you are as good as surfing from a foreign IP address. In other words, no web sites can detect you are actually surfing from within China. This can be important as certain web sites actually ban Chinese IPs.
e. Once set up, a VPN is actually much easier to use than a proxy. To start/stop a VPN you simply double click on the VPN icon you have configured..
Notice the subtle intro - you have to have a VPN or proxy, no other solution.....I should get yourself another coffee if you've got this far...
Actually, there are other solutions - one is to take up knitting or Scrabble and the other is to use IP fakers - the ones I've tried just ****** my PC and slow it to a crawl.
MG
