How Difficult Is It to Use VPN? Is It a Tool for Advanced Users Only?

Updated on July 13, 2021: From now on, traffic filtering, malware protection, and suspicious DNS activity blocking are available as a part of the separate DNS Firewall app.

In this brief piece we’d like to address one common bias that we often meet in all sorts of sources. We’re going to discuss whether VPN services are for advanced users only, and how difficult they are to use. WARNING: this article is intended for beginners, so if you are an experienced VPN user, you might not find much new information here. Now, without further ado, let’s dive into this topic together!

In case you didn’t know what a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is, it’s a technology that must have two core features. First, it must mask your real IP behind a fake one as if you were in a different location, e.g. in another country. Second, it must encrypt your traffic, so that no third party would be able to read your data even if they manage to intercept it. VPN services are most commonly used for:

• concealing internet activity from ISP’s and the government
• evading local censorship
• bypassing geo-blocking
• safeguarding yourself in public WiFi hotspots
• getting access to safe P2P download

Origins of the bias – business VPN vs personal VPN

The belief that VPN is a complex service for IT guys seems to originate from the fact that it actually used to be that way. You see, VPN technology originally emerged as a mean for workers to remotely and securely connect to corporate networks while away from the office. And even though this use of a VPN is still common, another application for the technology was developed – to allow users access internet privately. Nowadays, the latter case is usually called commercial VPN (it’s the one we usually mean when talking about VPN services), whereas the older type is called corporate VPN.

Why are we bringing this up? Because it’s the corporate VPN that can actually take some proficiency to set up. It has to cover all sorts of departments, work with various other corporate systems, and so on. And since this is the older type of VPN services, baby duck syndrome (or imprinting, as some call it) comes in. People tend to remember their first experience with a system as the correct one, and judge all others by that standpoint.

Today’s application for top VPN services

In a modern world, commercial VPN services have little in common with the corporate ones in terms of complexity. Sure, they are still hi-tech, elaborated systems that take the technical knowledge to build and maintain. But the radical departure is that all of the tuning and management troubles remain on the VPN service provider’s side! It serves their interests to ensure that users face as little obstacles to using their product as possible.

Take our VPN Unlimited, for example. With it, one of our main goals (other than the obvious security and privacy) was to deliver users the pleasure of simplicity and convenience. Having logged in the app, you only need to open the server list, choose the desired location – and voila! From this moment, nobody on the internet will be able to see what you are doing, or where are you from. Really simple, isn’t it?

Also, check out our latest offer: Lifetime subscription plus 5 additional Lifetime device slots with a $50 discount – for only $199.99. Or, if you already have a Lifetime subscription, for a limited time you can buy 5 additional device slots for $49.99 – that’s 50% off!

We hope that now you understand the baselessness of the high-complexity-VPN belief. And if you would like to see for yourself, download VPN Unlimited and give it a try. We even give you a 7-day free trial and a 7-day guaranteed refund feature – we’re that confident you’ll like it!