AV-Test.org - VPN Packages Put to the Test: More Security and Anonymous Paths

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Those who prefer relative anonymity on the Web tend to rely on VPN software. But the software that opens up unimagined Internet paths is capable of much more. It allows users to bypass annoying geo-blocking or to tune their ping for gaming. The lab at AV-TEST examined two leading software packages and put together many facts on the topic. The test examined download speeds for files or torrents, along with vendor confidentiality. Anyone seeking greater privacy definitely ought to rely on VPN.

Users running a search on the topic of VPN will quickly find information stating that even the Opera browser offers a VPN capability. That is true but often fails to mention that this capability only allows for VPN within the browser and that the speed leaves much to be desired. Those who want a VPN connection for all of their activities on their Windows, Mac, iOS or Android system, however, need a VPN solution for private purposes.

VPN: hidden tunnels into the Internet

In layman's terms, the technical workings of VPN can be quickly summarized: Normally the Internet connection goes from the PC or mobile device to the Internet provider, who queries the relevant servers on the web and then delivers the requested data and websites to the PC or user device. The device is thus officially present on the net. Each website and each server knows the IP address to which it delivered the desired data. If somebody illegally analyzed all of this data, one could quickly put together a profile of the user.

Using VPN software makes analysis extremely difficult to impossible. As soon as the VPN software has been launched, all of the user's requests and queries first go there. Now it uses the normal Internet connection, but it has its own intermediary server. It first collects the desired files or web content from there and delivers it back to the user. All the servers or website thus identify a VPN service as a retriever of data – the user remains hidden and mostly anonymous behind the VPN service.

Techies naturally know that this explanation of VPN is a gross simplification. They also belong to the group who in a test are interested in every bit and byte of speed or additional technical features. For these readers, the test lab prepared an additional pdf file with lots of individual data from the tests.
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