How Virtual Private Networks (VPN) Work

Using a Free VPN is the best idea if your answer is ‘Yes’ for any of the question below.

• Do you have problems in opening certain websites like LinkedIn and Twitter at work?
• Has your school blocked social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace?
• Do you require to work anonymously online?

A VPN or virtual private network is a network that is layered on top of a basic computer network and uses a public telecommunications infrastructure like the internet. Primarily, it uses virtual connection routed through the internet from a company's private network to the remote site or employee. VPN is provided to individual users and remote offices for them to have a secure access to their organization's network. Furthermore, companies and organizations use VPN to send voice, video and data in a private manner. One nature of VPN is when a data travels over the VPN, generally it is not visible, rather it is wrapped up in the network traffic. The traffic with the VPN appears to be just another traffic stream.


In this era of fast moving technological innovations and development, one area that has lag and yet unable to match feet with the pace is online security and anonymity. Though we have opportunity to go online while on the move, we don't have surety just how secure we are. An old proverb fits well here, Prevention is better than cure. You should take preventive measures before it's too late. In this article our focus would be VPN and online security and anonymity. While I was surfing the internet, I came across many interesting websites that have been offering remote VPN accounts, they are for your sure security and anonymity online with a price tag equals that of an anti-virus license. Let me explain how it works and what is needed on your part to get a VPN.

The VPN providers have setup remote servers at various locations worldwide in various data centers. They may be at diversified locations like USA, UK, Canada, Germany etc. On the server side generally if Windows they may be using built-in RRAS (Remote routing Access) that is configured to route (or NAT) your connection to the other side (Public Address on Internet) while you get a private address from a predefined pool in there. There could principally three flavors, namely Shared IP, Dynamically Shared IP and Dedicated IP. A shared IP or a static shared IP means every time you connect (dial their server) you get similar IP address. Dynamic shared IP means every time you connect you get a different IP (from a pool of Public IP addresses, may be /24 or /25 or other). Whereas a dedicated IP would mean you will get a similar IP every time you connect but that is not shared with anyone else. In short static shared IP address is more like an open-proxy as it begin used by more than one person at a time, dynamic shared IP is not much like proxy, its concept could be understood by thinking its IP allocation as that in ADSL. Dedicated IP, as name suggests, gives you a unique IP that is solely yours and there is no point in any kind of trouble like Black listed IP, UCE listings. You should first check IP status before going to get a dedicated IP.

In order to connect to a VPN server, VPN providers provide dialers (that are actually made using a utility called, CMAK, found in windows server), generally two protocols are provided PPTP and L2TP, as your network might support either of the two. Once you are connected, all your internet bound traffic goes to the VPN provider server and from there it's routed to internet. Incoming traffic follows the similar procedure, thus your identity is completely hidden from rest of internet.

Wherever you browse its VPN provider server IP that would be visible and your IP would be hidden. Most impotently all your data that travels between your PC/MAC and secure VPN connection provider goes encrypted thus leaving no room for data loggers and hackers to intercept your traffic (passwords and private information) in a readable form.

There are unlimited benefits for such a service. Some are bypassing local internet filters, bypassing blocks on particular websites, unblocking VOIP where it's blocked; for example UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and other ME countries. VPN is also considered as work around for streaming country-specific media e.g. if a media is limited to be accessed from USA, and you get a USA VPN you could watch the media as if you were in the USA. Same goes all countries.
Source: Google