What does VPN Mean?

If you’ve ever been cruising the Internet and asked ‘What does VPN mean,’ you have come to the right website to find an answer! Here at Best VPN Providers we’re all about helping you learn about the best VPNs available, and about VPN technology.

To get the easy answer out of the way, VPN is an acronym which means:

• Virtual
• Private
• Network

That’s what it ‘means,’ but what does virtual private network mean? That’s a bit more complicated!

What does VPN mean?

To find out what VPN means let’s break it down by word, but work backwards as it makes for easier explanations:

• Network – in this context it applies to the network that is the vastness of the Internet.
• Private – means that your communications over this network are private.
• Virtual – refers to how it is not an actual network of yours which is private, it is a virtual one created by encryption.

If that still doesn’t make sense, think of a VPN as being able to take a space on the public Internet and make it private by creating a tunnel of encryption through the public Internet. It’s ‘virtual’ in the sense that you didn’t go out and lay down brand new cable and connect it to other computers. VPNs create a virtual space for your Internet connection inside of already existing physical structures.

What does it mean to use a VPN?

What it means for you, the average user, to use a VPN is that you will be able to:

• Encrypt all of your Internet traffic. This can protect your banking information, hide you when using torrents, and keep your passwords safe.
• Change your IP address. You will be able to bypass government censorship, geo-blocks, and hide your location from snooping websites.

These may seem small now, but have you ever gone on a vacation somewhere and found yourself blocked from your favorite websites? How about those 6 billion or so people that aren’t in the USA who don’t have access to the full Netflix library?

Having a VPN means that you can get around these problems, and many more, just by installing them and using them.

Online security issues are becoming more and more important to the average user all the time. Hacks, online fraud, and online theft are rising all the time. Having a VPN means you will have more protection.

How hard is it to use a VPN?

Many people who think they want a VPN are scared off by the myth of online security being only for people who understand reading binary. This isn’t the case at all. All of the top VPN providers on our list have simple to install clients – often taking just two or three clicks to install – that making using a VPN a breeze.

When it comes to actually using the VPN, it can be as simple as choosing the server you want to connect to, either in your country to a country you want to unlock, and clicking ‘connect.’ Your online safety doesn’t have to be complicated, and a VPN makes that possible. If you’re still asking “what does VPN mean,” feel free to read more articles on our blog to increase your knowledge even more!

Feature image via Peshkova / Shutterstock