You might be wondering what a VPN tunnel is and how it might assist you in preserving your online security and privacy. And why should you even be interested in how everything functions?
Let’s get started by quickly defining what a VPN tunnel is.
What is VPN tunneling?
Whenever you use a VPN, a procedure known as tunneling is used to send your data and online activity through the internet.
The practice of securely transferring data between networks or devices via an insecure medium (like the internet) without compromising privacy is known as VPN tunneling. Data is shielded by tunneling by being repackaged into a different format.
How do network tunnels work?
First, you must sign up for a VPN provider for VPN tunneling to function. The desired server will be connected, and a VPN tunnel will be created. Your ISP can monitor everything you do online without it, but once you connect to a VPN server, this is impossible. The encryption and concealed IP address are to blame for this.
The majority of VPN services assert that they strictly adhere to the no-logs policy, which forbids them from collecting and storing information about users’ online activities or identifying information. Having said that, using a trusted VPN service that either has an independently audited or no logs policy or one that has been field-tested is your best chance.
Every network request your device makes is routed through a secure tunnel when it establishes a VPN connection.
Any data transmitted through the VPN tunnel over the internet is divided into “packets” and then enveloped in them (in essence, another layer of data). Like placing a letter inside of an envelope, it conceals the data on the inside from others, including your Internet service provider. This outer layer of data is stripped off once the packet reaches its destination (your VPN server), allowing it to access your data.
Additionally, this tunnel enables two-way traffic from the VPN server to your device, hiding the data inside the tunnel as it travels and defending it from anyone waiting outside.
What are the advantages of a VPN tunnel?
- By removing bottlenecks and preserving capacity because not all of your internet traffic must go via a VPN server, it increases internet speeds
- You can access your business network or a foreign network while still being connected to your local network thanks to this feature, which enables simultaneous access to several networks. You no longer need to connect and disconnect from your VPN as a result constantly
- Your internet service provider (ISP) and other parties cannot see your actual IP address when using a VPN tunnel; instead, they see an IP address that belongs to the VPN provider and is shared by many other customers. This implies that no one will be able to identify your behavior as being your own
- Using a VPN tunnel, you can shield your online activities from the prying eyes of your ISP, the government, and anybody else trying to watch what you do on a free public Wi-Fi network
Conclusion
By obscuring your online activities from your ISP and spying organizations and assisting you in accessing prohibited websites, a VPN uses the tunneling idea to protect your privacy. Your choice of tunneling protocol has a significant impact on the level of protection, speed, and ability to get around obstacles.