Mobile VPN usage: 7 expert tips to secure your mobile connection

Usually used on laptop for business reasons, there are more usages to a VPN than computer only. On smartphone, a mobile VPN (or virtual private network) has many usages, both professional to ensure confidentiality of information, and personal, for example to browse websites that are not available in your own region, but also to play games such as Fortnite mobile.


Mobile private network, is it useful?

Usually used on laptop for business reasons, there are more usages to a VPN than computer only. On smartphone, a  mobile VPN   (or virtual private network) has many usages, both professional to ensure confidentiality of information, and personal, for example to browse websites that are not available in your own region, but also to play games such as Fortnite mobile.

However, the main use of a VPN for cell phone seems to be a professional one, to secure connections in general, and to access content that might not even be accessible from a remote location at all without a VPN for Android phone or for Apple iPhone device.

We asked several experts what are their usage of VPN on mobile devices, and here are their answers:

Can you share your story of mobile VPN usage? e.g. which functionalities are you using most, which country offers best performance, is your mobile data plan sky rocketing or didn't change much, for which usage is it most useful...

Jovan Milenkovic, KommandoTech: log on remote servers from anywhere

Personally, I love  CyberGhost VPN   which is what I use when working anywhere in the world. It's most important function is that it allows me to log into North American and European servers when I'm traveling, no matter where I'm located. So whether I'm in Chiang Mai or Dakar, I can access all my accounts and browse websites as if I were physically there.

This is important when logging into Amazon, Google and Apple accounts to monitor day-to-day business activities, such as affiliate link campaigns and revenue. It's even more important for logging into online banking accounts for US and Canadian banks especially. If your  IP address   shows that you are in Tanzania or Ukraine, you can even get the account locked for trying to log in. So using  CyberGhost VPN   is the perfect solution for bypassing geographically-imposed log in restrictions.

In terms of performance, it depends, but generally, speaking countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Iceland, and Scandinavian countries have the fastest servers. However, you can also get crazy fast speeds in Thailand, and I've never had issues logging in from there in Bangkok and Chiang Mai from my experience.

Jovan Milenkovic, Co-Founder, KommandoTech
Jovan Milenkovic, Co-Founder, KommandoTech
A veteran of the great console wars of the ’90s, Jovan honed his tech skills dissecting his father’s tools and gadgets. When he’s not busy imposing order and discipline on the KommandoTech cohort, he enjoys making music in his shed, playing JRPGs, and writing hard sci-fi.

Keno Hellmann, SelbstsaendigKite.de: never online without my VPN

I have been using my VPN service for 2 years now and on mobile I let it run all the time.

In most cases a VPN is very useful in public wireless lan networks. Hackers can more easily get access to your phone in public networks due to lower security provided. Especially when checking sensitive data like my bank account I always use my VPN app.

On business trips in foreign countries my VPN helps me to get access to my favourite entertainment channels when I am alone in the hotel. It’s helps to bypass geo-blocking easily and get access to my sport channels etc which is blocked in the country I am in.

The best servers in my experience are based in Europe - especially in Germany.

They run fast and even streaming is fluent on most platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and so on.

Using the VPN doesn’t have any influence on my  mobile data   plan. In some cases the upload and download speed can vary and in general it’s a little slower than without using the VPN App.

But the amount of data being processed seems to be the same.

Keno Hellmann, CEO at SelbstsaendigKite.de
Keno Hellmann, CEO at SelbstsaendigKite.de

Anh Trinh, GeekWithLaptop: use Surfshark multihop feature to increase mobile speed

My business is more or less stable now and I spend most of my time traveling the world attending conferences and meeting clients. However, I really don’t trust public Wi-Fi which is why I use Surfshark on my android phone.

SurShark VPN

I use Surfshark’s multihop feature which enables me to increase my mobile internet speed in countries that don’t have advanced network infrastructures. So I rarely use this in countries like Singapore or Japan. ..Thanks to this I am able to watch videos online without having to worry about the buffering speed. However, this does take a toll on my  mobile data   quite a bit. I estimate that I use an extra 100-200 MB of data when using Surfshark.

Anh Trinh, Managing Editor of GeekWithLaptop
Anh Trinh, Managing Editor of GeekWithLaptop
Anh built his first desktop at the age of 10 and he started coding when he was 14 years old. He knows a thing or two when it comes to finding a good laptop and he aims to share everything he knows through his websites online.

Kenny Trinh, Netbooknews: keep all data secure with a mobile VPN

VPNs can do a lot of things, such as letting you access region-restricted websites, keep your data secure, hide your browsing activity on a public Wi-Fi network and more, to answer the question more technically, when you connect your device up to a VPN your browsing is routed through servers across the world, which provide a proxy I.P. address.

Data simply isn’t secure over a public network. So, if I’m doing banking, sending private documents via email or just anything I don’t want other people to see, a VPN will keep all of that data secure, which is one reason why I use one, using VPN increases my data consumption for up to 10 percent simply because encrypted data requires more data then unencrypted data.

Kenny Trinh, CEO of Netbooknews
Kenny Trinh, CEO of Netbooknews
Anh built his first desktop at the age of 10 and he started coding when he was 14 years old. He knows a thing or two when it comes to finding a good laptop and he aims to share everything he knows through his websites online.

Madhsudhan, techistech.com: use ProtonVPN for all downloads

I use ProtonVPN on my Android device. The only reason I subscribed to the plan was Peer-to-Peer (P2P). I don't want my information to be exposed while downloading content online. The country in which live (Australia) brings the best speed. I have also tried a couple of servers in the US, India, and Switzerland, but due to the range, the speed was never promising. Finally, I get 50 GB of data every month. It looks enough, but it's not if you are a game enthusiast and use your data plan to download games on your PC. One thing the app does best is, it shows the data usage in the notification all the time. I also use the phone's data monitoring feature. I don't see much of a difference in terms of data. The app uses reasonable data. I believe VPN clients are essential for daily life. VPN apps add an extra layer of protection, making it difficult for hackers to steal information while browsing the internet. For me the reason was P2P, but using VPN in daily life is a wide choice.

ProtonVPN
Madhsudhan, Owner and writer, techistech.com
Madhsudhan, Owner and writer, techistech.com
Madhsudhan is a professional graduate in Software Engineering. He is passionate about the apps we use on our mobile devices. Check out his website for helpful tips and comparisons.

George Hammerton, Hammerton Barbados: secure traffic and access own services anywhere

As is the case for many modern businesses, particularly for those of us who have built our companies around a love of travel, ours is built to be decentralised.

We make use of online tools and services day to day and while we have a 'home base' office here in the UK, we routinely work from wherever we are travelling to at the time. In effect our portable offices are usually made up of a MacBook and an iPhone.

When travelling we naturally need to make use of the  WiFi connection   at our hotel, rented desk, or the infamous coffee shop and with sensitive data flying through the airways we need that information to be secure.

The use of a VPN on mobile devices has been important for us for two major reasons. Firstly it allows us to secure our traffic from our device over the local network to the internet, giving us a layer of protection from localised attackers. The second benefit is in how by using a VPN to access some of our own services, we don't then need to expose those them over the public internet.

For us as a mobile team, the use of VPNs has been critical in allowing us to work in the way we need to, and from the places we want to.

George Hammerton, Director, Hammerton Barbados
George Hammerton, Director, Hammerton Barbados
A leading online travel agency specialising in luxury vacation rentals in Barbados for the UK, US, and Canadian markets.

Mihai, StratusPointIT: quickly get an encrypted tunnel between mobile device and remote server

As an MSP, we often need to work remotely and sometimes it's much easier to reply to someone by using a smartphone. So, if you need to attach any confidential files (reports, invoices etc.), typically you have to get them from the company's online drive, which will require a secure connection. If you're using a VPN on your phone, not only you will be able to quickly do that, but also work in a secure environment, an encrypted tunnel between your mobile device and a remote server.  mobile data   usage will increase a bit which is normal, but several VPN solutions will slow down your internet connection. However, if you're using high-speed internet, it shouldn't be a problem, but if you're using dial-up or 3G, you may experience some issues. The farther your data has to travel to the server, the slower your connection will be. So, always choose a server in your country, unless you're using the VPN to bypass geo-filters.

Mihai Corbuleac, Information Security Consultant at StratusPointIT
Mihai Corbuleac, Information Security Consultant at StratusPointIT
IT support company providing professional IT support, cloud and information security services to small and medium businesses across the United States since 2006.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to secure my phone from phone spy app?
You can use a VPN to protect your phone from spyware. This helps to secure connections in general and to access content that may not be available from a remote location without a VPN, as well as changing the IP address.
What are the risks of use of VPN in mobile?
The use of a VPN on mobile devices can pose certain risks. Here are a few potential concerns: Trustworthiness of VPN Providers; Malicious VPN Apps; Data Logging and Privacy Issues; Slower Internet Speed; Compatibility and Technical Issues.
Does VPN increase data usage?
No, using a VPN does not inherently increase data usage. While VPNs may add a small amount of overhead due to the encryption process, it does not significantly impact data usage. However, it's worth noting that the specific activities you engage in while
How can a VPN enhance mobile security, and what are the key considerations when using one?
A VPN enhances security by encrypting data and masking IP addresses. Considerations include choosing a reputable VPN provider, ensuring strong encryption, and being aware of the VPN’s impact on speed.



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