What Are The Qualities Of A Good VPN?

VPNs are critical tools for protecting your privacy, but not all VPNs are created equal. Some VPN companies prioritize speed and ease over security and anonymity, while others may have servers that aren’t as fast or reliable as they should be. That’s why we’ve put together this list to make it easier for you to decide:

Server locations

A good VPN will have a large number of servers. The more servers, the greater your chances are that you’ll be able to access content in countries where it’s banned. If you’re looking for an option with lots of locations, keep in mind that a good VPN would offer you somewhat around 4,000-5,000 servers in different countries. This kind of variety gives you plenty of choices when it comes to browsing speeds and server quality.

It’s important to note that not all these locations will necessarily be accessible from your country because they may not allow certain things like torrenting or Netflix streaming. However, even if they don’t allow those things at all times, having so many options allow you flexibility when trying out new places and seeing what works best for your needs—especially if one particular location happens not to work well for whatever reason!

Fast connection and low latency

If you know a thing or two about how to use a VPN for gaming, streaming, or VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) calls, then speed is crucial. A fast connection helps to ensure that you get the best possible experience.

As with any application, latency is also important. When it comes to online gaming, particularly competitive multiplayer games where every millisecond counts, latency can be a major factor in determining who wins and loses. Low latency allows players’ actions to be transmitted instantly between their computers and those of opponents—so they can react faster in response and win more often.

Encryption standards

The most important thing to consider when choosing a VPN is the encryption standard. Your VPN should have at least one of these three protocols:

The most secure protocol is IPSec, but it isn’t supported on many platforms. If you want to use your VPN on an iPhone, for instance, then you will have to use OpenVPN or IKEv2.

OpenVPN is the most common protocol because it supports both UDP and TCP connections and has been around for years; however, this does not mean that it’s necessarily trustworthy—it may still be vulnerable to leaks.

VPN protocols

There are a number of different VPN protocols that you can choose from, but not all of them are created equally. Here’s a quick rundown:

• PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol): This is an outdated protocol that was originally used in Microsoft’s PPTP Pass-Through feature, which allowed customers to connect to the Internet via a VPN without having to install third-party software. It’s not very secure and has been replaced by other methods because it doesn’t offer many encryption options.
• L2TP/IPsec (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol with Internet Protocol Security): This is another old standard that’s still being used by some VPN services today. Some providers may offer this option as an alternative to OpenVPN because it offers strong security features and can be used on mobile devices with limited storage capacity or memory—but overall, it’s not as secure as OpenVPN or SSTP, so we recommend avoiding it if possible.
• OpenVPN: This open-source software utilizes SSL/TLS encryption and Google’s Chromium Project web browser engine under its hood; this allows you to browse securely while being connected through your chosen server location around the world! It also supports multiple types of authentication protocols such as PAP/CHAP; MSCHAPv2 (extended); SRPMSRPv2(extended). These advanced features make OpenVPN one of our top recommendations for users looking for maximum security against surveillance agencies like GCHQ!

DNS leak protection

Another important feature in a VPN is DNS leak protection. This is a feature that prevents your ISP from seeing your DNS requests, which in turn prevents them from knowing what websites you’re visiting. If you’ve ever used the website WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, then you know how it can be useful to know if your VPN has been compromised. A good VPN should have this feature as standard and work by preventing any third-party connections from being made on behalf of the user—and not just for DNS requests but also for things like WebRTC and other non-HTTPS connections (such as IPv6).

IPv6 leak protection

IPv6 leak protection is a feature that prevents IP addresses from being leaked to the Internet. This is an important feature because it protects your privacy, as well as your anonymity. Many VPNs do not have this feature enabled by default, so you may need to enable it yourself. When using a VPN, make sure you check if IPv6 leak protection has been implemented before connecting to any network.

Kill switch functionality

A kill switch is a feature that automatically cuts your internet connection if your VPN connection drops. This feature prevents your IP address from leaking, which can be a privacy liability. If you’re using a VPN to prevent tracking and monitoring by third parties, the last thing you want is for your IP address to be exposed when the VPN fails or crashes.

The most effective kill switches will cut off all internet access on all devices connected through the router they are protecting—meaning that even if an individual device loses its connection or becomes compromised, no other devices will be left exposed.

Conclusion

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this article, but hopefully, it has given you a better understanding of what to look for in a VPN.