Using a virtual private network in this day and age is something common to do. Millions upon millions of people are protecting their internet connection with a private connection whether they are using their desktop or mobile devices. This is because there are the benefits of VPN connection that many people want to enjoy, such as being able to bypass the government restrictions, hide their IP address, access region-protected content, improve their online privacy, and many other benefits.
However, since there are hundreds of VPN services that are available for you to choose from, it is natural that not all VPN services offer a high level of quality for their private connection. Some services are just not good to use or not reliable enough for you to be used on a day-to-day basis. This is especially true if you have paid for the service for a monthly or yearly subscription, in which you expect the service to be excellent. When it comes to a bad VPN service, there are some ways to identity it. Here are 5 red flags that show your VPN is a bad one:
1. Connection Drops Often Happen In Unexpected Time
When you connect to a VPN service, you are actually connecting to the private servers that they offer, which are scattered in various locations around the world. You can choose the private servers that are located in the US, Europe, Asia, and other places in the world. Because you are using the service along with other users and each server is used by a number of users, it is possible for you to experience connection drops from time to time. Most of the time, the connection drops happen once or twice per month if the service is stable enough. However, a bad VPN service might give you numerous connection drops that can happen within a month, or even a day. This is a sign of a bad service that you shouldn’t use for a long time.
2. Speed Is Too Slow And Sometimes Becomes Unbearable To Use
Due to the limited resources that are used by the users of the VPN service, it is also common for you to experience a speed reduction in your private connection. However, if it happens too often, and it becomes unbearable for you to use, then it means that you are not using a good and reliable VPN that offers the fastest speed that you can have. If you can’t rely on the speed of the private connection service, then it means that you are not getting the full value of the investment that you have made with the service. It is the time for you to switch into another VPN service provider.
3. You Keep On Receiving Spam Emails And Hacking Attempts After Using The Service
There are some VPN service providers that are doing some nasty businesses behind their user’s back. This includes logging the activity of their users and collecting their private data while using the private connection. Then, the shady VPN service provider will sell your private data to various third parties where they can use the data for various bad purposes. As a result, you experience many attempts of hacking on your online accounts and you get various spam messages in your mailbox. This is actually a common case that happens with most free VPN services out there, so you have to be aware of it. Once you get this symptom of security threats, you need to stop using the private connection service right away.
4. You Can’t Use It To Unblock Certain Websites
VPN is supposed to be able to unblock the websites that are being restricted by the government or any region-locking system. In fact, most reputable VPN services don’t have any problem accessing the region-locked websites and allowing their users to bypass such websites without any problem. However, there are still many VPN services that can’t deliver on their promises, and they make it difficult for their users to unblock certain websites due to various reasons. Most of the time, their private IP addresses are getting banned by the Geo-restricted online services, which makes it impossible for the users to enjoy certain websites using their private connection. When you experience this problem, it is a good time for you to think about switching into another service provider.
5. It Is Lacking In Privacy And Security Features
The virtual private connection is also supposed to be able to give the users the security and privacy protection when they are browsing the internet. Thus, it is supposed to have various security and privacy features that the users can rely on to make their online activity anonymous and free from any monitoring system. However, some VPN services don’t actually care about the privacy and security of their users and only care about bypassing the blocked websites, which results in giving the users a poor privacy and security protection online. If your VPN provider doesn’t have the adequate privacy and security features, you should stop using such a service and go for the better one.
Those are the red flags that show your VPN is a bad one. The more you rely on a bad VPN service, the more frustrated you will be in the long run. This is why it is suggested for you to ditch such a bad VPN service and get a better service that you can use to enhance your online privacy and security.