Using a free VPN on your router is a bad idea - here’s why
Share onSetting up a VPN on your router carries with it incredible benefits. One, it gives you a chance to protect all the devices in your household that access the internet. That includes niche devices such as digital cameras, smart TVs, and wireless thermostats that usually lack individual VPN support.
Setting up a VPN on your router carries with it incredible benefits. One, it gives you a chance to protect all the devices in your household that access the internet. That includes niche devices such as digital cameras, smart TVs, and wireless thermostats that usually lack individual VPN support.
Second, it is cost effective. Often, a VPN provider will allow a maximum of five devices per account. If you have more than five devices, then one account will not suffice. On the other hand, multiple accounts will prove expensive.
Moreover, a VPN on a router acts as a firewall, it provides network-wide automatic security, and it prevents Wi-Fi poaching/squatting. However, it is critical to remember that you can only experience these benefits if you are using paid VPNs and not free ones. Free VPNs are bad news for individual devices but even worse news for your router. Why?
1. Free VPNs tend to spy on you
Keep in mind that VPN providers need money to keep the VPNs running; to ensure the underlying infrastructure is of the highest quality, pay for bandwidth, and to purchase the most current technology. Paid VPNs get this money from your subscription fee. However, free VPNs have to get funding from somewhere else.
Often, they get the funding by selling your data to third parties. That means anytime you are online; the VPN provider will keep tabs you, collate the information and sell it. Therefore, even though you are not paying with cash, you pay with your personal information.
Sometimes, the free VPN will even list in the fine print of the privacy policy that by subscribing, you agree to transfer your data to China or some other country. If you set up such a VPN on your router, then it means the third party will have access to your whole life.
If you have a smart TV, then they can tell what you watch. If you have a wearable device, then they can tell how healthy you are. Essentially, instead of the privacy, you were after when subscribing to the VPN, you get zero privacy.
2. Free VPNs are slow
People love free things which means free VPNs have a lot of subscribers—more than the available resources can handle. With so many people connected to one VPN, the VPN provider automatically throttles the bandwidth.
Limited bandwidth of maybe 500MB to 2GB is not suitable for a router because by the time it is shared between all the devices, then it drops off to almost zero. As a result, each device will experience incredibly low speeds, not to mention the loss of connections.
In contrast, if you always use a trusted paid VPN on your router, you will get unlimited bandwidth and speeds in the realms of 100Mbps.
3. You have to deal with annoying ads
Another way that free VPNs make money is through advertisements. When you use a free VPN on your router, then all your devices will experience these annoying ads that are forever popping up when you are busy with serious work.
Additionally, most of these ads contain malware. If the malware manages to infect the router, then all the devices will be infected as well. That might cause to some devices to malfunction not to mention stop working.
Also, if malware like Switcher Trojan infects your router, then you have to buy a new router because it is impossible to remove it. That is an added expense that will cost a lot.
4. You will get limited server choices
A free VPN will not allow you to select the country to connect to. Even if they allow you to choose a server, the chances are high that the choices given are minimal.
As a result, you might be trying to stream content from a particular country, but because that particular country is not supported by the free VPN you cannot.
Conclusion
If you are serious about your privacy and security, then you cannot afford to use a free VPN on your router or any of your devices. Though, the router is one of the worst devices you can use it on just because it’s the hub that processes all your internet traffic.
You know what they say - if something is free, you’re the product.
This article is made by turnonvpn.org for NewsTargeted.com
Let us know your experiences with VPN's in the comments below.
