If certain websites are restricted to you for no good reason other than your geographical location, and the myopia of those that you elected, you need a VPN.
What is a VPN?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service that your computer location address (IP address), so that the website you are visiting does not apply country restrictions to you. Imagine you want to visit that popular club in Ikoyi, but you know that this is an exclusive club and most of the patrons are older gentlemen with 4 x 4s. So you hire someone who does movie makeup and gets them to give you fake white hair, beard to that you can look the part. That’s the sort of thing a VPN does for you. It gives you a different computer location address, so you can access previously restricted websites.
A VPN is usually a paid service, and once you understand the benefits it offers (especially if you’re in a country where spying on citizens has become constitutional) then you would see the benefits of the service.
With a VPN, you can:
- Keep your internet activity and location anonymous so that you’re not tracked
- Access websites blocked by your government
- Access blocked location-restricted streaming platforms such as Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, etc
The best thing about VPNs is that there are not technically challenging to set up. All you have to do is buy the service, pay and download and set your computer to whichever location you please.
How do you use a VPN to access sites like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube?
With a VPN, all you need to do is configure on your device first. Most VPNs come with an app to make this easy, so it is not as technical as it sounds. I will include video tutorials where available to help you set up your VPN easily.
I have tried a few VPNs in my time and here are my top 4 and their prices:
This is one of the strongest VPN providers out there in the market. Prices start from $3.49/mo and the great thing about this service is that they take browsing speed very seriously. A lot of the VPNs out there slow down your speed, but not Nord. Secondly, Nord is strategically located in Panama where the government has
If you want to install Nord VPN on an Android device, this tutorial will show you how:
2. Ivacy VPN
Ivacy is a Singapore-based VPN provider that offers you the opportunity to protect up to 10 devices in one go under one license, with plans starting from $2.45/month for a 3-day trial all the way up to $9.95 for a rolling monthly contract. They also offer a lifetime subscription using a special hidden link for users who prefer to set and forget it. Payment options: Paypal, Bitpay, Credit card and coin payments.
Here’s a tutorial that teaches you how to install on your laptop:
3. iProVPN
iProVPN seems to be a favourite with customers with a 100% positive rating on TrustPilot. Im not sure whether this is because of it’s military-grade encryption, direct access to Netflix USA, malware protection or the free adblocker tool. Whatever the reason is, it seems to be quite popular and there’s a special offer where you get access for 2 years if you use the special offer code: VWANT10. If you want to try the service for 7 days, they also offer a 7-day trial for $0.99
Payment options: Credit card, Paypal.
4. Hidden24
Hidden24 is a UK-based VPN service that helps you get an IP address in the UK, US as well as several other European countries. The service is 100% free for journalists but for everyone else, it is a paid service. The down side is that this doesn’t come with an app, so you will need some technical expertise in being able to configure VPN connections manually on each device. This can be quickly done with the right tutorial, but it means that you can’t use this on Firesticks or smart TVs. Prices start from £3.99/month.
