VPN question

RumRat

B0bbyEwing said:

RumRat said:

I like Opera, but found that the included VPN really slowed traffic down.

Not used Opera but have used a number of various free VPNs.

I was just fed up with the 1) ads 2) slow slow SLOW speed & the files I was typically downloading would be in the 1GB-2GB area. 

So I ended up biting the bullet & paying for Nord. Happy with it so far. 

Agreed, except my VPN of choice is CyberGhost. Never had a problem with it and speeds are really good.

Eyeful

Inforapennyinforapound said:

So I can use Opera then. Sounds too good to be true be true. Was considering Nord. Any downsides to Opera from you Operatics out there? 

Thanks

1. Opera Browser is now under Chinese ownership.

2. The VPN in the Opera Browser is not a true VPN
https://cybernews.com/best-vpn/opera-vpn-review/

3. You might like to consider using either:
(a) Mullvad Browser and paying for their own VPN
(b) Brave Browser & using either the free or paid version of Proton VPN.

4. The Proton Browser is a True Browser is based in Switzerland & covered by that counties laws.
I happy with it.

bob2302

Eyeful said:

Inforapennyinforapound said:

So I can use Opera then. Sounds too good to be true be true. Was considering Nord. Any downsides to Opera from you Operatics out there? 

Thanks

2. The VPN in the Opera Browser is not a true VPN
https://cybernews.com/best-vpn/opera-vpn-review/

Be aware that that website will have received money from NordVPN over that article. Most sites that review VPNs, or advocate their use, are funded by VPN companies - either directly or through advertising. 

Eyeful

bob2302 said:

Eyeful said:

Inforapennyinforapound said:

So I can use Opera then. Sounds too good to be true be true. Was considering Nord. Any downsides to Opera from you Operatics out there? 

Thanks

2. The VPN in the Opera Browser is not a true VPN
https://cybernews.com/best-vpn/opera-vpn-review/

Be aware that that website will have received money from NordVPN over that article. Most sites that review VPNs, or advocate their use, are funded by VPN companies - either directly or through advertising. 

What you are getting with the opera browser is not a "True VPN"  but a "Proxy Service".
If you use it you should understand its limitations.

If you want a VPN then do your own research and find a  good reputable "True VPN"

Vitor

If someone wants basic IP masking and encrypted sessions inside their browser, Opera’s solution does that job. Your ISP can still see DNS lookups made by the rest of the system, and nothing outside the browser is protected.
If someone wants system-wide privacy, strong security guarantees, or advanced features, a proper VPN service is needed. 

onomatopoeia99

MyRealNameToo said:

Inforapennyinforapound said:

LightFlare said:

Inforapennyinforapound said:

All I want to do is use a vpn on my mobile device. So it seems no issues with Nord then? Recommended ? I was confused by their info re routers ,if that makes sense.? Just using a simple vpn app from my device is not a problem then?
Thanks

Opera browser has a built in VPN - you could use that

Thanks,but I wonder if it is ‘safe’ to use.? I suppose as long as I don’t use online banking on there it should be safe?

It is but it only protects things done via the web browser so if you use apps to access your email and/or banking etc then there is no protection with Opera because you arent using Opera (iPhones have similar with Safari with a subscription)

Nord, Express etc sits at the OS level so protects all traffic irrespective of if in an app or in a browser. 

What protection do you imagine a VPN will give your banking app, exactly?

If your answer talks about "man in the middle" attacks, please explain how transport layer security is circumvented in such an attack without the device already having been completely compromised to accept the attacker's certificates without raising an alarm (and in that circumstance the attacker has complete control of the operating system and can ignore the VPN entirely anyway).

I manage a VPN for my employer in the course of my work so am always keen to expand my knowledge of threat vectors (feel free to reference relevant CVEs).

Vitor

The actual point was about the difference between a browser-only VPN like Opera’s and an OS-level VPN. A system VPN routes all traffic, not just what goes through a browser, which means it still deals with the usual public-Wi-Fi problems: DNS tampering, traffic inspection, captive portals doing odd things and various bits of unencrypted app telemetry being exposed. None of that requires a device to be “fully compromised”.

A VPN isn’t a magic shield, but pretending it offers no benefit outside a browser because it doesn’t defeat TLS-level MITM is a bit of a straw man. Different tools solve different threats.

Frozen_up_north

On the subject of VPN protocols, recently I was in a Marston’s pub and the WiFi wouldn’t pass Nord VPN except if I changed the encryption type to OpenVPN (TCP).
I use Tailscale (VPN) to access my home network when away, it uses Wireguard encryption. This wouldn’t connect through the Marston pub WiFi either, which was a surprise as it normally will connect from “anywhere”.

Vitor

Also use Tailscale when out the house. The DNS still goes through Adguard Home so I get very few ads, took a moment to figure out the routing on the machine running Tailscale exit node and Adguard Home, it's an Asus router flashed to OpenWrt. 

NotArobot24

Inforapennyinforapound said:

I have a BT Smart Hub router and NordVPN reckon this won’t work with their VPN (on their website they list all makes of incompatible routers , but the BT one is NOT listed so I emailed them). 

They did ask the ‘make’ but the BT router does not show the maker.

Are NordVPN correct? Anyone had similar issue?

Thanks

Not used Nord VPN, you say "reckon this won't work" but you later say you bought Nord VPN so did you test it?

To test it go this the site below, click on the IPV4 IP address and look at the location

https://whatismyipaddress.com/

Then do the same with the VPN off.

Personally I use OpenWrt firmware for my home router, I bought a Black Friday Lifetime VPN deal with a company in Ukraine many years ago for 5 devices.  My router is deemed as one device.  

I can understand why some public wifi does not work with a VPN because places like the NHS must first have you accept their terms and conditions.  The VPN is likely to want to connect to the Internet to create the tunnel, but the connection session to the public wifi may not be active yet.  So you have to start without the VPN, get your connection then activate your VPN, that being said I am not clear that you have even had a fault yet.

You can install OpenWrt on some tiny devices, I have installed a site to site type VPN on a Raspberry PI so I can Admin a family members home network, albeit that I am not that technical myself.

Companies that file in Panama and Switzerland likely do so so they can't be legally compelled to share logs and won't get their servers raided.

There are plenty of free VPN's out there that you can try before you buy in their limited version.

I find that VPN IP's have either been totally trashed by spammers or they are on a blacklist, you will know you are on a blacklist my looking at the IPV4 page on the what is my IP Address site then click on the red button called  "Click to check Blacklist status"

If you have an actual fault then perhaps explain the issue and see if anyone here can help you.