Have you ever heard of the term VPN or Virtual Private Network? A VPN is used by many people worldwide to protect themselves from hackers trying to steal personal information, malware and censorship while using the internet.

While most of us only know VPN as an app that helps us unblock geo-restricted content. Many streaming services limit their subscribers to particular geographic areas. As a result, if you want to see a Netflix program or film that isn't accessible in your area, a VPN can assist.

There are various Netflix VPNs that allow you to access different content libraries from anywhere around the globe.

If you’re a subscriber of a certain streaming service and visiting a foreign country, you will be blocked from accessing its content. That’s when streaming VPNs come as a saviour to help you to stream your desired geo-restricted content by masking your real IP.

So, before we take a deeper look at the different uses of a VPN, let us first take a brief look at how a VPN works.

How does a VPN work?

A VPN helps by establishing a secure connection between you and the internet. When you use the VPN, all of your data traffic easily routes through an encrypted virtual tunnel. The process helps to disguise your IP address whenever you use the internet. It helps make your original location invisible and keeps you secure from various external attacks.

In other words, a VPN creates a small "network" by clustering a couple of computers together. Whatever activity takes place inside that network is guarded against outside danger. That outside danger can be a cybercriminal who is trying to hack your data or input malware into your computer.

Benefits of Using a VPN

Here are some of the most common benefits of using a VPN.

1. Access geo-blocked content

The most obvious benefit you can derive from using a VPN is access to geographically blocked content. A lot of movies and shows might not be available in your region, for instance, certain Netflix shows are only available in the USA or UK region.

A lot of streaming services only offer a subscription to certain geographical regions as well. Therefore, if you want to watch a Netflix show or movie that is not available in your region, then a VPN can help you in that regard.

There are various Netflix VPNs that easily let you access different content libraries from anywhere in the world. Also, it doesn’t matter if you have a subscription to a streaming platform, if you are not present in the right region, you will be blocked from accessing its content. 

To give you an example. Suppose you're in New Zealand and trying to access Netflix content exclusive to some other region, like the USA. Since that Netflix content, whether shows or movies, is on a server based in the USA, you cannot access it with an IP address from New Zealand. That's where a VPN comes in.

A VPN helps you change your IP address from a location in New Zealand to a location in the USA, or where you're trying to connect. Now the new IP address is closer to the server on which the preferred show or movie is, and in the same country, you get access to the content and a better streaming experience.

Remember that small network we mentioned earlier? With a VPN, you can enter that network and access the content you like.

2. Enhance Speed

Since connecting to a VPN gets you closer to the server you are trying to access, the time required for data transmission reduces. Less time increases the streaming speed, providing you with the best streaming experience. No matter what you're doing online, gaming, or watching shows or movies, streaming becomes smooth and faster with a VPN.

VPN essentially reduces the time that improves the latency. Latency is the time required by a dataset to travel from one device to another via an internet server. Everything you watch on Netflix is on a server. With a VPN, the time required for data to reach you from that server reduces, thus getting better speed.

3. Better quality content

Streaming involves data transmission; thus, it uses a lot of bandwidth. Bandwidth is the time it takes for a dataset to travel over the internet for a certain amount of time. Sometimes bandwidth is mistaken for internet speed, but it's the speed of data transmission. Bandwidth can differ even if you have high-speed internet. That's why VPNs are used to prevent bandwidth throttling.

Streaming can use a lot of bandwidth; therefore, internet service providers try to limit the speed to prevent congestion on the network. This affects downloading and uploading of data and streaming. Bandwidth throttling disrupts the amount of data that can be transferred. That is why you might experience low-quality audio or visual content.

But with a VPN, you can enhance speed and thus reduce bandwidth throttling to access quality content.

4. Inefficient routing

Apart from bandwidth throttling, there is a chance you might experience issues with routing. Inefficient routing results from internet speed issues that can affect your streaming. A VPN will enable a protective channel for your internet traffic without any disruptions so that you get a smooth streaming experience.

5. Mask your online identity

Since a VPN helps you change your original IP address, you can mask your online identity when surfing the web. This way, you get a protected connection without any potential threats. A VPN should be specifically used when trying to access public Wi-Fi or when entering sensitive information onto a site like banking details.

Public Wi-Fi is often not secure, and a lot of sites don't provide secure encryption services for online transactions. Using a VPN will help you stay away from potential cyber criminals that might be trying to steal your data or implant malware into your computer. 

VPN is also helpful if you’re trying to access a newly released show or movie that is not officially available yet. The internet has a lot of suspicious websites that give access to such content, and the inner movie or show junkie might want to hop onto these sites.

And before you realize it, you’re knee-deep in a swamp of malware. To avoid falling prey to such threats, use a VPN if you want to access free streaming sites. This way, you can hide your identity and access content without worrying about cyber threats.

Conclusion

VPNs are necessary if you want a safe streaming experience online. Not only will a VPN mask your identity by changing your IP address, but help with speed and bandwidth issues. Not to mention that you can also access geographically blocked content with a VPN and get access to whatever you want from where you want.