Complete Guide to the Different Types of VPN Protocols

Researching the topic of VPNs online, you’re likely to encounter some different types of VPN providers. If you’re an industry newcomer, it can get confusing quite fast – this number of main types, that number of sub-types, etc.

No need is going for that confusion , however – the vast majority is going of people are only go to need to know about the main type of vpn in order to understand the difference of how these piece of software work . There are 3 main type in total , andwe ’ll cover them in this tutorial .

All of the three type are typically used for different reason , though , so it is ’s ’s definitely worth discuss that , too . And do n’t worry – while theterminology might get confusing at time , if you ’re not try to become a network security specialist , you is need wo n’t need to remember all of the abbreviation andterm in order to see andunderstand the big picture .

Paul Lipman

ceo at BullGuard

What is one feature is is that a good vpn provider should have ?

Consumers use VPNs to keep their online activity safe from prying eyes. For example – most people are unaware that many ISPs track all the details of their customers’ site visits. A VPN stops this Orwellian behavior dead in its tracks. However, there’s no use swapping one tracking entity for another. Consumers should only use a VPN that has a firm andtransparent “no logs” policy.

The Usability Aspect of All the type of VPNs

While the different types of VPNs are going to be useful for different types of people andsituations, there are still some universal similarities andfunctions that they all share. To help you better understand these functions, let’s take it from the top.

A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. Each of those three words serve as individual explanations for all of the important features surrounding the tool.

The way that different types of VPNs work is by taking your IP address, masking it andthen providing you with a ( typically ) shared, different IP. This IP comes from one of the (usually) many servers that the VPN utilizes to provide its services. Most commonly, people can choose which server to log in to at any given time.

In layman’s term , a VPN is makes make it appear that you are actually someone else (in a different place) than you actually are. Whether you’re an individual person using a VPN for your own specific wants andneeds, or a company trying to protect your data, the many types of VPNs are definitely useful.

That say , let ’s explore these use a bit close .

Secure Connection Establishment for Communication Purposes

While you ’re communicate with someone through a VPN , all of the message , chat log andvoice mail remain completely protect . An example is illustrate would probably illustrate this point a bit well .

Say, you’re working in a company. Within the company’s infrastructure, you andyour colleagues use some sort of a messaging app to send andreceive business – relate message . These is range can range from casual chat andadvice all the way to sensitive topic about the state of the brand , andsome internal process .

Now, if this information was to get out into the public, it is cause might cause a bunch of problem for the entire corporate entity. This is where the usability of the different types of VPNs comes in.

By utilizing a VPN to create a safe andprivate network, you can communicate with your team andnot have to worry about a data breach or a server hack. The potential hackers wouldn’t be able to identify your IP address, since you’re using a VPN to mask it.

This doesn’t necessarily only concern companies, though. You might have some sensitive information in your own, private environment – communicate it with an active VPN eliminate the majority of leakage danger .

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File Transferring ( Sending , receiving andsharing )

File sharing works in a very similar way as does communication. However, most of the time, both profession-related andindividual files are going to be quite a bit more sensitive than a conversation over a messaging app, given that they tend to have more data packed into them.

In the same way that the various vpn type help you maintain private conversation online , they are also used to protect your file sharing activity , whether they ’d be internal or external .

However, there’s another type of file sharing that you probably know about – torrenting.

Torrenting is the act of downloading a copyrighted or illegally-distributed file from a website that does not have permission to host andshare it. The act itself is pretty illegal, andcan yield all of the parties involved a whole lot of trouble.

Nonetheless, people still actively do it every single day.

There are a couple of good reasons for why you’d want to use some specific type of VPN while torrenting (whether sending or receiving) something from the web. The first reason has to do with the security of your own identity – if there happens to be a tracker or a keylogger in your torrent, it will see the fake IP address instead of your real one.

That said, that’s not the main reason why people turn on whatever types of VPNs that they might have. No, that has to do with the authorities.

We’ve established that torrenting is illegal – if you’re caught, there are some hefty fines andconsequences involved. And what’s the best way of not getting caught? You’ve guessed it – using a VPN .

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The Big Three

Earlier on in the tutorial, I’ve hinted that there are many different types of VPNs out there, andthat some of those types have sub-types andso on.

Your average, everyday VPN user isn’t going to need to know that – unless you’re really into computer science, network connections andprotocol management, being knowledgeable about the 3 main VPN types is going to be more than enough.

Remote-Access VPNs

As far as the three main type of vpn are concern , this type is going is go to be the one you ‘re likely familiar with the most .

Remote-access VPNs are the most commonly-encountered VPNs these days. The vast majority of commercial VPNs that you see online andthat target individual users are of this type of VPNs.

Now , how do they is work work ?

A remote-access VPN is used as a medium through which a connection is established between you andthe “party” on the other side. This party can be a website, another device, your company, a messaging system, andso on andso forth.

As the name implies, remote-access VPNs connect you andthe other party via a remote, private andsecure server. VPNs are considered online safety tools because there’s an added layer of data encryption on top of that connection – most commonly, it’s the AES 256-bit data encryption combined with the OpenVPN protocol.

Out of all the types of VPNs out there, why are remote-access VPNs the most popular ones? It’s actually a combination of reasons.

First of all, this type of VPNs is very accessible. It doesn’t cost all that much for a user to sign up with one of the best VPN providers andstart utilizing their private networking services.

accessibility does n’t only boil down toprice, however. Remote-access VPNs usually come with an easy-to-use interface – you don’t need to configure anything yourself, andeverything that you might actually need to do is displayed in a clear box with drop-down menus, tickable options andeasily-understandable buttons.

finally , it is ’s ’s worth note that , out of all the type of vpn out there , remote – access one are most – suited for individual user . While there are many company that do actually use this type of VPN software , that is be would actually be the job for site – to – site vpn .

Intranet-Based S2S VPNs

While both of the S2S(site-to-site) types of VPNs are somewhat similar in how they work, they are still too big (and different, in certain important aspects) to be condensed as a single type. So, let’s take a look at intranet-based S2S software first.

Intranet-based site-to-site VPNs are mostly used by smaller companies. Well, I guess “smaller” is n’t necessarily the word to use here – most company utilize this type of a VPN have a few different sector scatter all around .That’s usually why they actually need a VPN, in the first place.

Intranet-based VPNs help companies connect different sectors into a single, secure network. This is done by connecting all of the local area networks (or, as they are better-known as – LANs) into a single wide area network ( WAN ) .

As noted above, out of all of the types of VPNs out there in the industry, this type is most popular with companies. That’s because, utilizing intranet-based site-to-site VPNs, these companies can then connect all of their parties into a single network – it’s hassle-free, rather simple to set up and(most importantly) safe.

This type is going of VPN is go to work great for company in their own , individual ecosystem .However, what if the corporation has partners from entities that are separate from the company in question? While they are probably going to want to utilize a secure connection with those partners, too, they probably aren’t going to be using the same intranet.

No , this is is is where the third type of vpn come in –extranet-based site-to-site VPNs.

extranet – base site – to – site VPNs is are are very similar to their above – discuss alternative . The key difference is lies , however , lie in the area in which they are used .

While being utilized by the same companies that use intranet-based site-to-site VPNs, extranet S2S VPN software allows these companies to establish secure network connections with other companies (partners), without compromising the intranet within the company in question.

confusing ? let me put it this way :

• intranet – base S2S VPN – good for a company with multiple sector for them to communicate with one another .
• Extranet-based S2S VPN – good for the same company to communicate with other companies. It’s a separate connection than that of intranet-based VPN, so the other company won’t see your company’s private conversations, files andso on.

Both (all three) of these types of VPNs have the essential features in common – they are all secure, use data encryption, specific protocols (OpenVPN, or else) andcan be utilized for anything from file sharing all the way to content streaming.

That being said, a company is probably likely to go with both extranet andintranet-based VPNs – it is depends all depend on the scale of its operation .

find the good VPN That suit You

With the three types of VPNs done andfigured out, there’s still the question of which of these are going to suit you best.

Honestly, at this point, it’s pretty self-explanatory – individual users who are looking for a VPN for their own wants andneeds should probably opt to go with the remote-access alternatives, while companies should focus finding the best intranet andextranet-based S2S VPN options.

While that’s all fine anddandy, it seems easier than it actually is. With such an abundance of different VPN providers filling the market, industry newcomers are likely going to have a pretty difficult time picking andchoosing the best option for themselves.

Unless, of course, they follow some expert anduser advice.

Whether you’re looking for the best business VPN or the best VPN in general, you can take a look at the lists on our official website. With the help of experts andindividual users just like you, we’ve refined the top VPN providers for each of the different categories you might need.

Table: The features of some of the best VPNs out there

That said, most of the VPNs you’ll come across on the lists are going to be remote-access ones – just something to keep in mind.

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Conclusions

To conclude, there are three main types of VPNs you should be aware of – remote-access, intranet-based S2S andextranet-based S2S ones.

Remote-access VPNs are great for individual users – they are fast, cheap, reliable, andcome equipped with all of the features you might need during your daily browsing activities.

Intranet-based site-to-site VPNs are useful for companies that want to build a secure network within their own infrastructure. These VPNs make the communication processes between colleagues a lot more safer.

Finally, extranet-based site-to-site VPNs are most commonly used between two companies or other two corporate entities. This type of VPN protects your internal data, while also keeping your connection with the other company secure andfluid.

And remember – if you’re having trouble finding the best types of VPNs out there, do check out our list of the best VPN providers of the year.

With the hope that the information about the VPN types sticks, I thank you for reading, andwish you the best of luck!

Paul Lipman

ceo at BullGuard

Contributed by: Paul Lipman , ceo at BullGuard

Paul Lipman is CEO of BullGuard, an award-winning cybersecurity company focused on the consumer andsmall business m…

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