Currently, VPN is know as the solution to various online privacy issues. While the government and your ISP that track all your online activity on a daily basis and may limit the websites you may access online, the private virtual network can provide the security solution that brings back privacy and freedom to your internet. With the virtual private network, you can conveniently browse the internet without having to worry about any kind of surveillance, tracking and limitations that the government, the ISP, or other third parties may be doing.
However, there are various disadvantages that you must be aware of before using any VPN service among the many benefits that VPN can provide for your online privacy. This is especially true if you’re VPN user for the first time.
Here are the VPN disadvantages you should be aware of before you use it:
You Might Have Performance Issues While Using the Private Network
Since the private network link works by connecting your network to a private server before you can access the website that you want to visit, it might cause a performance issue in the process. Some virtual private networks could take a longer time to contact the private servers, which might result in a longer time for you to load the website that you use.
This is in fact a common disadvantage that you will see when you use a free VPN service. Also, you might notice that the connection speed when using private connection might be slower than when you use the regular connection.
Using VPN Might Actually Be Illegal in Your Country
Some countries do not allow their citizens to use any form of VPN service. Most of VPN services in the countries that find private networks illegal will be blocked. This is the first downside you’ll need to deal with. If you think your country is in the list of countries where the private communication is considered illegal, then you should not use the VPN service first. This is because, when you do that, you could end up paying a huge fine or going to jail.
The VPN Service Might Monitor Your Activity and Use Your Data
Some private network providers would allow you to share your data using their private servers. They may not, of course, state their intention first. Nevertheless, there have been cases in which VPN companies track their users ‘ data for their own benefit. Yes, they might help bypass your internet restrictions and hide your IP address, but the private network companies might do the tracking instead.
You should be aware of the VPN services that offer their private connection for free or for a very low price because they might log your activity.
Using It Can Not Guarantee 100% Anonymity
There are various ways you can still reveal your identity even though you are using a VPN. What if you were browsing a website using a VPN connection and you suddenly realized that your VPN client is suddenly disconnected? Or your DNS is leaking? On even worst, the provider you’re using agrees to provide your government with some critical information about yourself.
Although nowadays the service providers provide several features like Double VPN or Kill Switch to make your connection as private and secure as possible. There are still numerous ways in which data can be leaked by hardware, software or other means.
Not Possible to Bypass All the Restrictions
The primary reason people use VPN is to unblock specific websites or content (i.e., circumvent restrictions). Although most websites or content can be relatively easy to unblock, certain content may still be difficult to access. For example, Netflix is accessible from anywhere, but the company only allows specific countries to watch those films or TV shows.
Since they have various agreements with content producers, they’re not legally allowed to show specific content in a region. And mostly they’re good at enforcing this. Many VPN providers can NOT bypass this restriction. Same is the case with many other sites or content.
Platform Compatibility Issues If You’re Using A Less Popular Platform
If you are using an operating system that is being used by millions of users around the world, you’re okay. Nonetheless, if you are using a less common OS, obsolete OS or hardware that is incompatible, there may not be many ways of using or configuring VPN on your computer.
With four of the most common operating systems, most VPNs are available, including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. If you use anything else, the chances are; you can face difficulties in setting up the service, and even get the company’s help. This is true for any program and not just for VPNs. Several VPN providers offer ways to configure your router to protect your entire internet network as well, which could work as a solution to this issue.
It Can Slow Down Your Internet Speed
When you add a VPN connection, you’re adding a layer of privacy through VPN server. Instead of directly accessing a website, you’re accessing it via your VPN provider. Although this allows you to hide your IP address and encrypt your data, this also means, data has to travel more and with added complexity.
If VPN providers you’re using are not powerful enough, your internet can get very slow. This affects primarily when you need a high-speed internet for streaming or downloading etc. But this is not always the case. Earlier, we have reviewed many VPN providers for their speed and often speed reduction is minimal in some instances.
It Might Add More Cost to Your Network Connection
The Virtual Private Network is by default a paid private link service that you must pay separately from your normal network or ISP. In fact, if you want to use a VPN router, you need to purchase additional equipment for the router to be used alongside your VPN connection. So, it may not come to you for free. Yes, there are plenty of free private connections you can use, but they are generally unreliable and have plenty of restrictions. So, another downside of private communication is that in the long term it can be very costly to you.
It Might Be Difficult to Set Up for Business Users
VPN may be easy to set up for individual users, since you only need to download and install your VPN apps or software on your computer. The situation might not be like that for business users though. VPN is much more complicated for business users to set up, particularly when you need to set up a private network on your premise.
It will bring more complexity to your overall link to the network and will impact any device you use on your business. While many VPN companies will simplify that for you, you may still need a dedicated network management team to oversee your business ‘ private network connection.
Those are the disadvantages of a VPN that you should learn before you use it. If you are going to use any VPN service, you must make sure you use trustworthy ones. You won’t be given these drawbacks by trustworthy service providers, or at least they will minimize these disadvantages for you. In fact, if you really care about your privacy and security online, VPN will be the best tool you can use to protect your privacy and security online.
