VPN?

AAPalmTree

AAPalmTree

Well-Known Member
Any suggetions about using a VPN while on the road? I really don't know a lot about them. I don't use public/hotel wifi very often. With longer layovers and more going on while on the road I'd like more options than blowing thorough tons of data. Not a techie, speak to me like I'm 5 years old with this stuff.
 
I'm not sure a VPN is what you think it is...for the most part, it just makes you look like you are somewhere else. It does not provide data.

If I misunderstood, my apologies...
 
Stone Cold said:
I'm not sure a VPN is what you think it is...for the most part, it just makes you look like you are somewhere else. It does not provide data.

If I misunderstood, my apologies...
Click to expand...

I thought it was a way set up a server at home and have an encrypted portal to that server through other (hotel) wifi. No?
I'm just looking for a secure way to use hotel/public wifi.
 
The computer geeks can help you better, as I really haven't kept up with what is what. I will say that from what I've read, there really isn't a "secure" public wifi.

I look forward to what they have to say also...
 
AAPalmTree said:
I thought it was a way set up a server at home and have an encrypted portal to that server through other (hotel) wifi. No?
I'm just looking for a secure way to use hotel/public wifi.
Click to expand...

That's the thing you're looking for. If it's just encrypted data you're looking for you don't need to set up your own at home. That's a pain. Get a VPN service and be done! There are tons of them. I've used PIA (Private Internet Access) and currently use ExpressVPN. Using a VPN actually has lots of benefits that you don't really think about. My latest one was trolling American Express from each location until they gave me their top sign-up offer. The nature of the business we are in takes us to places where some sites are blocked. It's helpful there too.
 
AAPalmTree said:
Any suggetions about using a VPN while on the road? I really don't know a lot about them. I don't use public/hotel wifi very often. With longer layovers and more going on while on the road I'd like more options than blowing thorough tons of data. Not a techie, speak to me like I'm 5 years old with this stuff.
Click to expand...

VPN is simply a secure tunnel across the internet to a network. Typically used for business to get you on the company network, your files, email servers, SAP and the like. It does disguise your location to some extent making it appear you are in the same location as the VPN router.

If you're wanting to get to files on your home computer while on the road MS Office 365 is the simple answer. $99 a year you get the entire MS Office package and 1 TB of cloud storage. Files can be accessed on your phone, pad or another computer.

I have it on my home computer, hangar computer and my iPhone. When I save a file on my home computer is also saves in the MS cloud and to my hangar computer. I can also access the files from my iPhone or iPad anywhere it the world.

The cloud actually replicates to 4 different data centers because replicating to Houston only would have been a bad solution.

Dropbox does the same thing but it doesn't come with MS Office Suite.

Get the $99 version because it comes with 5 licenses
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sto...8871!&ef_id=VmNYiQAABT2ICSCs:20170902124501:s
Description
• Best for households
• For 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets including iPad, Android, or Windows, plus 5 phones
• Fully installed versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, plus Publisher and Access for PC only
• Exclusive upgrades and new features
• 1 TB OneDrive cloud storage per user, for up to 5 users
• Microsoft support via chat or phone at no extra cost
 
AAPalmTree said:
I thought it was a way set up a server at home and have an encrypted portal to that server through other (hotel) wifi. No?
I'm just looking for a secure way to use hotel/public wifi.
Click to expand...
You can set up your own Virtual Private Network, but given that you self-identified as a "non-techie", I'm going to advise don't do that. There are a number of good commercial VPN options out there... and a lot of lousy ones. Make sure your provider doesn't log any connection data. I use Disconnect which is not the best, but works pretty well. I notice almost no degradation of throughput speed (there likely is some, but it's not significant enough to notice). It's relatively inexpensive. Note: VPNs, properly configured, will secure the connection of the data and typically mask your location from corporate data collectors. If you need a encryption with complete anonymity, you're going to need to get into a world (e.g. VPN over TOR) that is far more technical and delicate... And you'll need to change your habits... And then you'll still need to ensure no toxic payloads. Unless you are a journalist, activist, cop or criminal, you really don't need airtight bulletproof anonymity with encryption; encrypted transmission is good enough.
 
VPN is 1/4 the battle. Now you need a firewall and I don't mean off the shelf. It needs to be locked down.

Who does firewalls better? You or Microsoft?

You have to assume Russia, North Korea, China and others attack the firewalls of Microsoft, PayPal, ... 30 or 40 times a day and when was the last time they got hacked?

If you think you set up better security than Target Stores, Iraq, DoD, Ashley Madison, Home Depot, JP Morgen, and Linked In set up you're own system.

I've not set up a corporate VPN network in 17 years but I think they still go in your DMZ.
 
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fholbert said:
VPN is 1/4 the battle. Now you need a firewall and I don't mean off the shelf. It needs to be locked down.

Who does firewalls better? You or Microsoft?

You have to assume Russia, North Korea, China and others attack the firewalls of Microsoft, PayPal, ... 30 or 40 times a day and when was the last time they got hacked?

If you think you set up better security than Target Stores, Iraq, DoD, Ashley Madison, Home Depot, JP Morgen, and Linked In set up you're own system.

I've not set up a corporate VPN network in 17 years but I think they still go in your DMZ.
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I'm not sure if I'm correctly sussing out the tone of your post. I'm interpreting it as though you're slapping me for even talking about setting up a personal VPN. I suggested that the OP not set up his own VPN. I suggested a commercial product, 'cause, yeah, what you said. So I think we're on the same page, no? Or am I completely misinterpreting the tone of your post?
 
Crop Duster said:
I'm not sure if I'm correctly sussing out the tone of your post. I'm interpreting it as though you're slapping me for even talking about setting up a personal VPN. I suggested that the OP not set up his own VPN. I suggested a commercial product, 'cause, yeah, what you said. So I think we're on the same page, no? Or am I completely misinterpreting the tone of your post?
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Completely, I'm sorry.

It's an IT thing, we don't know how to talk to people.
 
CirrusMonkey said:
I just want to pirate porn. Am I safe with a VPN?
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Not through you companies VPN. It might be after hours and you're on the other side of the world but they are recording every URL, not only for the site you're visiting but the ads that pop up too.

We have 15,000 employees. In 2015 one employee a week was terminated for surfing porn.
 
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