Such premium VPNs may sound expensive, but they are no longer. A long-term subscription for NordVPN (big discounts NOW)* costs only a few bucks per month. Not only does the VPN protect up to 6 devices simultaneously, but it is also one of the best services if you want to beat geoblocking or censorship. The VPN is more than fast enough for well-known streaming services. NordVPN has a built-in security suite called CyberSec. More on this later.

NordVPN for your home office*

NordVPN offers clients for Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. There is even a client for the Raspberry Pi.

When I talk about VPN for the home office, I have to differentiate.

Private VPN or company VPN for the home office?

If you are employed by a larger company, you will most likely need access to the company’s network. Of course a lot can be done in the public cloud, but many services are still provided internally. In this case, your company will probably provide you with a VPN that allows you to connect to the company’s network.

If all the traffic goes through your company’s network, you’ll also benefit from other protection measures. But even smaller companies can use VPNs. Setting up your own WireGuard server and connecting the people from the home office via VPN it is not that difficult.

If you need access to your company’s network, contact your system administrator.

No access to the company network necessary

Another scenario would be, for example, if you and your employees collaborate via a publicly accessible Nextcloud. In this case, the data traffic would not have to go through the company network and you would theoretically not need a VPN in your home office. But it does no harm either.

Good VPNs offer various security mechanisms. For example, the security suite for NordVPN is called CyberSec.

How does CyberSec help in the home office?

CyberSec is an ad blocker integrated in NordVPN. The function can be found in all clients of the VPN. It can even be found in the browser extensions. However, the function is not active by default. If you want to use it, you must activate it manually. This is how it looks like in the browser extension, for example.

But CyberSec does not only block advertising. The security function also protects against harmful websites, malware and phishing.

As already mentioned, you may use 6 devices simultaneously. If that is not enough for you, I recommend you to build your own VPN router with a Raspberry Pi. This is not difficult.

You can test NordVPN before buying it because it provides a 30-day money-back-guarantee.

Test NordVPN 30 days risk free*

If you dislike the service, you can ask the 24/7 customer service for a refund.

NordLynx for Linux – WireGuard

The Linux client, including the one for the Raspberry Pi, offers an additional feature called NordLynx. This is the implementation of the lightweight WireGuard VPN protocol. You have access to fewer countries with it, but the protocol is faster than OpenVPN as speed tests show. But OpenVPN is not slow either.

WireGuard is a relatively new protocol that has just reached version 1.0.0. It has also been included in the Linux kernel 5.6 and is back ported to Ubuntu 20.04. With this, WireGuard has finally arrived in the mainstream.

PIA – Private Internet Access for the Home Office

The only criticism of NordVPN might be that the Linux client is only available for the command line. With Raspberry Pi this is not bad, because this method is more resource-saving.

If you are looking for a VPN with a graphical client for Linux, then PIA (very nice client)* is recommended. Another great option is Surfshark (unlimited connections)* – it’s the most affordable VPN you can trust.

Private Internet Access offers a smart graphical client for Linux as well as a function to block advertising, trackers and malware. In terms of price, the PIA and NordVPN do not differ that much. PIA is somewhat cheaper.

All three mentioned VPN offer a kill switch shown. It ensures that your device is disconnected from the Internet if the connection to the VPN fails for any reason.

With PIA you can even connect 10 devices simultaneously. Surfshark has unlimited connections. All provider offer a 30-day money-back-guarantee.

If you take out an annual PIA subscription at the moment, you will get 2 months for free because of the Corona crisis — completely free!

PIA – 2 month for free*

That’s quite a nice offer.

Will the VPN get me anything after the Corona crisis?

If you work from abroad, it has even more advantages. At home in your network you have control over it. In a foreign Wi-Fi or public hotspot, you don’t know who is using it. A VPN protects you in such cases.

This also applies to the vacation you deserve after the crisis is over. We all like to use the everywhere available Wi-Fi. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a hotel or in an Airbnb.

If you travel to countries with strong censorship, you can still keep in touch with friends and family via VPN. For example, North VPN can bypass the Great Firewall of China. VPNs are legal in most countries, including China. In Egypt, VPNs are also legal, but blocked and only Premium ones work. Good VPNs can bypass such blocks and are usually not more expensive.

Both VPN providers mentioned here allow P2P activities, also called file sharing.

If your priority is streaming, I would recommend to use NordVPN. You can use it to unblock the major streaming providers such as Netflix US and BBC iPlayer. In the end, the VPN changes your IP address and it looks like you’re in a different location.

Which is the best VPN for the home office?

In the end, any VPN that works well and has no leaks is good. Both PIA and NordVPN run several thousand servers spread around the globe. Surfshark has a somewhat smaller network but is an excellent choice as well. All providers provide clients for the most commonly used operating systems.

A VPN is generally not a bad idea. The world is becoming more mobile and after the Corona crisis some companies might keep the use of home office. Therefore, it is a good idea to start working with a virtual private network.

The post Best VPN for home office — depends on the use case appeared first on VPN Expert.

The provider has made a name for itself to be one of the best VPNs for streaming. The provider always manages to get around the strong geoblocking of providers like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Zattoo and so on. You can unlock almost every popular streaming platform from abroad with this VPN. I travel a lot and know that.

For streaming you need speed, as you know. The provider delivers here (Speedtest: OpenVPN — WireGuard / NordLynx). Starting point was a line with 50 Mbps.

The speed is high enough to allow streaming in very high quality. But the VPN provider has much more to offer and I will introduce you to all the features.

A quick overview of the best functions

A short, clear summary at the beginning seems appropriate to me. This will give you an overview of what the VPN provider has in its portfolio.

Test NordVPN risk free*

Now that we have a rough overview, we will take a closer look at the goodies the VPN has to offer.

General information about NordVPN

The provider has its headquarters in Panama. This means, of course, that NordVPN is outside the legislation of the USA and the EU and therefore not within the 5/9/14 eyes alliance. That’s why the provider does not have to adhere to any data retention laws and can offer a strict zero-logs policy.

NordVPN has started to change the servers so that the operating system only runs in RAM.

NordVPN currently provides way over 5000 servers in about 60 countries. You will find a suitable VPN server in your area. There are about 1500 servers in the USA, roughly 600 in the UK and hundreds in the rest of Europe.

NordVPN offers user-friendly clients for Linux, Android, Windows, macOS and iOS. Furthermore, there are plug-ins for Firefox and Chrome. Installation on a router is allowed.

Another highlight of NordVPN is that you can connect up to 6 devices simultaneously and protect them.

NordVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee. If you dislike the service, you can apply for a refund and you will get your money back.

CyberSec is one of the best features of the service. You find it in every client the provider has to offer. It is an integrated ad blocker. CyberSec not only blocks annoying advertisements, but also protects against malware, trackers and phishing. You have to activate it manually.

NordVPN in detail

As mentioned above, installation on your router is allowed, as long as your router supports it. However, you can easily create your own VPN router with a Raspberry Pi. With that setup you can control the bandwidth if you want to. This method would protect your entire network with NordVPN. Furthermore, you can also provide a VPN to devices for which there is no client. Examples at this point would be a Chromecast or a Smart TV on which you cannot install apps.

For devices with Android TV you don’t really need a router because the Android app works perfectly.

Money-back guarantee – 30 days!

Various service providers offer a money-back guarantee but it’s a pain in the ass to apply for the refund. You might be asked annoying questions, why you want to quit and so on. Maybe they also offer you extras to convince you to stay. In any case, it is not that easy to get your money back.

NordVPN does not ask questions. You decide to take advantage of the money-back guarantee? So be it and the provider lets you go. I know that because a friend of mine did ask for a refund. He wanted to watch BBC iPlayer and he could unblock it. But was watching less than he thought. Meanwhile, he got hist Nord subscription again because he really likes his BBC iPlayer. At least that tested the refund policy for me.

Test NordVPN 30 days*

In any case, during the test phase you will get your money back without any problems if you ask for a refund.

Security functions, data protection and privacy

Of course the provider masks your IP address. All serious VPNs do this. But this is not only good for streaming Netflix US, BBC iPlayer and so on. It also hides your location from other data collectors. Data is the new gold and if the big companies know your location they can create personalized advertising.

Because we’re on the subject of advertising and trackers. CyberSec is one of the best features of NordVPN. It is a built-in ad blocker. CyberSec blocks not only ads but also trackers. It also protects against malware, phishing and other threats from cyberspace. In my home I use Pi-hole to protect my network. But as soon as I leave the house, CyberSec is activated. The function is available in all NordVPN clients even in the extensions for Firefox and Chrome.

The zero-logs policy is the promise of the provider that no traffic, data, DNS queries, IP addresses and so on are stored (Panama → you remember?). Even if authorities come with court orders, the provider cannot release anything because he has nothing to hand over. This of course greatly improves data protection and privacy.

The automatic kill switch (emergency switch) comes into action if the connection to the VPN server fails for any reason. The VPN client immediately interrupts the connection to the Internet and protects you from data leaks. The kill switch therefore ensures that no data traffic leaves the encrypted VPN tunnel.

The kill switch is optional and you have to activate it manually if you want to use it.

DNS and data leaks

Once you are logged into the VPN, you use the DNS servers of the service. This has two advantages. First, it protects you from so-called DNS leaks. If you are using the VPN, but the DNS servers of your ISP (Internet Service Provider), they still know which websites you are visiting. In addition, your Internet provider cannot intercept the DNS queries and thus block certain websites. Some countries censor the Internet in this way, even in Europe. DoH (DNS over HTTPS) will bring improvements here, but this will take time.

A brief explanation of DoH: With DoH, DNS queries are processed and encrypted via the HTTPS protocol. So far, this works unencrypted via UDP. So, with DoH the ISP or the authorities can no longer sniff or censor DNS because they do not know that it is a DNS query (DoH uses port 443). DoT (DNS over TLS — port 853) also encrypts and would be faster, but DoH leaves fewer traces — port 443 is blocked nowhere because almost all HTTPS requests won’t work anymore.

Security functions – even more data protection and privacy

NordVPN uses on state-of-the-art encryption. The VPN encrypts with AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 256-bit. This is encryption is military standard by the way. The VPN provider also offers a function called Double VPN. If you activate it, the VPN client routes your traffic not only through one, but through two VPN servers — so it is double encrypted. You should know that this reduces the speed a bit. Most people won’t need this feature, although it increases privacy.

Protect your privacy*

You also have the possibility to use Onion Over VPN. This is basically like using the Tor Browser or a private Tor Tab in the web browser Brave* via NordVPN. What’s the point of that? Your ISP or a government agency can see that you are using Tor (The Onion Router), but of course not for what. If you connect to NordVPN, the spies won’t know you’re using Tor. Tor is slow but secure. If you want to hide the fact that you’re using Tor from the authorities or ISP, this is an excellent option.

Soon everything will run in RAM

The provider is currently preparing to convert all servers so that the operating system only runs in the main memory aka RAM. However, RAM can only store information if it is powered. If a server is switched off, for example, the entire operating system is deleted. In other words, the server does not store sensitive data on a permanent mass storage device. So if a server is seized and taken away, the authorities would have to shut it down. You see what I’m getting at.

NordVPN provides several VPN protocols for you to choose from. By default, the provider uses OpenVPN. But NordVPN also supports IKEv2/IPsec, WireGuard and SOCKS5. The browser extensions act as proxy. Most devices support any of these protocols or there is a native client available. If you want to configure the VPN manually, you can connect almost any computer to the network of the provider. With OpenVPN you can choose between UDP and TCP.

Special servers – Stealth server, P2P, dedicated IP address

NordVPN offers some special servers. Talking about privacy I have already mentioned Double VPN and Onion Over VPN. But there are more special servers.

The provider allows P2P file sharing / torrenting and provides special servers for this. There are a lot of them. So if you are a friend of file sharing, you will surely like this feature.

Dedicated IP servers are also available. With this you get a special IP address — always the same because it is a server just for you. This is not to be confused with the feature dedicated IP address, which is only used for you during a session moment. In the latter case, there are dedicated IP addresses for the USA, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands. You can order the function in the customer area when you log in. It is not really cheap but that is somehow understandable. Most people won’t need a dedicated IP address, if I’m honest.

There are countries where VPNs are illegal and some governments block Virtual Private Networks. If a country blocks VPNs, they do not necessarily have to be illegal. That’s a fact. Egypt, for example, blocks VPNs, but a VPN in itself is not illegal. This is annoying, especially if you want to avoid geoblocking or use PayPal.

Bypass censorship with NordVPN*

For such situations NordVPN offers stealth servers or obfuscated servers. These are special servers that are made not to be detected or recognized. With these special servers you can bypass VPN blocks like you find in China and Russia.

It works, I have tried it myself several times.

NordVPN apps and clients for several operating systems

The provider offers clients for all major operating systems. You get apps for Android, iOS, Windows and macOS. I will go into the Linux client in more detail further down.

The apps are very user-friendly, so even VPN newbies will get used to them rapidly. The client offers a map with which you can quickly connect to the desired location. This is obvious, as you can see in the following screenshot. It’s the client for Windows.

The app looks very similar on other operating systems — included mobile devices. Therefore, it’s the ideal companion for your smartphone, tablet, iPhone or iPad as well.

Similar usage on different systems is convenient. If you have several devices in use, you won’t get confused.

But there are a few small differences between the apps and clients. In Windows, you can automatically connect to the VPN if an insecure WLAN is detected. With the Android version you can be automatically connected as soon as you use the mobile internet, Wi-Fi or in general. Of course, you can choose a preferred location for the connection.

Android App and Split Tunneling

The Android app also offers a feature called split tunneling. This allows you to route certain applications and traffic through the VPN. Sometimes you just don’t want certain apps to run through the VPN. So, you configure exceptions that are routed past the VPN. Yatse is such an app on my device. I use it to control my Kodi on LibreELEC or even stream content to my Android device. This traffic always stays in my local network and therefore I can exclude it from the VPN.

Some services don’t like VPNs and in this case you could configure an exception (or better try obfuscated servers first).

Client for macOS: be careful, there are two versions!

If you want to use the VPN with macOS, you have to be careful. There are two versions. The version from the App Store uses the VPN protocol IKEv2/IPsec.

If you have problems with that client, download the OpenVPN version. A friend of mine did and somehow the software from the App Store did not work well. Since he alternatively uses the OpenVPN version, the problems are solved. Don’t ask me why — just keep it in mind.

The client for Linux is a bit different, but that has its advantages. Let’s take a closer look at the special client.

Client for Linux

My main operating system is Linux and that’s why I am very interested in a good Linux client. NordVPN offers a Linux client for the command line. This has advantages, especially if you want to use a VPN on a Linux system without a graphical user interface.

But the fact that there is no graphical client is also no problem. You can configure the client to automatically connect to a specific country at system startup. If you want your computer to automatically connect to the UK, the command is as follows:

nordvpn set autoconnect enabled UK

The Linux client still offers all the functions you find in the graphical versions, including CyberSec, obfuscated servers and a kill switch. Furthermore, you can switch the CLI client to NordLynx. This allows you to use the fast and slim WireGuard protocol instead of OpenVPN.

The client is actively developed and NordVPN reacts rapidly to bug reports. I reported a few bugs in the early days of the client, and the developers have been ironed out rapidly. For a few months there are no issues with the command line client. That’s very pleasant.

NordVPN for Raspberry Pi – the client also works here

If you have Raspbian installed on a Raspberry Pi and you want to use a VPN, NordVPN is one of the best options. The command line client does not need many resources.

Many also use a Raspberry Pi headless and completely without GUI. Most VPN providers offer OpenVPN configuration files and you can connect to a server manually. But you have to watch out for DNS leaks at this point.

With the client of NordVPN on the Raspberry Pi you can connect to the desired country quickly and without complex configuration. Furthermore, the software uses the provider’s DNS servers by default and automatically prevents DNS leaks. NordLynx / WireGuard also works on the Raspberry Pi.

I explain at the end of the blog post how to install NordVPN under Linux and Raspberry Pi.

NordVPN extensions for Firefox and Chrome

First I would like to mention that the add-ons work not only for Chrome, but for all Chromium-based browsers. This includes Brave, Vivaldi and so on. I installed the add-on in Brave and it works perfectly.

NordVPN also offers extensions or plugins for Chrome and Firefox. But this is a proxy and not a pure VPN. In this case only the browser is routed through the VPN and not all network traffic. You can quickly and comfortably choose in the browser which country you want to be connected to. That is really nice.

Using the browser extensions, you must be aware that only the browser traffic is routed through the VPN. The rest of the traffic goes through the network you are currently connected to.

Although the add-ons act like a proxy, the provider still provides you with CyberSec. This is very convenient because it gives you an ad blocker in your browser without having to install additional add-ons. By default, CyberSec is deactivated. If you want to use it, do not forget to activate it.

The add-on for the browser has another advantage, as you can see in the screenshot above. You can easily block WebRTC. WebRTC can be a potential data leak. But some applications will not work without it. Maybe you have a multi-browser strategy like me. One has WebRTC active and the other has no WebRTC.

SmartPlay and Geoblocking

The VPN provider has a reputation for being superb in terms of streaming. I can confirm that. To be perfect for streaming, several factors are necessary. Of course, Internet speed is one of the most important factors. At this point, however, NordVPN is delivering.

The quality and requirements of the streaming providers define how fast your Internet connection has to be. Netflix for example has a minimum recommendation of 0.5 Mbps. But for Ultra-HD 25 Mbps are required.

Other providers only work reasonably from 2 Mbps and so on. At this point it is best to inquire at the streaming provider you want to use. If the basic speed of your connection is fast enough, NordVPN will definitely deliver high enough speeds to stream even in Ultra-HD.

Unlimited bandwidth is another important point. It is of little use to you if your connection is very fast, but only provides small amount of available data per month. The first two points here are the biggest problems of free VPNs. Either they are very slow or there are limits to the amount of data you can use. This is not ideal for streaming.

Bypassing geoblocking is important when:

• You want to watch foreign channels, programs, series and movies that are subject to geoblocking. For example, Netflix has different libraries in different countries. This is due to licensing laws. If you want to watch Nextflix US from Germany, you need a VPN that can unlock the service. BBC iPlayer only broadcasts in the UK. The BBC is known to broadcast great shows so you want to unlock it. The ITV Hub is also interesting for people with a preference for British television. Apart from that, BBC and ITV also broadcast live rugby on free TV and so on. SRF (Swiss Television) for example broadcasts Formula 1 almost ad free and also various matches of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League on free TV. In many countries you need an expensive subscription for this.
• A second option is if you are abroad and want to watch television from back home. You are a British expat but want to watch BBC, ITV and so on? You most likely need a VPN. Geoblocking always has something to do with licenses. That’s why almost all sports broadcasts in all countries are geoblocked.

NordVPN offers a function called SmartPlay. This is basically a combination of VPN and SmartDNS technology. With a Smart DNS you can also bypass geoblocking, but your connection is not protected. You also have to manually change the DNS server every time. That can be annoying.

Streaming with NordVPN*

The client of NordVPN automatically configures DNS for you. As soon as you connect to a server, SmartPlay does the heavy lifting. You save time and don’t have to worry about it.

Internet speed could even increase — if the ISP throttles

Talking about the speed of the Internet, which is critical for streaming. Even today, some ISPs still throttle the Internet connections based on your activities.

But if the ISP can’t see what you’re doing, it can’t throttle you because of your activities. Sure the ISP could throttle the whole connection but it can’t justify it. So, most ISPs don’t throttle at all in this case, and your Internet connection may even become faster with a VPN.

Support and customer service at NordVPN

The customer service is available around the clock or 24/7. You can contact NordVPN in several ways.

The fastest way to speak to a support representative is to use the Live Chat. Usually the waiting times are short and you will get help quickly.

As mentioned above, I have also communicated with the support team via email due to initial problems with the Linux client. I usually had an answer within 1 hour.

If you prefer to take things into your own hands, you can also have a look at the FAQ on the website. But itanswers only very general questions. If you have a more specific problem, save yourself the detour via the FAQ and contact the customer service immediately.

For a refund within the first 30 days you also contact a member of the support team.

Accepted payment methods

You can pay the provider in different ways. Of course all major credit cards are accepted. This includes Visa and Mastercard. Sofort is also an option.

Nice is that you can also pay NordVPN with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This is handled via CoinPayments. PayPal still works, but not in all regions. It depends on where you are living and you need to check.

There are other payment options like Amazon Pay, Alipay, UnionPay and so on. It is like everywhere else: Getting rid of money is usually no problem.

Just over €3 per month!*

A long-term subscription for NordVPN is really cheap. At the moment it only costs just over $3 per month. That’s a bargain for the features provided.

Save money with a VPN

If you pay for a VPN, you may save money elsewhere. If I want to buy a monthly pass at Eurosport, it costs me for example €6.99 Euro in Germany. I connect to NordVPN in to another country I suddenly was offered a subcription for only €4.99. Of course the content is different and you might want to check that. But with Eurosport Romania you get the games of the Premier League and FA cup. It is a bit trial and error I have to admit but it is worth it.

It is not uncommon practice for service providers to query your location based on your IP address and then charge you accordingly. It is not guaranteed that you will save money. But it’s worth a try. Try it for flights, hotels and so on. But never forget to delete your cookies in your browser first. Even better, use the incognito mode (Chrome) or a private mode (Firefox). Maybe use different browsers for requests from different countries.

Does my Internet speed suffer from NordVPN?

As with all VPNs, the Internet speed may decrease. How much depends on several factors. A rule of thumb is: The closer the VPN server, the higher the speed (unless the server has some problems).

But this is of little use if you are in the UK and need a server in the USA because of geoblocking. But even here, NordVPN delivers sufficiently high speeds. As mentioned at the beginning, I have speed tested NordVPN. It primarily examines whether OpenVPN or WireGuard (NordLynx) is faster. But you can still see that the speed is sufficient for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Zattoo, Amazon Prime and so on.

A few more tips & tricks

Like everywhere else, it can happen that a server has problems or is simply temporarily overloaded. If you find one server extremely slow, just switch to another. In most cases the problem is solved. The fastest way to notice low speeds? During streaming! The app is buffering and lags. For normal surfing, social media and email, it doesn’t matter if the speed drops temporarily.

This also applies to problems with geoblocking, by the way. The streaming providers and VPN providers are in a constant fight. If a server has landed on a blacklist, you probably can’t use it for bypassing geoblocking anymore. Just take another server and try again. If it doesn’t work at all, please contact the support. The support staff will tell you a server that should work. The provider is also honest and will tell you if a certain service does not work at the moment. Especially because of geoblocking it is crucial that the VPN provider operates many servers. NordVPN currently provides more than 5000!

Is there actually a free trial version of NordVPN?

No, there is no longer. The provider used to provide a free trial version. However, the VPN provider no longer offers such an option.

But that is not so bad. As I said, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee and that is as good as a trial version. Of course, you have to pay the money first. If you don’t like the service, you will get you cash back without any problems.

In some ways, such a version is even better than 3 or 7 day trial versions that other providers offer. You have a full month to test the VPN thoroughly and all features are unlocked.

Protected using public Wi-Fi or hotspots

As soon as you use a public Wi-Fi or a hotspot, you should protect your device. It does not matter which VPN provider you use for this. Important is that your device is protected.

Protect your devices!*

You don’t know who created or maintains the public Wi-Fi or who else is on the same network. After all, you don’t know everyone in the train, Airbnb, holiday apartment or hotel. Especially when it comes to holidays, we all like to use free Wi-Fi. But they can be insecure. With a VPN you encrypt your connection and hackers can hardly attack you from the same network. Especially in a public Wi-Fi a kill switch like the one from NordVPN is crucial.

Install NordVPN in Linux

Since there is no graphical client, the installation in Linux is done in a few, uncomplicated steps.

It doesn’t matter if you want to install the Linux client in Ubuntu, Linux Mint or Raspbian (Raspberry Pi). All three systems are based on Debian and use the package manager of it. For these systems you need the .deb file. You find in the download area of the vendor. For Fedora, openSUSE, Red Hat or CentOS you need the .rpm file.

You install the .deb file as follows:

sudo dpkg -i /Pfad/zur/Datei/nordvpn-release_1.0.0_all.deb sudo wget https://repo.nordvpn.com/gpg/nordvpn_public.asc -O - | sudo apt-key add -

After the first steps you update the package list:

sudo apt update

Now you install NordVPN:

apt install nordvpn

NordVPN and .rpm file it works like that:

sudo dnf install /Pfad/zur/Datei/nordvpn-release-1.0.0-1.noarch.rpm

Update package list:

sudo dnf update

Install the client:

sudo dnf install nordvpn

Now you can log in and connect. From this point onward it doesn’t matter if you use the .deb or .rpm version.

nordvpn login
nordvpn connect

The NordVPN client connects you to a server selected by the client. You get all possible options if you use this command:

nordvpn

you get all possible options:

Open the documentation — or man page — for more information. That’s easy:

man nordvpn

You swap between OpenVPN and NordLynx (WireGuard) like that:

nordvpn set technology NordLynx
nordvpn set technology OpenVPN

This also applies to the Raspberry Pi. NordLynx is faster, but there are currently fewer locations available.

While you are typing use the Tab key on your keyboard for auto completion. Try nordvpn [space] and press Tab twice. That’s great, isn’t it? Now try nordvpn set [space] and a double Tab.

That also works with c, cities and so on. Play a bit around as it speeds things up.

NordVPN for Linux!*

Don’t be scared of the command line. It’s a lot easier than it seems at first.

Other Linux systems: Of course you can also use the service with other Linux systems that are not based on Debian or Red Hat. However, you have to configure OpenVPN connections manually. NordVPN provides the necessary files. If you are using a Linux system like Arch Linux, you can certainly establish an OpenVPN connection manually. But watch out for DNS leaks!

NordVPN: Conclusion

NordVPN is an excellent universal VPN. VPN beginners will quickly get along with it and for professionals there are many advanced features.

The VPN is very versatile, since it runs on all major operating systems. Support or the native client for Raspberry Pi is one of the best options. Why? I have explained it. It allows me to build a VPN router relatively easily and thus connect several devices to the VPN without having to install any software. Only few VPNs offer a client for the Raspberry Pi.

You may connect 6 devices simultaneously, but at home I use my VPN router. That is more convenient. I also use it to connect devices like Chromecast or Smart TV with a VPN.

You get enough speed to stream content in very high quality. If you use Linux and switch to NordLynx you get even more speed.

For what the service offers, it is really cheap. The longer you subscribe to the VPN, the cheaper it gets. For a 3-year subscription you pay just over €3 per month* — that’s more than 70% discount. The protection of your data and your privacy should be worth that little money.

The post NordVPN Test 2023 — Security, Speed, Advantages — DISCOUNT! appeared first on VPN Expert.

• Get yourself a VPN that works in Egypt. NordVPN (big discounts NOW)* and the obfuscated servers of the provider work great.
• Open the website of PayPal log in.
• That’s it, now you can use the financial service as usual.

Not just PayPal is blocked in Egypt

This statement is somewhat misleading, because in the case of PayPal I believe that the service itself blocks access if you are visiting from Egypt. So it should be enough if you connect to a VPN server somewhere in Europe. But there is a catch.

Egypt blocks VPNs, at least often. You can get around those blocks if you use a VPN with a stealth mode. NordVPN* for example has obfuscated servers, and they work. Also [AirVPN] has a stealth technology you get around the VPN blocks. The VPN protocol SSTP also works but not a lot of VPN providers offer it. [PureVPN] does. I mainly use NordVPN as this is working well in Egypt. Most free VPNs don’t work in Egypt by the way.

NordVPN – use PayPal everywhere!*

By the way, in Egypt you can easily get a sim card for tourists at the airport and the data permission is high. For about 30 Euro you can get up to 80 GB if you get a special offer. If not, you still get 40 GB. Not bad, right? You can even use it for streaming content from home, but you need a VPN that can bypass the blockade and geoblocking.

With the 3G/4G connections there are also problems with video telephony (VoIP) via WhatsApp, Viber or Skype, for example. Personally, I prefer to use Telegram anyway, but there is a similar problem. There are enough people who use other messengers. NordVPN offers very user-friendly apps for Android and the already mentioned obfuscated servers. With that, video telephony via Skype and other programs works.

CyberSec is a blessing in Egypt

Maybe you use public Wi-Fi in your hotel, in a café or even in a dive center. The problem at this point could be so called hijacked routers. I have seen that many times — no joke. This means that you will be redirected via DNS hijacking to harmful websites or you will see plenty of annoying ads.

NordVPN’s CyberSec protects against malware, harmful websites, trackers, hackers and also acts as an ad blocker.

Even if you are using a public Wi-Fi, you use the DNS servers of the VPN provider, and they are normally clean. Also, you are connected to your VPN server via a tunnel, and malware from the public Wi-Fi cannot attack you. This also applies to any hacker that may be on the same network.

Other advantages of a VPN, not only good for PayPal

By the way, it does not matter if you travel to Egypt or to different countries. You should always use a VPN or Virtual Private Network as soon as you use an unknown network like in an Airbnb or also on a train. They are untrustworthy!

If you use PayPal or any online banking, you don’t want the operator of the public Wi-Fi to snoop around. Prying eyes is the last you want to have while doing online banking. Of course, the connections to banks and financial service providers are encrypted per default, but when it comes to the money, additional protection can’t hurt. Especially not when so many routers and access points are compromised.

Modern VPNs encrypt your connection with AES-256 and NordVPN offers a feature called Double Encryption. It routes your data through two VPN servers. This is good for anonymity, but not quite so good for speed. In Egypt, it should be enough to use the obfuscated servers.

Protect your data with NordVPN!*

NordVPN is good, affordable and works with PayPal

NordVPN currently costs only about $3 a month if you choose a long-term subscription, making it one of the most affordable options on the market. You can use up to 6 devices simultaneously, so all devices should be protected while on vacation. Thanks to the user-friendly applications for Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and also iOS, NordVPN is perfect for beginners. Get it just for your vacation and if it doesn’t suit you, take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee.

The VPN is known to be able to unlock streaming providers like Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer or Zattoo. I mean if you are on vacation you really shouldn’t watch too much TV. But it’s good to know that you could if you wanted too, right?

By the way, there are also extensions for the browsers Firefox and Chrome. You can use CyberSec in the browser extensions as well. In this case, however, not the entire traffic runs through the VPN, but only that of the browser. Basically it is a proxy — but it is faster.

The support of NordVPN is available 24/7. If there is an urgent problem, you can contact them via live chat. The support is fantastic. I once had a problem with the kill switch in an early version of the Linux client. I contacted the provider a got a solution on the same day. The kill switch is another feature I would like to point out. If the connection to the VPN is interrupted, the client will cut all network connections. This prevents unwanted data leaks.

Do you travel a lot or you are a digital nomad? In any case you should definitely have a VPN in your luggage. Not only Egypt, but also many other countries censor more or less strongly.

Scuba diving in Egypt is great — but don’t forget to pack a VPN

The Red Sea is really something special if you are a scuba diver or like snorkeling. Just the Thistlegorm with its history is always worth a visit. There are not many places on earth where you can shoot pictures like this in just 30 meters of depth.

Maybe you don’t have to use PayPal in Egypt at all and get along well without streaming and VoIP in your vacation. But everyone has an Internet-enabled device these days and most people use it to read or write messages.

I can tell you from my experience that I have seen and cleaned many compromised routers. Most of the time, even resetting to default settings doesn’t help because the firmware of the routers is outdated, and they are quickly attacked again. One option is to buy a new router. Another option would be to protect your guests with something like Pi-hole. The problem would be partially fixed now. But many don’t know even the project or have trouble setting it up.

But you have the option to take protect yourself and you can take a proactive approach. Get a trustworthy VPN. They are affordable now and a great travel companion.

The post Use PayPal in Egypt — it’s actually quite easy with a VPN! appeared first on VPN Expert.

Those who have once visited the National Museum of Egypt in Cairo will probably not get out of amazement. There is so much to see and so little time. You can easily spend the whole day in the museum and you will not get tired of it. The famous mask of Tutankhamen is of course a must and if you are there you have to visit the Pyramids as well. But in the digital age you should not travel to Egypt without the right VPN. I use the VPNs in this article myself and explain why you should use a Virtual Private Network in Egypt.

Tip: The obfuscated VPN servers of NordVPN (big discounts NOW)* work in Egypt very well! With this provider you can use up to 6 devices at the same time and NordVPN is perfect for beginners and professionals alike. The applications and apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android are very user-friendly and there is even a client for Linux. Not so many VPN providers have that in their portfolio.

Sometimes the websites of the VPN providers are not accessible. Therefore, it is a very good idea to get a VPN before you start your journey to Egypt. Better safe than sorry!

30 day money-back guarantee!

There is no risk in testing this provider because it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. You could even get the service just for the holiday and then … well …

Test NordVPN 30 days!*

Thanks to the already mentioned 30-day money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose. Below I will tell you some more providers and methods that work, but the most convenient for Egypt really is NordVPN. The provider’s stealth mode bypasses the VPN blocks and you also get CyberSec for all applications and apps. This feature protects your device from malware, tracker and phishing. It also blocks annoying ads.

Be smart as a tourist!

Here is an additional tip: If you spend several days in Cairo and want to see the mask of Tutankhamen relatively undisturbed, you should try it at noon. Often tourists visit the Pyramids and the museum on the same day. In the morning one thing and in the afternoon the other. Therefore, it is often relatively quiet at noon when the hordes are moving from A to B. I got the tip from a friend who lived in Cairo for quite a while.

Bathing, snorkeling, scuba diving, sunbathing

For sun lovers Egypt has a lot to offer. It rains actually hardly in the country especially on the Red Sea and you can spend your vacation any time of the year there. The heat in summer is however extreme and the months of June, July and August are not suitable for people who don’t like it that hot.

If you want to escape the wet and cold autumn and the grey and dark winter in Europe, you can get plenty of sunshine in Egypt. October, November and December are actually the best time to travel. In those months, the water is still quite warm because the summer heated it up. But in the evening it cools down enough that sitting outside is quite comfortable. I would recommend these months.

Spring is not bad either, although the water is a bit colder, but still over 20 degrees. In any case Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh or also Dahab are definitely known to the sun lovers from Europe. It is only a few hours flight to escape the wet, dark and grey season. The Red Sea is also famous for its fauna and flora.

Under water as its best

If you like snorkeling, you can enjoy great coral reefs and colorful fish. The biodiversity is not quite as high as in some areas of Indonesia, but the Red Sea is one of the best diving areas in the world. You can just look at fish, but also dive the most famous wreck in the world. Of course I am talking about the Thistlegorm, which was sunk by the Germans during the Second World War. In the Red Sea you can find turtles as well.

Free Wi-Fi is basically available everywhere

You don’t have to worry about general internet access. Actually, every hotel, café, bar, restaurant and so on offers free Wi-Fi. The first coworking cafés and coworking spaces are already opening and as a digital nomad you should always have a VPN in your luggage anyway. The internet is not as fast as in Europe, but it has become much better in the last years. 16 to 21 Mbps is more and more common and in some areas there is 4G available for those who prefer a mobile Internet connection.

SIM cards for tourists are actually available at the airport, and a data volume of 40 GB currently cost just over 25 Euro. If you only need 8 GB on your mobile device, it will only cost about 5 Euro. However, Skype or Viber quite often does not work with mobile data packages and other VoIP services are a bit bumpy. The VoIP services via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram or Threema usually work, but not all the time. To be honest, it’s hard to say where the problem lies.

Protect your devices!*

But I can confirm that calling home with a VPN works much better. For example, I had the problem that Skype always ended the call after exactly 30 seconds. With VPN, a call of over an hour was possible without any problems. With WhatsApp and Telegram there were also strange dropouts and malfunctions, but via Virtual Private Network it is much more stable.

PayPal and streaming in Egypt

You may be on vacation, but with VPN it’s still possible to watch some live TV from your country. That’s allowed even when you’re on vacation, isn’t it?

By the way, if you want to use PayPal in Egypt, you also need a VPN. I can only log into PayPal if I am using a server in Europe. It is very possible that other western countries work as well, but from a network with Egyptian IP address PayPal does not work.

The Egyptian government blocks VPNs

The use of a VPN in Egypt is not so simple. Presumably the government started censoring the Internet on May 24, 2017. Presumably? Yes, there is somehow no official statement until today. Of course, many people immediately switched to proxies, VPNs, and Tor (The Onion Router), and that’s why all popular VPN providers and Tor have been blocked.

However, there is every indication that the OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, and IPSec VPN protocols are blocked. Whoever is responsible for blocking seems to be monitoring which protocols are running and then blocking them accordingly. But I know that VPNs with obfuscation techniques are not blocked.

If you use stealth technology, NordVPN (big discounts NOW)* and [AirVPN] work fine. In this case OpenVPN traffic will be made unrecognizable looks like normal web traffic. For example, AirVPN offers OpenVPN over SSH, OpenVPN over SSL, and OpenVPN over Tor. NordVPN calls the servers to circumvent censorship obfuscated. With those methods you can get around the VPN blocks!

I can also tell you that SSTP via port 443 still works. For example [PureVPN] offers SSTP as protocol. By the way, Tor also works if you use bridges. However, Tor is not as fast as a VPN. With a free VPN you probably won’t get far in Egypt. They usually only offer standard OpenVPN connections, and those are blocked.

By the way, WireGuard works quite good. NordVPN offers WireGuard in their Linux client. They call the technology NordLynx and it is faster than OpenVPN.

CyberSec from NordVPN is great!

Do not underestimate CyberSec by NordVPN. It is included in all applications and apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and also Linux. Especially in foreign countries and foreign networks you may need any additional protection! CyberSec protects your devices against malware, tracker and phishing. It is also an ad blocker and guarantees uninterrupted browsing.

[su_service title=”Quick reminder!” icon=”icon: lightbulb-o”] A VPN works in Egypt, if the provider offers a technology to hide the traffic or a Stealth VPN![/su_service]

Why should I use a VPN in Egypt?

Egypt censors more or less. This applies to both websites and VPN services. The AFTE provides further information on this topic. As part of the fight against terrorism, laws have also been passed to control the media and the Internet. What does this mean? Well it’s basically monitoring and censorship of the Internet!

Protect your privacy!*

New anti-cyber crime law in Egypt

Heads up! In August 2018, the above-mentioned Anti-Cybercrime Law was passed. The government reserves the right to block websites that distribute fake news and the like. The use of a VPN to access such websites is illegal, as they underpin national security. This is punishable by up to 1 year in prison or a fine of 100,000 Egyptian pounds.

The law is probably deliberately worded a bit woolly, but you should know it. It doesn’t say anything about avoiding geoblocking for example. Nevertheless, you should be careful and only use high quality VPNs, which also safely protect your anonymity.

I have already mentioned two more reasons to use a VPN. These are VoIP services and public Wi-Fi. In an open Wi-Fi you should always use a VPN. It doesn’t matter if you are in Airbnb or on a plane. You never know who is running the network and who is trying to access your data.

With a VPN, your data is transported via an encrypted tunnel and the operator of the Wi-Fi cannot even see what websites you are using. If a government blocks VPNs, you can strongly assume that the Internet is monitored. Now you could say that you have nothing to hide anyway. However, I don’t like people snooping on me. It’s nobodies business what websites I am visiting. I don’t care it the prying eyes are from a government, an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or any agency.

Egypt is most likely monitoring the Internet

If the traffic between you and the website is encrypted (HTTPS), the parties mentioned above cannot actually read your data. However, they know which websites you are visiting, which DNS queries your device makes and all unencrypted traffic is basically open.

Another reason for using a VPN while on vacation is if you don’t want to miss TV from home. For example Zattoo or BBC iPlayer work great with a VPN, even abroad, as long as your IP address is not blocked. If you want to use streaming in Egypt, you need an IP address from the country what content you want to watch.

Streaming from abroad!*

If the content provider uses geoblocking technology, you need a VPN that can go around those restrictions. One of the best VPNs for streaming is NordVPN. Most of the times the provider is one step ahead of geoblocking. BBC iPlayer works great and also Netflix US and other libraries are no problem.

NordVPN is really great for setting up your own VPN router on a Raspberry Pi by the way. The device is so small that you could take it on vacation. Take your Chromecast as well and you can watch TV from home on the TV of the hotel.

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