VPN on a Windows VPS: An In-depth Look At the Pros and Cons

VPN on VPS: An In-depth Look At the Pros and Cons 

Leasing a low end Windows VPS box is an easy way for you to setup your own private VPN. Whether its a VPN access point for your organization or a personal dedicated VPN for internet access, getting a Windows VPS is the easiest way to begin building a VPN server. Let’s ask the obvious questions, why exactly would you want a VPN server setup in the first place? What can it be used for and how do you set one up?

VPN Offers Encryption and Privacy 

When you setup a VPN server, your connection will be privately tunneled into your VPS that hosts the VPN architecture. This type of setup grants systems administrators granular control over their organizations access to the internet. Regardless of the underlying network you are using, VPN traffic is encrypted and the host provider will only be able to tell that there is an underlying connection between your machine and your VPS on their end. Since VPN uses encryption, your connection will not be able to be monitored by internet service providers.

VPNs Are Crucial If You Utilize Public Networks Often 

We noted that virtual private networks provide a tunnel from your computer directly to your VPS server hosting the VPN platform. When you connect to the internet this way, your traffic is completely sealed off from the ISP facilitating the physical connection to your computer. If you or members of your organization travel frequently, they could be unknowingly attempting to accessing rouge Wi-Fi access points that are setup to sniff packets. Without a VPN, data packets could theoretically become intercepted and sensitive data could be at risk.

VPNs Let You Circumvent Regional Restrictions 

Have you ever tried to watch a video online and you receive the dreaded “This content is not available in your region” error? If only there were some way to appear to be in another country so that the content becomes available. You should carefully decide exactly where in the world you’d like to build out your server.

For example, if there is an online game or a video that isn’t available to those in the USA, perhaps you’d want to build out your VPN on top of a VPS hosted in Western Europe. If you live in Europe and you are trying to access content only available inside the USA, perhaps you’d want to build a VPN server on the East Coast of the USA.

Resources For Setting Up a VPN on a Windows VPS 

Windows Server natively has a VPN client server architecture installed. There are several resources online that show you how to setup a Windows VPN. One guide can be found at Thomas Maurer’s blog. You could alternatively setup a third party solution which would may require a special client on the machine you are using to connect to your VPN. Some free tools you could for VPN connectivity are provided by the following vendors:

  • Hamachi
  • eNet Management
  • Hotspot Shield
  • OpenVPN
  • Cisco VPN Client
  • VPN Dialer
  • Loki VPN client
  • Steganos Internet Anonym VPN
  • VPN-X

Cons of Using a VPN Service on a VPS 

While the advantages of using a VPN over VPS to connect to the internet may seem to outweigh the negatives, it is important to take note of the cons of a VPN over VPS setup. When using a VPN over VPS, consider the following points:

  • A VPS will assign a static IP address to your activities online. Think of this as your digital fingerprint. Although your activities may travel through an encrypted pipeline, it may still be possible for agencies such as the NSA or FBI to track your activities back to the person purchasing the VPS. With this said, any illegal activities being harbored on a VPS is strictly against the Terms of Service you agree to abide by when first sign up for our VPS service.
  • Using a VPN over VPS to circumvent copyright laws is strictly prohibited. If you are downloading lawful torrents, you can leverage our blazing fast network to more rapidly download these files securely. Going against our Terms of Service could result in us receiving Digital Millennium Copyright Act notifications in regards to your VPS. These types of notifications would result in your service being cancelled immediately.
  • Networking expertise may be required when setting up a VPN. Although detailed guides exist for setting up different VPN platforms on Windows Servers, it is still recommended that you have rudimentary understanding of how networks work before setting this type of software up on your VPS.

The Pros Outweigh the Cons

Unfortunately, some users decide to setup VPNs for nefarious purposes and these activates are not tolerated on our network. Setting up a VPN in a different region could unlock a plethora of legal content to you without you having to jump through hoops. A VPN on a VPS could serve a number of important reasons. Regardless of your reasoning for setting up a virtual private network on a virtual private server; if you plan on setting up a VPN on a VPS, CheapWindowsVPS is here to help you each step of the way.

 

 


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