How to Setup VPN for Increased Security and Privacy

The manual VPN setup can enhance security & privacy, you will learn to setup VPN manually on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS & Chrome OS.

Ah! We’ve all been there – rushing to cafeterias, malls, airport, hotels, and practically anywhere we can access those Wi-Fi hotspots.

Because the need to stay online is larger than life, we connect without qualms, never doubting even for once what danger could lurk around. The bad news is these public Internet connections bring along a bunch of snoopers that hijack our connection and pry on our online habits.

Security being extremely lax, privacy takes a backseat. While we loosen up, sip a latte, and access our private data, a hacker elsewhere prepares to intrude and unleash an attack.

Since cyber safety is a major concern in public areas with free Internet, evading the meddlers becomes paramount. Thankfully, we have something called Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which can keep us safe and enable us to surf in private, without inhibitions.

VPNs are encrypted connections that sandwich themselves between our device and the servers we access. They reduce the risk of cyber attacks by fortifying our browsing sessions, monetary transactions, and data transmissions regardless of the location.

They further hide our IP address, making it difficult for hackers to find and track us. In a nutshell, if you’re a frequenter of public places with free Wi-Fi and need to escape prying eyes, VPN is your best bet.

You may be using VPN apps to secure your device and browsing, these apps create a tunnel between your devices and the VPN server so that you can use the Internet via their servers.

These servers route your internet traffic via their channel, their settings apply to your device through the app you are using. These setting are general for all their customers you can manually setup VPN on your device to increase the security.

Setup VPN for Better Security & Privacy

You can download the VPN apps on your device which will work but you can manually set up the VPN into your device for enhancing security and privacy.

The manual setup offers the following benefits-

• You can enable VPN protection when you can’t download the app or can’t connect to VPN server via their apps.
• Using the VPN protocol of your choice you can connect to the location you want.
• To enable the VPN protection on an unsupported device.

Here’s how to do on different devices.

Setup VPN on iOS

Download a free to use VPN app from App Store to configure the settings automatically. But, if you want to do it manually, follow these instructions:

• Step 1: Go to Settings, tap General, and select VPN.
• Step 2: Tap Add VPN Configuration and then Type, and follow the instructions.
• Step 3: Return to the configuration screen to add VPN description, server, and ID (remote and local).
• Step 4: Fill in your username and password or use a proxy. Tap Done.

This will change your VPN server and ID to the app you are using.

Configure VPN on Android

Like in iOS, you can download a VPN app from Google Play Store to configure the settings automatically. But, if you want to go for manual VPN setup, here are the instructions:

• Step 1: Go to Settings and then Network and Internet. Tap Advanced and then VPN. Press Add. If the Network and Internet aren’t present in the settings, look for them in Setting for VPN.
• Step 2: Set up a screen lock password or pattern if you haven’t yet.
• Step 3: To create your VPN profile, fill in the VPN name, type and server address and then hit Save.
• Step 4: Return to the VPN screen. You’d be able to view your VPN name now. Select it and fill in your user name and password. Hit Connect. Saving account information is an option.

Configure VPN on Windows OS

Choose a VPN service you would like to use, create an account, and follow these instructions:

• Step 1: Hit the Windows button, go to Control Panel, and select Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center.
• Step 2: Hit Set up a new connection or network, then Connect to a workplace followed by Use my Internet connection (VPN).
• Step 3: Fill in all required details on the page, name your VPN under Destination name and enter the server address. Hit Next.
• Step 4: Enter the user name and password for added security. Here, you can allow your computer to remember your sign-in details. Hit Connect.

Setup VPN on macOS

You can choose to automate the setup, follow these instructions to do it manually:

• Step 1: Go to System Preferences and then Network.
• Step 2: Hit the plus symbol and select your VPN.
• Step 3: Fill in all details including VPN service name and type. Hit Create.
• Step 4: Fill in all details including server address and ID (remote and local). Hit Authentication Settings.
• Step 5: Fill in username and password for VPN. Hit OK and then Connect.

Setup VPN on Chrome OS

Choose a VPN server and look for its extension on the Chrome Web Store. You can also visit the Google Play Store and download the app from there. Additionally, these apps are also available on the official websites of the VPNs.

Chrome offers native support for L2TP/IPsec and OpenVPN. You can look for VPNs that work with these formats and continue setting it up manually. Follow the instructions to complete the setup.

• Step 1: Click the time in the bottom right corner of the screen and go to Settings.
• Step 2: Go to Add connection and then OpenVPN / L2TP.
• Step 3: Fill in all necessary details including server hostname, provider type, username, and password. Saving the password is optional. Hit Connect.

If your VPN requires a certificate, import it from chrome://settings/certificates. Click Authorities, find the certificate and click Import. Once this is done, follow the aforementioned instructions to complete the setup.

Final Words

Once you have a VPN in place whether it is auto-setup or manual VPN setup, traffic will flow between you and its server with restrictions on viewing by third parties. However, you must remember, the VPN server would still be able to track you. This is why it is important to choose VPNs that are trusted and popular.

Furthermore, with a VPN up and running, web browsing might slack off. This often happens if you choose to route your traffic through a different country, or if the encryption is extremely robust and the number of users connected to the VPN so high the pipes are clogged. As such, downloads might take forever and display lags might occur time and again.

If you setup VPN manually then you have the freedom to protect any device without installing the app and you can choose the location as per your choice using the VPN protocols.

Nevertheless, rejoice in the fact that your data is no longer compromised. Security has been upped and you can now enjoy using the Internet in public without the fear of being cyberattacked. So, whether you are working on official data, sharing files, getting on video calls, streaming movies, transacting money, or browsing for fun, a VPN makes sure you’re shielded to the utmost.