But if you’re using a VPN for privacy reasons or to keep yourself anonymous online, then you should keep it on all the time. Since your VPN is your best form of protection against hackers and helps keep your information private, it’s best to leave your VPN on whenever you’re on the internet. Here are some of the most common scenarios where you should keep your VPN on: It’s easy for hackers to steal information to your device by using MITM (man-in-the-middle) attacks. This happens when a hacker can essentially “stand” between your device and the Wi-Fi network you’re using. It only takes a hacker 15 minutes to steal your information when performing a MITM attack.1 In addition to being more susceptible to hackers, 34% of public Wi-Fi networks aren’t encrypted, making it even easier for someone to steal your data.2 So long story short, keep your VPN on when you’re using public Wi-Fi. You can access the content you’re looking for by connecting to a country where it’s available. Just make sure you’re following your VPN’s terms of use policy and respecting the laws of the country you’re using. You will most likely notice slower internet if your VPN is connected to a server far away from you. In order to prevent this from happening, connect to a closer server. Some VPNs are known for their streaming capabilities. When you use these, it’s less likely you’ll notice a difference in your connection speed. Turning off your VPN can help protect your battery life. Some VPNs are known for draining your battery faster, although this isn’t true for all VPNs. If your VPN is causing your network to timeout and making you sign in multiple times, it might be affecting your battery. In order to prevent this, make sure you use a VPN that’s reliable, tested, and trusted. NordVPN, Hotspot Shield, and ExpressVPN are all high-quality VPN clients that provide secure connections and give you lots of server options to choose from. Turning your VPN on and off is helpful, depending on why you use a VPN. In order to protect your privacy and keep your information safe from hackers, it helps to just keep your VPN on. That way, you won’t forget to turn it back on when you’re using public Wi-Fi.
