Do I Need VPN at Home

Question

Level 2

188 points

Do I Need VPN at Home

I use VPN Express on my iPhone 4S. For my home computers (two MacBook Pros), I was using the Hotspot Shield Elite VPN service, but I found that I had problems connecting to various web sites. If I deactivated Hotspot Shield, these problems went away. The frequency of these problems has been increasing. So I started looking for a new VPN service for home. But my basic question is: do I need a VPN service at home? My ISP is Cox Communications. I have a Cisco modem and a D-Link router. The two MacBook Pros connect to the internet through the D-Link router using its wireless network. Do I also need a VPN service at home with this setup?

I assume that if I take my computers out of the house and connect to the internet through a public Wi-Fi net work, I do need a VPN service.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8), 2.8 GHz

Posted on Feb 17, 2013 8:25 AM

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Answer 1

softwater

Level 5

5,556 points

Feb 17, 2013 9:19 AM in response to ldamario

The answer to that depends on what it is you want the VPN to protect you from.

A VPN encrypts all your traffic as it leaves your computer, and also hides your IP.

I've equally had problems connecting to some sites with some VPNs. Try a couple of different services. Tunnelbear is fairly reliable for me and you can get about 1.5GB / month for free.

PIA also works pretty well, though there's no free trial and beware that if you sign up for a month to test it out (about $6), they will sneak in a repeat subscription on your bill. Just cancel the repeat and see how it goes for the first month. Cheap over a year if you buy a package later, about $40 or so, I think.

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Answer 2

ldamario Author

Level 2

188 points

Feb 17, 2013 10:13 AM in response to softwater

I want VPN to encrypt the data sent to and from my home computers. Hiding my IP is an added bonus. I configured VPN for my MacBook Pro using the VPNVIP service, which is what VPN Express uses on mobile devices. However, this prevented me from accessing Gmail through Apple Mail. Gmail detected what it called suspicious login attempts. I had to rest my Gmail password to regain access. I have deactivated the VPNVIP service.

One problem with using services like Tunnelbear, Cloak, etc. is that they usually require OS10.7. I have OS10.6.8.

I just checked the wireless setup of my D-Link router. It uses WPA encryption. Maybe that is sufficient for when my computers are at home.

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Answer 3

BobHarris

Level 9

52,901 points

Feb 17, 2013 1:32 PM in response to ldamario

You are ONLY encrypting your data between your house and the VPN service. From the VPN service to the ultimate destination, it is traveling over the internet just like everyone else. If you are using SSL (Secure Socket Layer), such as connecting to a Bank, then that is encrypted from your computer to the Bank, but if you are just surfing regular web sites, nothing is encrypted between your VPN server and the web site.

Using a VPN service when in a public WiFi hotspot makes sense. And if you are trying to access country specific web sites then having a VPN server in that country can be useful.

But unless you have something against your ISP, and do not trust them, then it does not make much sense to VPN from home.

If you you need end-to-end encryption between your home and a specific destination, then try using https://destination.web.site and see if that works to keep your data encypted, or establish some other end-to-end encryption with the destination site. The VPN is not going to do that for you.

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Answer 4

ldamario Author

Level 2

188 points

Feb 17, 2013 2:19 PM in response to BobHarris

The replies to my posting have confirmed what I always believed. I don't really need a VPN service when accessing the internet via my home wireless network. (This network uses a router and is password protected). But if I take my laptop from home and access the internet via a public Wi-Fi network, then having VPN would be a benefit. What I would really like to find is a VPN service that does not interfere with my email (Gmail accessed through Apple Mail) and which is relatively inexpensive. Cloak requires OS 10.7; I have OS 10.6.8. I have tried VPNVIP (same as VPN Express on a mobile device) and Tunnelbear, and they both cause problems with email. I can't send or receive email reliably, and I get notifications from Gmail that I am trying to login from a suspicious IP address.

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Answer 5

BobHarris

Level 9

52,901 points

Feb 17, 2013 4:24 PM in response to ldamario

What I would really like to find is a VPN service that does not interfere with my email (Gmail accessed through Apple Mail) and which is relatively inexpensive.

Gmail has a "Always use https" setting, which will always use ssl encryption for your gmail connections via a web browser. And in Apple Mail if the account is configured to use port 995 with the [X] Use SSL checked, and the out-going server has [X] Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), then your Apple Mail connections to Gmail are also encrypted and secure end-to-end.

I don't really need a VPN service when accessing the internet via my home wireless network. (This network uses a router and is password protected).

I'm assuming you are using WPA or even better WPA2 WiFi encryption, as the old WEP encryption can be cracked in less than a minute. WEP is only good for keeping honest people honest.

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Answer 6

ldamario Author

Level 2

188 points

Feb 18, 2013 8:29 AM in response to BobHarris

BobHarris wrote:

Gmail has a "Always use https" setting, which will always use ssl encryption for your gmail connections via a web browser. And in Apple Mail if the account is configured to use port 995 with the [X] Use SSL checked, and the out-going server has [X] Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), then your Apple Mail connections to Gmail are also encrypted and secure end-to-end.

In Apple Mail, the Gmail account uses port 993, and "Use SSL" is checked, but the outgoing server does not have an option for using SSL.

I'm assuming you are using WPA or even better WPA2 WiFi encryption, as the old WEP encryption can be cracked in less than a minute. WEP is only good for keeping honest people honest.

The router uese WPA.

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