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Chances are that if a VPN is marketed to everyday users, it more or less runs itself. As long as you go with one of the best VPNs instead of setting up your own manual connection, the interface is likely built so you have to engage with it as little as possible. Generally, if you find yourself constantly thinking about your VPN while using it — as happened to me with Norton VPN — that's a bad thing and you should change providers.
That said, it's still useful to get a high-level view of how to use a VPN, especially if you've never used one before. In this article, I'll walk you through how to download, install and configure a VPN on any platform and how to choose servers for specific situations. I'll also discuss specific steps for desktop and laptop computers, phones, tablets, smart TVs, game consoles and routers.
How to download and install a VPNThere are over 100 VPNs available on the internet and the two big mobile app stores, but most of them follow a similar approach to download and installation. Except for certain free VPNs, you'll need to create an account on the VPN provider's website, install the VPN client, then use your account to log in. Here are the steps.
In a web browser, navigate to a VPN provider's website. For suggestions on where to start, check out our list of the
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If cleaning up your digital life is on your New Year's resolution list, we've got good news: 1Password is offering half off its subscription plans (both the Individual and Families plans). That brings the price of the Individual plan down to $24 for a year and the Families plan down to $36 for a year.
The plans are nearly identical, but the Families plan accommodates five additional people. These discounts are only available to new customers and the prices expire after the year, so set a reminder to cancel or reassess. And you'll need to act fast, because the offer expires today — Tuesday, December 30.
This provider topped our list of the best password managers, and for good reason. We appreciated the intuitive interface and the fact that it's available on most platforms, so you'll never be left out in the cold. These include Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, macOS, iOS, Windows, Android and more.
Subscriptions include industry standard encryption and a "secret key" that only you know on top of a master password. There's also two-factor authentication and the platform issues alerts when credentials have potentially been compromised.
1Password recently raised prices across the board, but this is still looking to be the best deal for our favorite password manager going into the new year. The only downside here is the one that accompanies many password managers: There is no free version. Obviously, this won't be an issue for the year, but it could once the plan runs out.
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