What is a VPN connection? It’s like a magical postman!
Have you ever wondered what a VPN connection is? How does it work? I like to think of a VPN connection like a magical postman!
Have you searched Google for information on what a VPN connection is? How does a VPN work? I will not give you a very thorough answer in this article, but I will give you an answer that will give you a basic introduction to the concept of VPN. I will also show you how a VPN connection can be used to bypass geo-blocks and content meant to be available in certain countries only.
I will explain to you what a VPN connection is using the postman analogy. Hope you will find it entertaining and easy to understand.
The job of the postman
VPN — a magical postman, by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash
How the post works in the normal world
When you decide to use snail mail you normally take your letter and bring it to the post office. Your letter then receives a stamp and starts its journey into the big world with its final destination as end-goal. When it arrives to the final destination it can be seen from where the letter has been sent and they can open the letter and take action based on its content.
How the Internet normally works
In the normal world, you can compare your ISP to the postal office. Whenever you request something or receive something on the Internet it goes through your local ISP and to your computer or from your computer. The information has a stamp to it, your IP address, which shares information about your location and much more.
The magical postman goes to work!
The magical postman goes to work!
What the magical postman can do for you
Our new magical postman is very special. He connects you directly to another location and at the same time he only stamps your letter with his own location and time. The result is that your letter will not be traced back to you, but only back to the magical postman. He is traveling undercover, and as a result, nobody can stop him and steal your letter on the way towards its final destination. To make things even harder he tears your letter apart making it impossible to understand. But, when the letter arrives to the recipient the magical postman automatically puts the letter together.
The magical postman is a VPN connection
Maybe you have understood it already, but the magical postman is the VPN connection. As you connect to a VPN server a connection is up and running. This is your magical postman doing his job! When you connect to a VPN server in New York all your data is sent through the VPN connection to that server. It is encrypted, and thus nobody can intercept or steal your data. You bypass your local ISP, which means that your data will not receive a stamp from your actual location. Instead, your packet will receive a stamp from the New York VPN server. The consequence is that whoever receives the package will believe that it originated from New York, and not from your current location.
If you have followed my instructions you can then understand how a VPN connection can be used to bypass geo-blocks., and to, for example, change your Netflix region. And the tearing apart of the letter from the instructions above symbolizes the encryption used by a VPN connection.
Do you understand what a VPN connection is now?
Maybe you understand more about what a VPN connection is right now? Or maybe not?
If you have questions or comments, use the comment field beneath!