If you want to know everything about NordVPN, you have come to the right place. I have come across my articles on NordVPN but most of them are a general overview. In this article, I will go in-depth to do a NordVPN review.
What is NordVPN?
NordVPN is a virtual private network service provider. It is an application you install on your Windows, macOS or Linux machine to encrypt your Internet traffic and protect your privacy online.
To keep your Internet traffic safe, NordVPN routes your Internet traffic through a remote server run by their service. Your IP address is hidden. Incoming and outgoing traffic is encrypted.
It is a Panama based VPN that has servers around the globe.
NordVPN uses OpenVPN and IPSec technologies in its applications to encrypt the traffic going across the Internet.
If you want to use it to unblock Netflix or keep your online banking and email secure, then you are in the right place.
Pros
- Has double kill switch
- Has dual layer encryption
- Supports Netflix
Cons
- Price is slightly above average
- Browser extensions are limited
What is VPN and how does it work?
Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a secure way to connect to the Internet. You use a software such as NordVPN to provide a tunnel for your data that is encrypted and securely transmitted over the Internet. It gives you security and anonymity.
What are the features of NordVPN?
NordVPN has the following features:
- Over 5,000 servers across 59 countries
- Connect up to 6 devices simultaneously
- Integrated kill switch to prevent privacy compromise
- No log policy
- Support for OpenVPN
- Software clients include Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Android TV
What is NordVPN’s logging policy?
NordVPN claims a no logging policy as seen in their company’s privacy policy.
Nord guarantees a strict no-logs policy for NordVPN Services, meaning that your internet activity while using NordVPN Services is not monitored, recorded, logged, stored or passed to any third party. We do not store connection time stamps, used bandwidth, traffic logs, IP addresses or browsing data.
This is important if you want to keep your Internet activity private from ISP, third-party snoopers or cyber criminals that may want to get your information.
Will NordVPN work with Netflix?
Yes! NordVPN has the ability to unblock Netflix. If you are in an area where it is geo restricted for some reason, you can still connect to Netflix with NordVPN. It works well streaming quality video.
Is NordVPN a good choice for torrenting?
Although the company does not advertise its use, you can use NordVPN with torrenting. I don’t condone it, but you may have a legal use case to want to use it. Torrents are not supported on all their servers but they have many to choose from.
How to check if you’re connected to the VPN?
The simplest way to check if you’re connected to the VPN is to go to NordVPN’s own website. At the top banner, it will show your status as Unprotected (red color) or Protected (green color).
Another option is to go to WhatIsMyIPAddress. This will show your IPv4 and IPv6 (if detected) and your ISP. If it shows your actual ISP, then you’re not connected to the VPN. Unless you specify a different location, it will pick the closest ISP near your country and city.
What is the recommended configuration on Linux?
If you’re running NordVPN on Linux, I recommend the following configuration. These settings are not set by default so you will have to set them the first time.
nordvpn set protocol tcpHow do I access my NAS server in my local network?
When you’re connected with NordVPN, you will be given a new IP address. Since this IP address is different than your local non-routable network, it won’t be accessible anymore. By default, NordVPN blocks it for security reasons.
Having a whitelist tells NordVPN that your Linux machine can be routed safely to your local network. For example, if your local network has a subnet of 192.168.0.0/24, run this command.
nordvpn whitelist add subnet 192.168.0.0/24If you have a NAS server on your local network, you won’t be able to access it from your Linux machine. What you will have to do is modify the configuration of NordVPN and whitelist your local network.
This is a one-time change. Once you run this command, disconnect and reconnect NordVPN.
Is NordVPN worth it?
Yes, I definitely think so. If you don’t have a VPN when you’re on the Internet is analogous to driving without a seat belt. As you can see below, NordVPN is a great solution and they are having a sale.
Click below to find out more about their 3-year deal.
