nullIf you’ve ever worked for a large (or even not so large) company, you may have encountered a virtual private network, or VPN. VPN is a technology that adds a layer of security to outside networks (like the one in your home, the airport, or a hotel room) that may not be as secure as what you have at the office.
The short version of what VPN actually does is that it turns normal Internet communications — which can be decoded — into an encrypted jumble of nonsense that would be useless to anyone trying to intercept it. So even if you’re on a very “open” Wi-Fi network at a coffee shop, your back and forth with the Internet remains as indecipherable as Keith Richards right after oral surgery.
But while corporate America has long used VPN to keep its secrets secret, easy-to-use VPN technology has not, oddly, been available for individuals.
Part of it may be the still-tepid demand. Many of us are aware that our online communications, including private e-mails and data typed into Web sites, could potentially be “sniffed” from the air by some scoundrel nearby. (Software for the purpose is easily available on the Internet.) But it seems rather unlikely, and we don’t know what to do about it anyway. So we surf and pray — and maybe take the advice often offered by security experts to avoid shopping or banking online during these moments.
But increasingly there is something we can do about it. VPN products are cropping up for consumers and small businesses, extending to everyone the ability to use the Web privately, safely and anonymously. The prices, while not negligible, are manageable, particularly if you regularly transmit sensitive information on the road.
Among the options are Anonymizer Universal (Windows, Mac and iPhone/iPad; $79.99 a year, 14-day free trial) and Steganos Internet Anonym VPN (Windows; $15.95 a month, $99.95 a year).
I also tried a new addition called PrivateWiFi, which was introduced in March by the start-up Private Communication Corporation for Windows and Mac ($9.95 a month or $84.95 a year, three-day free trial). The company is developing apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
Once installed, you know it’s on if the PrivateWiFi icon is green. On PCs, the icon is located on the lower right in the Systray and, on Macs, in the bar at the top of the screen. Simple enough.
“You don’t have to be a geek to use it,” says Kent Lawson, chief executive of Private Communication. “It’s protection analogous to antivirus and firewalls, and, in my opinion, it’s the third leg.”
Behind PrivateWiFi is the encryption technology OpenVPN, geeky open-source software whose owner, OpenVPN Technologies, sells server software to companies and a hosted service to small businesses.
The service ran successfully on my Wi-Fi network for two days. However, in a test at a popular Brooklyn cafe, it shut off twice without warning. I noticed that the icon turned red and clicked to reactivate it. PrivateWiFi inspected my logs and said the problem appeared to have been caused by the hot spot, but conceded it ought to add an alert.
In general, you don’t need to turn on PrivateWiFi while on a home network that’s protected by a password known to only you and yours. With it on, transfer speeds may suffer slightly when downloading large files like movies, and battery life will be a bit shorter, Mr. Lawson says.
However, activating it will let you surf anonymously. Like other VPNs, PrivateWiFi will obscure your location by making it look like you connected to the Internet from wherever the VPN server is located. With its advanced settings, you can even pretend you’re in Singapore or the Netherlands. Or if you’re abroad and Hulu won’t let you watch your favorite show, you could make it look as if you’re home by choosing an American server.