I really want to buy and try the vpn that Logan mentions about in 0097 but i have few questions.
Does vpn work good with gaming? I don't usually play very ping sensitive multi-player but i do play fps that does seem like the ping does matter alot. Would vpn work good with fps multi-player?
Also, i am using comcast and i have set it so that i have static ip address and dns. If i do get vpn would i have to change these settings?
if I do get these VPN what would be the most optimal settings so that everything works smooth and nice?
From what I could tell, sometimes it was the same and sometimes it was worse. Best used for services such as netflix and youtube. That is where I noticed the most improvement. Almost certain you are trading bandwidth for latency with a VPN, but you would have to ask one of the nerds running around here on how VPNs work. I went with the private internet access, they have a seattle server which seems to work just fine. Even on auto I didn't have much issue when running through Arizona.
Think of a VPN as a secure link between two points that you can bring up whenever you like. It's possible for the local client to bring up a VPN to an external server whenever it's needed and then take it down when it's not. For the most part you can leave it enabled all the time and then just take it down whenever gaming in ping-sensitive games. Another way to use a VPN is to put the VPN client on a router and have all traffic from the entire network in the tunnel. This first option might be better in your scenario, since then you wouldn't have to modify any router settings and the ping-sensitive game issue.
A decent quality VPN will generally add 50-150ms to real world connections. This won't matter in most games, but I can see competitive fps games sensitive to ping becoming less enjoyable over a VPN. Just disable it when gaming (right-click disconnect), and then re-enable it at all other times (right-click connect); very simple.
For optimal settings, the thing to worry about is distance. Try different VPN servers near you (PIA has several) and check your ping on speedtest.net. Then just remember to always connect to the server with the lowest ping. I recommend downloading the OpenVPN client instead of using PIA's custom client btw.
thanks for the reply but I don't understand the part when you said put the VPN client? on router. can you tell me in more detail about this? thanks
I thought after I purchase VPN all I have to do is hit 'connect' or something and it will start working and I can disconnect when I have to play ping sensitive games
There's no real need to use VPN with gaming unless you need a secure connection. And there are some very real reasons you may want that when gaming. (Try to follow me here...)
Just consider the myriad of open ports you may have open just to play your game. For example, port 80 (and 8080 for an SSL connection) is a very critical well known port that your web browser uses. But if your browser happens to be closed (not active) then either that port (80) or any of the other 16,000+ ports may be available to something else! (Key word: may.) And when you combine an open port with something in your router called "DMZ" (assuming you're even using a router), you are effectively exposing your computer to the Internet -- with or without VPN -- where you then run the risk of some clever hacker or even a bot getting in/on your computer and doing (nearly) whatever he/she/it likes -- all while you kill your next horde of zombies.
It's highly unlikely that something like that will happen since we still haven't considered firewalls or antivirus/antimalware (AV/AM). But allowing your system to be compromised is a very real possibility particularly with someone who is either ignorant or for any other reason(s) may not be using any of those other protections -- likely because he/she wants more performance.
To be at any real risk, you also need to do stupid things. You need to be stupid enough to have allowed things that can take advantage of these security flaws. Stupid actions like installing crapware or opening email attachments or even purposely disabling AV, etc. are just some of those stupid things. And if you have allowed things like toolbars to be installed because you're a brain-dead next-next-next type of installer then you've effectively allowed anyone to digitally rape your system. And if you're that stupid then VPN is the least of your worries because all a VPN connection will do is give you a (more) secure connection to your rapist!
One other thing you should know is that using a VPN will add time to everything you connect to too. A VPN connection will not necessarily speed things up. That is, unless (and this is big) you have some kind of intermediary entity like a "man in the middle" screwing with things. A "man" like your ISP who is very interested in selling you other services like cable TV that you might otherwise get for free over the same wire! So if you do decide to use a VPN and actually see things improve then it would simply be proof that things could have been even faster.
My whole point is, VPN is only desirable for a more secure (or semi-secure) connection with whatever (whoever) you want to connect to. You should never think of VPN as some sort of magic pill that will speed things up. It simply doesn't work like that even though it may appear that way at times. VPN exists solely for security and the people who want/need that extra layer. About the only real reason anyone would want to use a VPN would be to take away the ability of an ISP to see what's going on. Any added benefit of denying anyone else to "monitor" what's going on is only a plus, if you ask me. But then that added plus also depends on your choice of VPN provider too.
When you use a VPN you are effectively cloaked from your ISP. They know you're there but can't (necessarily) see what you're doing (sharing files, streaming media, browsing porn, whatever).
Normally, when you don't use a VPN, your ISP (and potentially anyone else) can see the type of traffic you are engaged in. They might even see the traffic itself if it's unencrypted or decipherable. Usually, port 80 is left alone since it's the heart of any web browsing and is about as open as a postcard is. But open up port 21 for some FTP action with someone and little bells and whistles start going off. Open up another port like port 22202 for some media streaming/sharing and those bells get even louder. Technically, this kind of "port scanning" is illegal, but not so if it's your Internet service provider doing it. (Ask me, it's really just wire tapping.)
So if your ISP sees that you're sharing files or watching Netflix (a competing entity if your ISP happens to also be a cable provider) then they will likely try and throttle you, usually by "bouncing" your traffic through some really slow nodes or purposely overloading some of their own nodes. But once you use a VPN service then your ISP can't see what you're doing (although they can still bounce your traffic to your VPN).
Of course, DNS issues are yet another potential chink in the armor to consider too. Because even DNS servers are usually set up (or even actually controlled by) you guessed it, your ISP!
I do know for a fact that the configured DNS server here is my ISP's DNS server. There are no VPN providers in Singapore.I mean,there are,but they have their licenses signed off by the local government,i would suppose. So i'm pretty sure the data from the local VPNs is being "shared" with the government.
Yeah, definitely just do a selective connection from your operating system to the vpn server. Take it down whenever playing games. That's all that's important to understand in order to be able to use a vpn in your senario.
When I said "Another way to use a VPN is to put the VPN client on a router and have all traffic from the entire network in the tunnel." I was referring to an advanced configuration that generally utilizes ddwrt or pfsense (special routers) with a vpn provider. It's not crucial to using a vpn and not appropriate when concerned with latency (like you are).