Here we answer frequently asked questions regarding Internet Shield VPN by VIPRE.

Why should I choose Internet Shield VPN by VIPRE?

Anonymity and privacy protection work hand-in-hand and our product is designed to protect your Internet usage habits from anyone who could be watching. We share our public IP addresses, and mix your Internet traffic with other customer’s traffic, protecting you from potential hackers and making it very difficult to know what a specific person is doing. Adding an encrypted layer of protection between your device and the ISP (Internet Service Provider) makes your Internet browsing even more secure. This type of protection is invaluable when you are using public access to the Internet, such as Wi-Fi  Hotspots.

Do I have to change my firewall settings?

If you connect to Internet Shield VPN using a typical setup, then you won’t have to make any changes to your firewall settings. If you are having trouble connecting, you may need to open specific ports in your router to get the VPN type you chose to work.

Refer to Related Articles for more information on connection types and what ports our VPN service uses for firewall configuration.

Will using Internet Shield VPN make me anonymous online?

Using any VPN cannot guarantee complete online anonymity because that means no one can discover your true identity, which is nearly impossible to promise. A VPN can make you more secure and difficult to trace through.

When you use the Internet, your Internet traffic is compressed into coded packets. When you include the added protection of Internet Shield VPN, these coded packets become scrambled so that others cannot view them. Internet Shield VPN also changes your IP address, concealing your network use.

Can I use a VPN to change my online location?

Internet Shield VPN’s primary aim is to protect your data. As part of that process, we route your Internet traffic through remote servers, and, depending on the server you select, that could mean your data routes through another country. Because your IP address is replaced with your VPN server’s IP address, it typically changes the appearance of your location. That’s because many websites use your IP address to guess where you are in the world. So if you’re using a server in the UK, for example, you may be able to access the same content as those physically located there.

This process is not perfect, however, because IP addresses aren’t technically linked with your physical location. Additionally, many mobile devices have native location-detection built-in, such as GPS. Some websites, apps, and services use this technology instead to determine your location.

Will using a VPN slow down my connection?

Yes, but that doesn’t mean your performance suffers. Thanks to the high-performance network quality of Internet Shield VPN, your speed loss is relatively low. Many variables impact your VPN’s performance, including your device and connection strength.

Other factors, such as the encryption level and distance, are also crucial. When you use a VPN, your Internet traffic travels from your device to a VPN server before it reaches your intended destination, adding another step to your network requests. If your VPN server is far away, the impact on your connection speed may be more noticeable.

Does Internet Shield VPN has a kill switch?

Yes. Currently, our macOS and Windows clients support this feature.