So, you’re wondering: Do I need a VPN when using cellular data? While not necessary, it’s essential for safeguarding your connection on the web.
But that’s not all.
Using a VPN will let you can browse privately to bypass censorship and geo-restrictions. Moreover, it guarantees fast and reliable internet speeds.
But first things first.
Do I need a VPN when using cellular data?
A VPN isn’t essential when using mobile data. But to determine if you need one, you must first understand how cellular networks work.
When you access the web, your phone’s bandwidth goes through an internet service provider (ISP). Typically, the ISP assigns you an IP address unique to your device.
Yet, your connection to the internet isn’t secure. You leave digital footprints behind associated with your assigned IP.
As such, you’re left open to cyberattacks, phishing, identity theft, and other online threats.
And that’s not all.
Many online platforms use geo-restrictions to lock out users from certain countries. To do that, they track IPs to pinpoint visitor locations before blocking them.
Apart from that, some countries enforce censorship to control what citizens view online. Without hiding your traffic, you’ll find it difficult to circumvent such restrictions.
The good news?
Even though it’s not a necessity, a VPN is a worthy investment when using cellular data. It hides your traffic so you can evade hackers, geo-restrictions, and internet censorship.
Advantages of using a VPN with cellular data.
Now, let’s check out the benefits of using a VPN with your mobile data plan.
Enhance privacy and security
Most ISPs don’t offer encryption services to customers using cellular data. Even if they do, it’s only reserved for corporate clients at a steep price tag.
The only way around it is to get a VPN. It’s a reliable solution that’s affordable and easy to configure.
Here’s how it works:
A VPN encrypts your connection via protocols like L2TP/IPSec, WireGuard, OpenVPN, etc. This hides all your browsing data, making it difficult for anyone to spy on you.
Moreover, it routes your traffic through a network of anonymous nodes. This way, you leave no traces of your online activity.
A good example is Private Internet Access, which has 35,000+ servers worldwide. It guarantees secure web browsing while enjoying enhanced privacy online.
Evade government censorship
Internet censorship is a common tool among autocratic and authoritative governments. It involves controlling what residents of a country access on the web.
This is possible through monitoring systems such as the Great Firewall of China. Another strategy includes blocking websites and online apps at the ISP level.
However, a good service like ExpressVPN makes short work of all that.
For example, the service offers obfuscated servers to make your VPN connection look like normal browsing. This is vital for accessing ISP and government-restricted content.
The vendor secures traffic using the AES-256-bit standard. Even if your data somehow leaks, it’ll be virtually impossible to decipher.
ExpressVPN also keeps no logs of your online activities. So, it’ll help you avoid trouble for disobeying censorship laws if caught.
Unblock geo-restricted content
Ever visited an interesting website only to be slapped with a geo-block? The worst part is your ISP can’t help you get around this issue.
That’s why you need a VPN when using cellular data to avoid such problems. It can hide your location by routing your traffic to a country of choice.
The above trick cheats platforms into thinking that you’re visiting from a supported region.
Surfshark is among the best VPNs for unblocking geo-restricted content. The service boasts 3,200+ servers available in over 100 countries globally.
It also comes with a blocker that stops ads and annoying pop-ups. What’s more, the feature prevents malware and spam sites from ever compromising your device.
And with its support for unlimited connections, you can secure all your devices.
Speed and stability
Cellular networks are often unreliable. You’re bound to encounter high ping and irregular speeds.
You may not notice its impact when engaging in lightweight web browsing. However, the difference is noticeable during gaming, streaming, and downloading content.
VPNs can help you improve the quality of your cellular internet. Many of them are designed to use channels with faster speeds than your ISP.
VPNs also improve ping by redirecting your traffic through the shortest routes on a network. The outcome is better response times and improved web browsing.
In fact, CyberGhost goes the extra mile to offer streaming-optimized servers and ensure a butter-smooth experience when watching videos on demand.
What are the cons?
Now, let’s check out the downsides to using a VPN alongside cellular data and help you make an informed decision if you need one.
Cost
Premium VPN services charge fees for keeping the service active. While there are free alternatives, many hardly secure your connection.
Luckily, there are providers like PureVPN that offer pretty cheap plans. Prices start from $1.41/month with support for 10 devices.
The vendor also has a 31-day unconditional refund policy.
Performance issues
Unlike computers, phones have limited internal memory. Accordingly, clogging your device with apps can cause performance drops.
VPNs work in the background to provide consistent protection. In turn, they can also take a toll on your phone’s battery life.
Fortunately, it’s easy to configure a VPN through your device’s built-in network settings, which will avoid the issues above.
Vendors that support this function include Hide.me, ProtonVPN, IPVanish, etc.
Privacy concerns
The whole point of VPNs is to protect you online. However, they might actually compromise your security in some cases.
Many users have fallen victim to free VPN services. Such vendors hardly encrypt your traffic, exposing you to hackers.
Some even collect your data to sell to third parties.
Luckily, staying safe is as easy as avoiding such VPNs.
Legal complications
There are countries where the use of a virtual private connection is illegal.
You risk paying fines and even serving jail time if you’re ever caught. But using VPN services sparingly won’t raise any alarm.
You should keep away from torrenting files to avoid attracting attention. Another good idea is to not access sites dedicated to condemning your government.
How to use a VPN efficiently when using cellular data?
Let’s face it! Mobile internet plans can get expensive. Especially if you go over your monthly allocation.
So, we’ve provided some tips for saving cellular data when using a VPN:
Enable split tunneling
Use split tunneling to separate tasks that need a VPN connection and those that don’t. The former include, but aren’t limited, to banking, streaming, and web browsing apps.
Allow other non-vital functions to connect directly to the web through your ISP. These can be phone updates, cloud backups, weather services, etc.
Almost all VPNs support the feature straight out of the box. Take advantage of it to prevent unwanted apps from wasting cellular data.Â
Activate data compression
A majority of online platforms serve media content in high quality. As such, consider using apps with data compression features to save your bandwidth.
A good example is Opera Mini for browsing stripped-down versions of websites. Or use Firefox in reader mode, which removes images, ads, and videos on web pages.
Additionally, set low resolution on movies and music streaming apps. Remember to also disable auto-play when scrolling through titles.
These tweaks, however, come at the expense of experiencing low-quality content. Still, you’ll appreciate the huge savings on your cellular data.
Select a suitable VPN protocol
VPN bandwidth usage patterns depend on the encryption method in use. You must select the right protocol for mobile to use your data more efficiently.
OpenVPN is the most recommended for being reliable and easy to configure and it supports compression features.
IKEv2 uses the least bandwidth, and it’s amazingly fast. It’s ideal when on the move because it maintains a persistent connection when switching cell towers.
WireGuard also deserves a mention. This standard consumes less mobile data but is unavailable in most VPNs.
If you want freedom of choice, VyprVPN supports all the protocols mentioned above. It even has PPTP that works perfectly on slow cellular networks.
Disable the VPN when not in use
Make a habit of disabling your VPN when not using your device. The little hack saves mobile data by preventing unnecessary traffic routing.
You also avoid excess bandwidth consumption from traffic encryption. Alternatively, you can just use split tunneling to save you all back and forth.
Does using a VPN use more data?
Right off the bat, the answer is yes! A VPN consumes 5 – 15% more bandwidth than you normally use.
Naturally, if you have an unlimited mobile plan, there’s nothing to worry about. If not, use the suggested methods above to save data on metered connections.
Wrap up
If you were wondering: Do I need a VPN when using cellular data, you now have the answer.
It’s necessary for enhancing your privacy and security online.
Moreover, you get the benefit of bypassing geo-blocked content and internet censorship.
So, you surely won’t regret using this nifty piece of technology, even at the price of a slightly increased data consumption.