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If you’re new to virtual private networks, you may have wondered where you should connect your new VPN. After all, when you can connect anywhere in the world, the choice can become overwhelming. Here are some rules of thumb to find the best country and server for you.
Which VPN server should I choose?
There are a few reasons why you’d use a VPN, but the two biggest ones are security and the ability to change your digital location – think escaping censorship or getting into another country’s Netflix library. There are some uses that don’t neatly fit into any category, like torrenting, but we’ll talk about that later.
Whichever of these takes precedence for you will decide which country you should connect to. If you live in a country with uncensored Internet and security is your only concern, you should choose the server closest to you. This is mainly because the further away a server is, the worse its speeds will be.
By connecting nearby, you get the best possible speeds and enjoy VPN tunnel protection, which means you can browse the internet without worrying too much about someone snooping on your connection. If for some reason you get poor speeds even on a nearby server, check out our tips on how to improve VPN speed.
Connection with other countries
Of course, many people will get a VPN primarily so they can spoof their location, with security being a secondary concern. In that case, of course, you have to connect to the country in which you want to appear. Europeans may want to connect to US Netflix, for example, while Americans on vacation may want to use a US server to access their online bank account.
However, your first choice should always be a closer server. If you’re connecting to the US from Europe, for example, try to choose a server on the East Coast, while people in Asia or Australia should probably go for West Coast servers. If you are in the United States, connect to Ireland or France instead of a Polish server. If you need an IP address from the EU; you get the idea
The same goes for people looking to escape internet censorship: if you’re in China, try connecting to servers in Taiwan, Japan, or Singapore for good speeds. The same goes for people in eastern Russia trying to get around regime lockdowns, although people in Moscow may want to connect to EU servers.
netflix problems
If you use a VPN to connect to Netflix or another streaming service, there is a chance that you will not be able to communicate as most of these services have anti-VPN measures. When this happens, keep trying new servers until you find one that works. This may mean you’ll have to use a slower server, but at least you can watch what you want.
Countries not to connect to
Of course, there are some countries you shouldn’t connect to, usually because you risk some sort of tracking. Although on paper your VPN should be able to protect you from that, under some authoritarian regimes you might find your data seized when a server is down, for example.
That risk is present in other countries as well, as VPNs will cooperate with law enforcement in certain circumstances, but is much higher in restricted locations. Note that India may join that club later this year.
In short, any country that others wanted to tunnel out of should be off limits to VPN users. Think of places like China, Iran, Russia, and any other country where VPNs are illegal or strictly controlled. It’s usually hard to find servers in these places, as few VPN providers are willing to invest in them, not that we blame them, but if you do see one, don’t connect unless absolutely necessary.
Find the best torrent servers
As we mentioned earlier, torrenting is a bit different as you need good security and choosing a good location. Fortunately, though, torrent sites have already done some of the work for you. For example, although it is not possible to access The Pirate Bay in the EU, there are dozens of proxy sites you can access.
Once copyright watchdogs find out about them, they are quickly shut down, but will reappear with another IP address. As a result of this game of whacking a digital mole, you don’t really need to worry about where you access torrent sites from. As long as you’re connected through a VPN, you should be fine. Otherwise, you risk significant fines if you download copyrighted material without authorization. (Of course, we do not recommend piracy and recommend that you follow the copyright laws of your country).
Whether or not you should use special torrent servers provided by NordVPN or ProtonVPN, we’re not entirely sure. As a general rule, we recommend that you use specialized servers if they are available. But if your VPN service only uses all-purpose servers, don’t worry too much about using them for torrenting. As long as the VPN tunnel does its job, you should be safe.
Where should I connect my VPN?
The result is that when it comes to VPN servers, the closer the better. Whatever you’re using your VPN for, always make sure you’re using the closest server. Hopefully you can connect to the internet without too many issues or load times.
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