What NordVPN is and how it works, a VPN service that allows you to overcome censorship, reach any website, protect your privacy, defend yourself against online threats and access the complete catalogs of the main video streaming platforms. In fact, it is also possible to overcome geographical limitations.
The market for VPN services has become very crowded over time, so much so that it is increasingly complex to navigate and choose the service that best suits your needs.
We have seen what a VPN is and how this type of service allows you to overcome censorship, access otherwise unreachable resources, protect privacy and bypass geographical limitations, including those imposed by the various online video streaming platforms.
One of the best known names that boasts decades of experience in the sector is NordVPN: This is one of the solutions VPN which have grown the most over the years in terms of infrastructure, functionality, performance and guarantees in terms of privacy protection. Such a marked growth that it led to the presentation of NordLayer, a VPN for the protection of corporate clients, workstations and servers.
For a limited time NordVPN is being offered with one 60% discount by activating the cheapest two-year subscription plan (only 2.89 euros per month).
NordVPN’s policy is “Money Back Guarantee“: in the event that the service does not prove to be suitable for your needs, you can request and obtain a full refund within 30 days of placing your order.
In addition to the online VPN, NordVPN also offers a complete and effective password manager. NordPass allows you to administer your login credentials in one place, protecting them from any attempt of theft by third parties.
The basic NordPass plan is free, can store an unlimited number of passwords, and does not require any credit card registration.
What NordVPN is and how it works
NordVPN is a VPN service that is very simple for end users to use: just install the application for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, connect to one of the output servers and protect your browsing online.
By default, all data sent and received on the Internet will no longer follow the usual “routes” but will transit through a encrypted tunnelcreated between the user’s client device and the server by NordVPN.
NordVPN therefore not only protects web browsing: the traffic generated by any application installed on the device will pass through the VPN regardless of the type of traffic and the port used.
Remote servers, whatever application or program you use, will no longer “see” the address Public IP assigned to the user by the Europen telecommunications provider chosen by them but they will only be able to detect the IP address of the exit node from the NordVPN network.
NordVPN integrates all protections against the attacks which can lead to exposing the user’s real IP address (including the DNS leak problem); it also adopts a strict policy no-log. This means that no data on users’ online activities are stored: the policy applied by NordVPN is also periodically subject to certification.
With a single NordVPN subscription, you can also connect up to 6 devices which will be automatically protected. Not only that, with many router compatible access to NordVPN can be configured on that device: this means that with a single operation you will protect all the systems connected to the router via WiFi or Ethernet cable (this will also exceed the limit of 6 units because the router counts as a single device).
What is split tunneling
One of the coolest features of NordVPN is that the service supports it split tunneling that is, the possibility of explicitly indicating which applications should or should not use the VPN.
From the NordVPN home screen just click on the gear icon then choose Split tunneling and finally Disable VPN for selected apps or Enable VPN for selected apps only: in the first case you can indicate the applications whose traffic must not pass through the NordVPN VPN, in the second you can instead specify the applications for which the VPN must be activated.
By doing so, it is possible to deviate, if necessary, from the default operating scheme: instead of passing all the data for the NordVPN infrastructure, including those relating to operating system updates and all the apps in use, you can choose to reduce the “range”. The programs excluded with the function Split tunneling they will continue to communicate on the network as always, using the tables of routing habitual.
NordVPN: how to connect to the network at maximum speed
One of NordVPN’s many strengths is that it allows you to choose from a wide range of VPN servers to connect to.
Using the main screen of the application, you can choose to go out to the Internet with a server belonging to another country: just make a selection from the list All countries.
NordVPN currently supports as many as 5,400 VPN servers physically spread across 60 countries.
By default, NordVPN always uses the exit server that is currently the most performing (Fastest) but the user also has the possibility to choose the preferred city and the single VPN server.
Uncommon to other competing VPNs, NordVPN allows you to activate a connection Double VPN: to maximize user protection, the connection is first established to a node of the NordVPN network which in turn connects to a second exit server. In the example in the figure, clicking twice on Double VPN a VPN connection has been established which routes the data first to Switzerland and then out onto the Internet using a server physically located in the Netherlands.
Again, by clicking on the three dots to the right of the item Double VPNyou can customize the VPN servers you want to use.
The public IP address that the remote servers will detect corresponds to the one that is returned by NordVPN by tapping the “i” icon: in the case of a connection Double VPN matches that of the second server in the “chain”.
An almost exclusive feature, NordVPN also offers the possibility of using Onion over VPN: this is a special function that combines the advantages of the Tor network with the additional security of a VPN tunnel.
Generally, to browse the web using the Tor network, you should use a program with Tor Browser: activating the function Onion over VPN however, any browser can be used.
Finally, NordVPN also offers the mode P2P particularly suitable for those who use applications peer-to-peer such as those for VoIP or for exchanging files on the net (BitTorrent).
To disconnect from the VPN just click or tap Disconnect: NordVPN allows you to disconnect immediately with the possibility, however, to automatically reactivate the connection after 5, 15 or 60 minutes.
Automatic VPN activation and kill switch
A VPN is an excellent bulwark for the security and privacy of the user’s data when using a network Public WiFi or open.
By accessing the section Auto-connect you can have NordVPN automatically establish the VPN connection after connecting to a potentially insecure WiFi network or all wireless networks. Again you can define a list of trusted WiFi networks (Trusted Wi-Fi networks): Connecting to these networks will not activate the VPN.
With function Kill switch it is possible to set the deactivation of the Internet connection when the VPN connection fails. This way you can avoid accidental sharing of information using your real public IP address.
NordVPN: infrastructure strongly oriented towards security and performance
Different protocols can be used to send and receive data through a VPN tunnel: we have seen how much the choice of protocol affects the performance of the VPN network.
Normally NordVPN uses the VPN protocol NordLynx that is, an effective implementation of WireGuard.
Compared to for example the well-known OpenVPN, WireGuard it stands out for its lean code, the use of modern cryptographic algorithms, for the best performance and for the possibility of establishing even more stable connections. You can even switch between networks (data connection from your mobile operator, connection via Ethernet cable or WiFi) without losing your VPN connection.
Try to measure network performance with and without VPN enabled: by running a speed test there banda available usually corresponds to the one made available by the telecommunications operator. In many cases, by running the command traceroute (provided of course that you choose servers located in Italy or in nearby countries) and you will often reach the destination server with fewer “hops” (hop) and with low latencies.
The connection is established using the secure cipher AES-256-CBC and above it the protocol is enabled for example NordLynx to provide the highest level of security possible.
Threat protection with NordVPN
NordVPN also integrates a mechanism that helps protect the user from major online threats.
A mechanism can be activated upon request that helps block malware, scam ads and components used to track users’ movements and activities on the URL.
Thanks to the dark web scanning function, it is possible to check whether any data concerning the user is known to cybercriminals.
Finally, it is possible to protect access to the user’s account and its management thanks to thetwo-factor authentication.
Per buy NordVPN on sale with a 60% discount on the list price, just click on this link and activate the promotion reserved for our readers.
However, NordVPN membership can be canceled at any time by referring to the management panel of your user account.