People are always on the move—to make ends meet and feed their families. Some of these activities might require you being in a coffee shop or a food restaurant having business conversations and also using an open Wi-Fi network. Now, do you smell a rat here? The internet connection is free, but your data is vulnerable to people with the intent to steal your information. This very sensitive for social media data because people intent to share their private lives on social platforms.
Mundane things like checking your mail, logging onto your account on a bank’s website, or any other secure search for that matter, using the open wireless network, gives out your username and password to cybercriminals. VPNs have increased in popularity in recent years for this reason. The user can surf the internet securely with the help of a VPN.
Before now, only two choices readily comes to mind when you do a secure search—VPN or Dedicated Security Appliance. Installing a VPN is easy; using it is not any different. If you can download an app and insert a username and password, you’re good to go. The downside comes with the monthly fee for the paid version.
The free version may be cost-effective but comes with an advertising dollar for their service, and it could be disruptive. Also, you cannot get access to your ISP. For a dedicated Security Appliance, it requires the intermediate knowledge of computers to get the method going. As soon as it is set up, using it is like a walk in the park. Your firewall is put to work to accomplish a secure web browsing. However, you’ll still have to use your ISP network—it can take so much out of your pocket to get it set up.
What about building your VPN using a DD-WRT? The process of achieving this can be outlined in four steps, but comes with a warning—never use a primary router for this task because you’ll be required to use the internet to troubleshoot any problem.
The steps are as follows:
Getting DD-WRT
It might be easy flashing a router with DD-WRT—like looking up the steps over the internet— but you’ll still need a compatible version of the DD-WRT and VPN tab will have to be under the services. With the absence of a VPN tab, you’ll have to update the installation and a suitable power source will be vital here. In case your router is having an issue with power under a regular load, you could be battling with a breaking point. So, ensure the source is big enough.
Put down the installation Process in a sheet of Paper
This is an important aspect of your VPN creation. You’ll need things like:
a. The username and password of the router you’ll be using
b. The router’s external IP address. The router’s internal IP address
c. The router’s internal DHCP range
- Enable the Virtual Private Network Servers
A security flaw may happen and cause the VPN servers to depreciate; it is still a good way to get started. With time, you may change to an open VPN. The first thing you’ve to do is navigate to the “Services” tab. Next is to click “VPN” sub-tab where you’ll find two boxes— the “PPTP Server” and the PPTP Client. Click on the ‘’PPTP Server” and enter the IP address of your router in the “Server IP” box. Now it’s time to insert a series of IP that the connecting users will be making use of into the “clients IP” box—take, for instance, 192.168.300.310-320. Make sure to use the internal range of the router. Insert username and password inside the CHAP-Secrets section with each of the entry on a new line.
- Enable the Client
Mobile clients may be different from each other, but they all have the same principle. Using an Android device with a version of 4.1 or higher; here are the steps:
- Navigate your way to the configuration
- Click on the “more networks” tab
- Click “VPN”
- Click the “+” sign to add a VPN
- Give it a name
- Insert the server address
- Save the connection and connect
- Fix in the username and password
- Click connect
Surfing the web and being secure is no more a problem as you’ve created your VPN, so enjoy!
Which is better: Making your own or buying from a Provider?
The truth is, in general setting up, your VPN will be less secure for the following reasons:
- There are several ways for your identity to be out there in the public when hosting your service. Take, for instance, when you use a dedicated server, you’ll have to register a domain name.
- The anonymity of many users who are using third-party VPN service will be lost. If you’re among the few users on your list, it will be much easier to crack your identity.
- Lack of expertise on the latest security issues as regards hardware, network, host and software stack.
A VPN keeps you safe online. Creating one might just be a good way to test the waters before moving to a paid version.