What is a VPN?
When you are working from office or from home where you have multiple computers, they are usually connected with one another using the same network. This enables you to easily share files, printers and user sessions securely with other computers in the network. But what if you want to start sharing with a computer outside your local network? Of course you can do that using the internet, but then, there are chances of security getting compromised, as potentially, the data is publicly accessible. This is where VPNs come to your rescue. VPN or Virtual Private Network lets you create a safe and secure channel between two computers on different networks in any part of the world!
Why to Create a VPN?
As I mentioned before, having your own VPN server has some major advantages. Consider some of the use-cases:
Office: Using VPN, companies can let their employees to securely connect their computers to the office network from any part of the world. Home: Some web services like Hulu, Netflix, BBC iPlayer etc are restricted to certain geographic regions. If you reside in these regions and have to travel abroad, you don’t have to worry about missing these web services by setting up your own VPN server! Of course there are some Free VPN services, but having your own will be safer and more secure!
How to Setup VPN?
There are many ways to setup a vpn, but we will be looking at 3 of the easiest options available right now.
1. Setup VPN server using LogMeIn Hamachi
LogMeIn (previously known as Hamachi) is one of the most popular service to create your own VPN server. Essentially, you just install LogMeIn on a PC/Mac at one location and then at the other location, create a network through the program and then join that same network using the network ID at the other location. All you need to do is download their software (available for Windows & Mac), create an user account, install the software and Add the computers to this private network.Once installed, you will be able to access your computers via the LogMeIn dashboard. LogMeIn has a nice user guide if you require any help while setting it up. They also have the Pro version with extra features & dedicated support that would cost $69.95 annually.
2. Create Your Own VPN with Comodo Unite
Comodo’s Unite (previously known as EasyVPN) allows users to easily create a secure and encrypted virtual private network (VPNs) between groups of computers. It is really easy to set it up. All you need to do is download Unite from here and install it on your computer. Once installed, launch Unite and register for a free account. Create a New network by giving an unique name and password. Now, on the other computer, download, install and register with Comodo Unite just as you did but instead of creating a new network, click on Join a network and enter the same network name and password that you created above. Once connected, all computers can securely share any files they choose. You can download files directly from another PC, or edit them without downloading them at all.
3. Setup a Free VPN with Gbridge
Gbridge might not be as popular as LogMeIn Hamachi or Comodo Unite, but it is equally effective. It’s a free software that lets you remotely control PCs, sync folders, share files, and chat securely and easily. It is Windows only and uses your Google account for authentication. Once you download and install the software, simply sign in with your Gmail account, then enter a hostname for your computer. It will then let you to remotely access your other computers via the built-in VNC client (DesktopShare) or through Windows Remote Desktop. It is important to note that Gbridge is Windows only and works only for 32-bit versions.
