What Is a VPN Tunnel?

What is a VPN?

A VPN is a service that creates a private, encrypted connection to the internet. When you connect to and use a VPN, your IP address is changed and hidden, so no one can determine your location or web browsing history. If you don’t want your information tracked and logged by third parties, you should use a VPN.

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What is VPN tunneling?

When you use a VPN service, your data is intercepted and encrypted before it reaches the internet. The VPN tunnel is the secure pathway for data to travel from your device to the internet, or vice versa. Without a VPN tunnel, you wouldn’t have a secure connection to the web.

Think of the internet as a highway and your information as a car driving on it. Without a VPN, you must drive your car on open, public highways where everyone can see you. When you use a VPN tunnel, you get access to a private, underground highway instead, where no one can see your data.

Types of VPN Tunnel Protocols

VPN protocols are the rules your VPN uses to securely connect the data on your device to the VPN server. ¹

PPTP

PPTP stands for Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol. This is one of the oldest VPN protocols and provides fast connection speeds. The downside of PPTP is that its data encryption is weaker, making it easier for third parties to get through—so if you want the most secure VPN protocol, PPTP may not be the right one for you.

L2TP/IPSec

L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) is considered a step above PPTP since it is more secure. This type of tunneling includes two stages of protection: the L2TP part of the tunnel and IPSec (IP security), which each provide encryption, meaning you get two layers of encryption instead of just one. However, that extra layer could slow your internet speeds. Firewalls sometimes block L2TP/IPSEC, which can be frustrating for its users.

SSTP

SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol) is a VPN tunneling protocol created by Microsoft and is only available on a few operating systems, such as Windows and Android. It’s extremely secure and generally provides good internet speed.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN works on all major operating systems. This protocol is open source, meaning developers can access its code. It is very popular, due to its strong encryption and ability to evade firewalls. However, that encryption strength can slow down the connection.

IKEv2

IKEv2 (Internet Key Exchange version 2) is a VPN tunnel that is faster and more stable than OpenVPN. It’s available on a wide range of devices, including smartphones. This VPN tunnel includes a helpful auto-reconnect feature that will reconnect your device to your VPN when your device changes to a new internet source.

What is VPN split tunneling?

When you use a split-tunnel VPN, your internet traffic is divided: some of it is sent through the encrypted VPN tunnel, and some are sent through an open, unencrypted internet connection. Of course, since a portion of your traffic is sent through the open web, it isn’t as secure as using a regular VPN tunnel—but the tradeoff is improved internet speed, since not all your bandwidth is being pushed through the VPN server.

Another benefit of split tunneling is that you can access multiple networks at the same time. For example, you can use VPN split tunneling to stream international movies but still search the web for local restaurants. Similarly, you can still print on a networked printer.

Note that not all VPNs give you the option to enable split tunneling, so if you are interested in using a split tunnel, make sure the VPN you are considering purchasing allows for it.

Types of VPN split tunneling

There are several different ways you can implement and control VPN split tunneling. Here are three:

App-based split tunneling

In app-based split tunneling, you determine which apps’ usage you would like to be encrypted via VPN. This could be a good option for those using apps with confidential information, like medical applications containing patient data.

URL-based split tunneling

In URL-based split tunneling, you get to choose which URLs will be encrypted via VPN and which URLs will go through the open web. Typically, URL-based split tunneling happens through a VPN browser extension. If you want extra security only when visiting certain URLs, like online bank account logins, try this route.

Inverse split tunneling

With inverse split tunneling, everything is automatically run through your VPN, and you choose which URL and app traffic don’t. This could be a good option for those new to spit tunneling, since the default is encryption.

Your online security is important. Now that you know more about VPN tunnels, you can find the right one to suit your needs and enjoy anonymous online browsing.