Understanding the various types of VPNs and their protocols is important for anyone looking to boost their online security and privacy. VPNs are a significant element for the protection of Internet connections, the confidentiality of data, and for gaining access to some Internet sites.
With the increasing use of VPNs, this article explores the various VPN connections the essential protocols, and the uses of each.
Different Types of VPN Connection and When to Use Them!
The two types of VPNs are given below with these uses:
Advertisement 1- Remote Access VPN
A Remote Access VPN allows the particular user to access the private network and its facilities and assets remotely for use. This type of VPN is special for employees working remotely, as well as ordinary users, who need to access home or office network from any location.
The main disadvantage of this approach is the fact that the applications that you are using today are hosted from the main headquarters rarely. Many organizations implement software as services (SaaS) solutions, and the hosting of those is done somewhere else.
As a result, configuring remote access VPN up might not be the best bet as in those scenarios the data would be flowing directly from the user’s device to the hub, to the data center, and vice versa.
2- Site-to-Site VPN
The Site-to-Site VPNs are also known as the Router-to-Router VPNs and are employed mostly by corporations. They connect whole networks, for example, a manufacturer’s headquarters; with its branches. It is used to guarantee encrypted and safe connections over different sites and through different channels.
It will not assist you if your users wish to connect from home, for instance, or from other locations. That is why Administrators, for security reasons, oftentimes do not permit connections from networks that are not under their jurisdiction. Quite simply, they are trading ease of use for protection.
After learning about what are the different types of VPNs, let’s jump into the VPN protocols.
What is a VPN Protocol?
VPN protocols are the features of how a VPN communicates, encrypts data, and organizes its data transmission. However, these make protocols important for security and keeping the VPN connection speedy and reliable.
The Most Common Different Types of VPN Protocols
Here are the most common VPN protocols:
OpenVPN
OpenVPN is a protocol with high security and adaptability. Thus, it is an open-source protocol. As its key exchange protocol, it uses SSL/TLS, which makes this protocol very safe and stable.
Pros:
- Uses high-level encryption
- Flexible and customizable
- Open source and constantly updates and improves with time
Cons:
- Sometimes the configuration may be difficult to do manually
- Might require additional software
IPSec / IKEv2
For fast connection, the usage of the IPSec protocol alongside the IKEv2 protocol is known to be very fast and safe for mobile devices.
Pros:
- Fast and secure
- Stable connection, particularly within the weak connectivity inventions such as the use of mobile devices.
- Supports the switching between two or more networks
Cons:
- The firewall prevents it.
- Needs more setup and maintenance
L2TP/IPSec
L2TP together with IPSec is yet another VPN protocol and is also a popular choice since it provides a level of balance between security and performance.
Pros:
- It offers a core protection with IPSec of high encryption.
- Common to many devices
- Easy to set up
Cons:
- May be slower because it is doubly encased
- This program is vulnerable to blockage by certain firewall systems.
PPTP
PPTP – Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol is one of the first VPN protocols developed which promises to be really fast to set up.
Pros:
- Incredibly easy to put together
- High-speed performance
Cons:
- Limited security features for the use of end-to-end encryption
- Not much secure
WireGuard
WireGuard is relatively recent. It is an improvement over the regular choices for VPN protocols. Moreover, it uses state-of-the-art cryptography.
Pros:
- Extremely fast
- Easy to set up and does not complicate the graphical user interface.
- It has good security
Cons:
- It is still under ongoing construction.
- Little support for older hardware
SSTP
SSTP is an SSLVPN that was developed by Microsoft which uses SSL/TLS for its encryption.
Pros:
- Strong encryption with SSL/TLS
- Can bypass most firewalls
- Integrated into Windows OS
Cons:
- Almost all of them are theoretically supported, but the support is staggered from Windows.
- Proprietary protocol, less transparent
Ensure that a VPN you use should have these protocols, so that you can easily watch We’re Here Season 4, Ghosts Season 4, and Bridgerton Season 3 (Part 2).
Read the ExpressVPN review, and find out all the details about it. We recommend it due to its protocols and security features.
What’s the Best VPN Protocol to Use?
It depends on what a user needs. However, he or she will have to choose the right VPN protocol. As for most users, OpenVPN has very good stability of security and performance.
Thus, as for mobile users, IPSec/IKEv2 is characterized by stability and high speed of operations.
Which is the Fastest Protocol?
WireGuard is one of the fast VPN protocols because of the minimal code complexity, as well as the use of contemporary cryptographic approaches.
What is the Difference between VPN Protocols?
Here’s an overview of the main VPN protocol’s key features:
| Protocol | Security | Speed | Popularity |
| OpenVPN | Very strong | Fast | Very high |
| IKEv2 | Strong | Very fast | High |
| L2TP | Strong | Slow | Low |
| PPTP | Weak | Very fast | Low |
| WireGuard | Very strong | Very fast | Growing |
| SSTP | Strong | Fast | Low |
FAQs
A VPN is an essential tool and service that every user and organization needs. Thus, the best types of VPN therefore depend on who you are. Remote Access VPNs are perfect for personal security and ease while Site-to-Site VPNs are perfect for businesses.
The four main types of VPN are Remote Access VPN, Site-to-Site VPN, Intranet VPN, and Extranet VPN.
VPN services are many in the current market, and they have different features and protocols that they provide to their users. Our top recommendation for VPN examples is ExpressVPN. It has more than 3000+ servers, out of which 24+ server locations are in the USA.
It’s obvious that the type of VPN depends on what you intend to use the VPN for. In so many cases, for personal purposes, Remote Access VPNs are usually preferable while for business entities Site-to-Site VPNs are preferable.
OpenVPN VPN protocol is probably the most popular because it provides security and freedom. Thus, these both factors are important for having a secure network connection.
Among all of the VPN protocols, OpenVPN and IPSec/IKEv2 are the safest.
After using WireGuard, it is evident it has high speed and is recommended for use when using slow internet services.
Conclusion
Understanding the types of VPN and their protocols is important for selecting the right VPN service for your needs. If you are using a VPN for personal security or privacy, working from home or for integrating several offices, understanding the differences between the VPN protocols will let you make the right choice.
Moreover, you can watch How to Rob a Bank, Sweet Tooth Season 3, with a VPN having good protocols.