What is a VPN and why can it cause connection problems?

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VPN services create a 'virtual connection' to other networks, but they don't always work as expected. — Photo: Anders Engelbøl/Freeimages.com
VPN services create a 'virtual connection' to other networks, but they don't always work as expected. — Photo: Anders Engelbøl/Freeimages.com

I purchased a VPN, but I can't use it to uk mobile database movies on the streaming platform or access some websites. I get an error saying that it can't connect to the server.

I wanted to know why this is and how to solve it. – Franklin

In fact, Franklin, this type of problem is not uncommon with the use of “VPNs” aimed at daily browsing.

There are cases where using these services can be beneficial, but they are often unnecessary and cause more problems than they solve.

VPN solutions have been getting a lot of attention lately, largely thanks to the influencer marketing campaigns used by several services in the market.

“VPN” is an acronym for “virtual private network” or “virtual private network”. The technology was created to allow companies and organizations to create “tunnels” within the Internet to connect computers anywhere in the world to their internal network.

For security reasons, internal company networks typically block connections from the Internet.

If an employee needs to access the company network via the internet – either because they are traveling or because they stayed at home for some reason (as happened a lot during the Covid-19 pandemic) – all access would be blocked.

Instead of forcing the company's internal network to accept internet connections (which generates many complications), the VPN solves the problem by creating a “tunnel” within the internet.



It's as if there were a physical cable connecting the remote computer to the company's headquarters, but everything is done via software. Since the computers "think" they are connected to the same physical network, the connection between them is authorized.

In other words, a “traditional” VPN is used to access a company’s internal website or service that would be completely unavailable on the internet to anyone except those inside the VPN itself.

“VPN” services designed for everyday browsing do not have this purpose. They are only capable of accessing the same websites that are on the internet for everyone else.

From this perspective, they are more like a proxy service (a connection intermediary). The only parallel with a VPN is that they use the same secure “tunnel” principle to do this intermediation.

Since your connection is now intermediated, the VPN receives the data that would normally remain with your internet provider. Your provider only “sees” that you are using the VPN service, but will not know anything about the network traffic that is being transmitted.



Check out some consequences of this intermediation:

Slower access: Using a VPN adds an extra intermediary to your connection. This will usually cause more access errors, slowdowns, streaming crashes, and other issues of the sort. Streaming videos over the internet is expensive, so providers seek partnerships to optimize access and reduce costs – in some cases, there are servers in larger cities and capitals to meet local demand. Using a VPN, your connection tends to take a longer and slower route.
Changed IP address: Since your internet access will be mediated by the VPN, any website or service will only see the VPN's IP address, not yours. This can benefit your privacy and unlock content that is unavailable in Brazil, since you can use IPs from other countries. However, international access may be slower and the websites you access may also block the VPN to protect the regional content lock. In other words, you may experience more connection errors.
Switching providers: When you use a VPN to access all websites on the internet, your internet provider effectively becomes the VPN. Your provider's internet access will only serve to connect you to the VPN you have contracted, but the VPN will keep the data that would normally be available to the provider. Although the VPN needs to be highly trustworthy, many VPN services are based in countries with strict laws that would be unlikely to guarantee any compensation to you in the event of damages.
Security: Many VPNs claim that encrypting the VPN connection makes your access more secure. In fact, security will largely depend on the VPN itself. In July 2020, 1.2 TB of VPN access data was found. Even without the use of a VPN, most websites today use HTTPS, which is already encrypted access. Not even your internet provider can see details of HTTPS traffic. In addition, the changed IP address will confuse security systems – many services today detect access from “unknown” IPs, which will not work if you access your account using a VPN. If someone hacks into your account and uses the same VPN as you, the hacker will have a similar IP and the security mechanism will not suspect an intrusion.


VPNs can mask your IP address and change the origin of your connection to another country. While this can help you bypass regional content restrictions, it can violate your terms of service, slow down your connection, and cause errors or blockages. — Photo: Digital Designer/Pixabay
VPNs can mask your IP address and change the origin of your connection to another country. While this can help you bypass regional content restrictions, it can violate your terms of service, slow down your connection, and cause errors or blockages. — Photo: Digital Designer/Pixabay

When to use a VPN?


Using a VPN is a part of almost any medium or large corporate network. If you need to install the VPN software of the company you work for, you can do so without fear.



It is worth noting: corporate VPNs do not always modify access to websites on the internet – that is, they do not act as an “intermediary” for websites that are not those of the company itself.

You won't be handing over your browsing data to the company just by using a VPN. As explained above, the purpose of corporate VPNs is different and more limited .

VPN services for browsing completely change the way your connection works when they are active. Here are some cases in which they can be useful:

Accessing lightweight content or online stores that, for security reasons, are blocked in Brazil. For example, there are some digital books that are only available in certain countries, and even if you have lived in that country and purchased the book, you may have difficulty using your account from Brazil.
When traveling abroad, you can use a VPN to access Brazilian websites through a server in Brazil, in case the Brazilian website is blocking your access abroad.
If you frequently use public Wi-Fi and browse less popular websites that don’t use HTTPS encryption, you may want to consider using a VPN service for added privacy. On a public Wi-Fi network, any unencrypted website you visit can be seen by anyone else connected to the network (as long as they have software to view that information). Apps like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram all use encryption and won’t benefit from using a VPN for security.