With Virtual Private Network (VPNs) becoming increasingly more prominent due to the growing importance of online security, the market for high quality and reliable VPNs is as competitive as ever.
NordVPN is one of the most popular and reputable providers, offering some of the best high-speed performance, as well as setting the benchmark for privacy features and long term value for money.
This guide will take a closer look at the popular VPN provider, including all the important information you need to know about NordVPN’s privacy features, speed of performance, streaming capabilities, and much more.
What’s more, we’ll also look to answer a number of the frequently asked questions related to their service and reputation compared to other VPN services on the market.
Pricing
Before taking a more in-depth look at some of NordVPN’s key features, it’s a good idea to first take a look at the pricing of the service.
NordVPN starts off by offering a one-month plan at $11.95 which is around average compared to some of the other premium VPNs on the market.
However, there are some incredible discounts available if you’re willing to commit to one of NordVPN’s longer term plans. For example, their two-year plan works out at just $3.71 per month.
What’s more, this two-year deal also includes an extra three months free of charge – an excellent incentive if you’re looking for a VPN to reward you for your loyalty.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that NordVPN offers a useful 30-day money-back guarantee. This is a reassuring sign of just how confident the VPN provider is of its service.
Privacy And Security
When it comes to privacy and security, NordVPN scores top marks with strong AES-256 encryption and perfect forward secrecy which ensures that even if a hacker manages to interrupt one session, they’ll automatically be locked out of the next one.
In addition to these privacy protocols, NordVPN also provides the impressive Onion over VPN feature. This routes your traffic first through Nord’s own network, NordLynx, before doing the same over the Onion network.
While this double layer of obfuscation can sometimes slow the service down a little, it makes it incredibly difficult for anyone to trace an action back to your browsing activity.
In terms of security, NordVPN stands out from other premium VPN providers due to the fact that they offer two kill switches.
The first kill switch is a more general internet one which blocks all access when you’re not connected to the VPN, while the second app kill switch closes your application if the connection drops.
Finally, NordVPN claims that their service blocks all DNS leaks, and previous checks through DNS Leak Test and IPLeak have proven this correct.
Performance
While privacy features are often the top priority for VPNs, the day-to-day performance and speed of a VPN service is equally as important. After all, no one wants an internet connection that’s reduced to a snail’s pace.
Fortunately, NordVPN’s proprietary NordLynx protocol delivers download speeds of between 480 to 660 Mbps in the US and 760 to 880 Mbps in the UK. This puts NordVPN right up there with some of the fastest VPN providers on the market alongside ExpressVPN, IPVanish, and CyberGhost.
Streaming
For the vast majority of people, one of the main reasons for investing in a VPN service is to access geo-restricted content on streaming sites.
NordVPN is more than up to the task in this respect, with access to most major streaming platforms relatively easy – even when halfway across the world. This applies to sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer.
However, it’s worth noting that if you’re unable to access the Netflix library which corresponds to your server location, NordVPN will deal with the problem by automatically directing you to the U.S. Netflix library.
Logging
As is the case with most VPN providers, NordVPN claims to have a strict “no logs policy”.
However, unlike many of their competitors, NordVPN have gone one step further with their no-logs policy, preventing the storage of IP addresses, used bandwidth, connection time stamps, traffic logs, and much more.
What this means is that NordVPN’s strict no-logs policy not only covers internet activity, it also covers all other session logging details. Other VPNs, who also claim to have a strict “no logs policy” will often carry out some kind of session logging.
Torrents
If you’re an internet user who often engages in a fair amount of unprotected torrenting activity, there’s every chance that you’re exposing your IP address to everyone you’re sharing your personal information and files with.
This is why VPNs are such a popular choice, as they provide a straightforward solution to the problem with impressive P2P functionality.
For NordVPN, while they don’t brag about their torrent support, they offer a vast selection of P2P-friendly servers across the US, UK, and several other locations around the world.
In addition to their direct and comprehensive P2P support, NordVPN also has a number of other features which are great for users who use torrents.
For example, they provide multiple layers of DNS and traffic leak protection, a strict no-logs policy, and payment via Bitcoin and a range of other cryptocurrencies.
Customer Support
Offering a good level of customer support is an important feature for all VPN providers, and NordVPN excel in this respect with a detailed range of guides, tutorials, and troubleshooting material.
What’s more, if you’re unable to find an answer from this support material, NordVPN also provides an excellent 24/7 support service through both live chat and email.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who actually owns NordVPN?
NordVPN is officially owned by Tefincom S.A., a Panama-based company. As a result of this, the VPN service is subject to the laws of that country. So, for users of NordVPN, it’ll come as a welcome surprise that the provider isn’t under the watchful eye of a 14-eyes country.
What methods can be used to pay for NordVPN?
There are a wide number of payment options available for NordVPN, with support for PayPal, cards, Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies. They also support assorted other systems such as UnionPay, AmazonPay, SOFORT Banking, and much more.
How many devices can you use with NordVPN simultaneously?
Six different devices can be connected to one NordVPN account at the same time. However, there’s one important thing to keep in mind and that’s the fact that if you connect your devices to the same server, you’ll have to choose different VPN protocols.
Essentially this means that five devices can be connected to one server simultaneously (through NordLynx, HTTP proxy, OpenVPN, and SOCKS5), but if you have one more device, you’ll have to connect it to another server using any available protocol.
Can NordVPN be set up on a smart TV or gaming console?
While the vast majority of smart TVs such as Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast, as well as gaming consoles like Xbox don’t support built-in VPN functionality, you can still effectively use a VPN for secure gaming.
The only real exception are Android-based TVs, as you can download a native NordVPN app for them which is considerably more straightforward.
For the rest of the devices, there are three options of how you choose to set up NordVPN. You can either set up the VPN on your router, share a VPN connection through an Ethernet cable, or share a wireless VPN connection (from your Windows PC).
Where can the list of NordVPN’s servers be found?
The full list of NordVPN’s server locations, as well as the different protocols that are supported in each country, can be found on the NordVPN website, under ‘Servers’, or here’s the link: https://nordvpn.com/servers/
Once you’ve reached the ‘Servers’ page, you can also find some additional information about the different NordVPN server types, including the recommended server picker which automatically selects the server best suited for your individual needs.
Can police track NordVPN?
No, police are unable to track live, encrypted VPN traffic. Although it’s worth noting that if they have a court order, they have the power to go to your internet service provider and request usage or connection logs.
Do NordVPN have different customer support teams?
Yes, NordVPN provides customer support for three different areas. One customer support team deals with general information such as set-up and streaming queries, a second team handles billing (accounts, subscriptions, payment inquiries), while a third deals with connectivity.
This third support team provides help for setting up a router and advanced connectivity troubleshooting, as well as help with connectivity in countries that have various internet restrictions.
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