Trial and Error: VPN Continues to Disappoint
By Andrew Jacob on August 3, 2018
The last time I wrote I said I would be trying Nord VPN to see how well it worked to allow me to access bank and office email when traveling. Today, I’ll tell you why I gave up using it. This may tell you more about me, however, than about Nord VPN. My primary reason for using an IPN was to be able to access bank sites from hotel rooms. (I’d hate to think the stock market fell and I couldn’t sweat the details that evening!)
I found it too difficult to use such sites after I logged in. Many times, my fix to turn the VPN on to log in then turn it off to download transactions into my financial software. Some banks regard the use of an IPN as a red flag for fraud, particularly if you appear to be logging in from a foreign country.
(I haven’t found that myself).
I looked on the internet to see what I could do and was disheartened by the complexity of it all.
Maybe I am spoiled by the ease of using an iPhone but I was hoping this would work without having to troubleshoot settings.
Bottom line: VPNs do not appear to be a ready and easy way to safely use unprotected Wi-Fi connections. Your cellular phone connection is safe.
(I sure hope so.)
If you can’t use your laptop via cellular, you can use your phone to change your password, use laptop on an unsecure network, then use phone to change password back.
(Or am I missing some other problem?)