It makes sense. If the network connection drops, the computer defaults back to the public IP address provided by the internet service provider (ISP). In effect, this user will be exposed and his/her activity can be easily tracked. The most dangerous part? Without the proper precautions, the user may not even know if or when that happened. To counteract this issue, several VPN services offer the “kill switch” feature. In essence, a kill switch cuts your connection to the internet altogether when your VPN connection fails.
How Reliable Are VPN Networks In General?
It depends on the type of service you use. Companies who own their own servers and offer several dozen server clusters can almost completely assure a connection. For example, several of the top 10 recommended VPN networks on our site boast 99.99% uptime:
VyprVPN ExpressVPN PureVPN SwitchVPN
However, companies who share servers or those who don’t offer connections to multiple server locations are much less reliable. They will also be more likely to throttle bandwidth and limit the number of server connections you can make.
What Are the Leading Causes for Disconnections?
Part of the reason that VPNs are gaining in popularity is that they tend to be very reliable. Even so, VPN connections do occasionally experience problems, which can frustrate users. The three leading reasons for a lost connection are:
How Many VPN Networks Offer Kill Switches?
In recent years, more VPN companies have begun offering kill switches. These include:
Private Internet Access HMA AirVPN IPVanish VyprVPN ExpressVPN PureVPN SwitchVPN
Buffered – do not offer the kill switch feature.
Are the Kill Switches Usually Active Automatically?
Not always. To activate many VPN kill switches, you need to go into the app settings and activate the feature. For example, VyprVPN provides a dialog box where users can customize their kill switch options. In addition to turning the feature on and off, the dialog box enables users to select the situations when the kill switch will work. The app offers Application Level (the switch will work when VyprVPN is running and the connection fails) or System Level (when you are logged on to VyprVPN but the application is not running) operations. Users can also enable LAN blocking when the kill switch is active as well. Conversely, ExpressVPN’s kill switch feature, called Network Lock, becomes active the moment you click “connect.”
Who Would Be Most Impacted by VPN Network Reliability Issues?
Connection failures severely impact people who use their VPN network to download torrents. These users stay connected to their VPNs for long stretches of time, and they may not be in front of their computers to react to connection drops. If their service doesn’t have a kill switch, or if their kill switch isn’t activated, they could be open to IP address tracking over a public connection without even realizing it. To mitigate this risk, torrent downloaders usually seek out one of the following two solutions:
Are There Other Ways to Protect Against Disconnections?
Beyond the integrated kill switches, there are several 3rd party options to protect your privacy and your IP address if your VPN network reliability proves unstable. Two of the most popular are VPNetMon and VPN Watcher. VPNetMon prevents unsecured connections if your VPN connection goes down. This free, 3rd party program simply closes specified applications when the VPN connection fails. Many users like this program because it doesn’t shut off the entire internet; it just closes pre-selected programs that could communicate the IP address over an unprotected connection. VPN Watcher is another popular VPN connection monitoring tool. Like VPNetMon, this program prevents controlled applications from sending any data to network while established VPN connection fails. It’s current price is $9.95.
Summary: VPN Connection Safeguards Are Vital to User Protection
While users employ VPN services for different reasons, they all value their privacy. Yet when a connection fails, the user’s IP address is exposed for trackers. That’s why VPN network reliability is such a big concern. Especially for people who rely on a constant connection, whether it’s for torrent downloading or whistle-blowing, identity protection is big. For these users, selecting a VPN company that offers a kill switch is crucial. On the other side of the coin, many of today’s top VPN companies know that if a user’s IP address gets revealed thanks to a network disconnection, they’ll lose market share. So, they offer kill switch features in addition to 99.9% reliability.
To summarize, the best VPNs with a kill switch feature in 2023 are…
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