Are there any negatives with a VPN? Why I don't run my VPN all the time!

I am writing about VPN services, I am recommending VPN services, and I have subscription to lots of VPN providers. But, are there some negatives that we don't like to speak about with VPN services?

Just think about the topic... I have lots of VPN subscriptions, but I don't keep the VPN running all the time. Why is that? If the VPN is so good, why not keep it active at all times? Here I will give you a little information that will help you understand some things that might be disturbing and annoying if your VPN is running all the time.

I am not writing against VPN services here, I am just letting you know about a couple of things I dislike about them. In the same way, there are things I don't like about cars, but I still use a car. There are other things I don't like about Coca Cola, but I still drink a lot of it. I hope you get the point.

What annoys me with most VPN services

Most VPN providers have thousands of IP addresses available to all their customers. These IP addresses are normally registered quite quickly online as IP addresses used by VPN services. How can they find out?

VPN providers hand out the same IP address to several devices at the same time. As a result, many people can use the same IP address at the same time. There is a way to bypass this, buy ordering a specific and private IP address for yourself, but few VPN services actually provide this extra service. And if they do, it might still be in the pool of IP addresses registered as one of VPN and proxy services, meaning that it will not make any difference in the end. What makes this annoying?

You always have to prove yourself...

When I stay connected to such a VPN server and want to make a search in Google, I often get these reCaptcha forms/pictures, and I need to prove that I am not a spammer but a real person. That might be fine once, but when you see this over and over again, it is wasting a lot of time. This is Google and other websites' way of protecting themselves against spammers, but it is also causing frustration for VPN users.

It can get annoying when you see lots of these tests while searching the Internet

Some VPN providers don't cause such trouble frequently, but others do. It is also big difference between servers in different countries, so look around and connect to some other servers if you get in trouble and see those ReCaptcha or other forms showing up because you use a VPN.

Logging into banks and exchanges take extra time

When you connect to a VPN server, you get a new IP address (unless you purchase a VPN subscription giving you one specific IP). Most Internet banks and cryptocurrency exchanges work to keep you safe, and one of the ways of doing that is by recording the IP addresses you use when you visit the site. If they ever notice that your IP address has changed, you will often be forced to check your email to or do some other activity to confirm that you are the one actually opening the account from a new IP address.

I am a big fan of this function, but a VPN will once again cause frustration as you will have to confirm that it is you over and over again.

It might slow down your connection

Most VPN services nowadays are really solid, good, and fast. But sometimes, you can experience that your Internet connection that is normally fast and working well, can drop in speed. It might be due to your normal connection, but it is more likely to be because of your VPN service. During my VPN speed tests, I have experienced having an initial download speed of 500 Mbps, only to see a 3 Mbps download speed after connecting to a VPN server.

Once again, that is not normal, but it can happen. When it does, it can be frustrating.

So should I use a VPN or not?

You decide for yourself. Since all VPN services come with some sort of free trial or money-back guarantee, there is no risk in trying. And believe me when I say it, your security is probably more worth than the trouble caused by a few captchas and confirming a new IP address from time to time.

Find a VPN that works for you, and if needed, get a subscription to one that will give you a permanent IP address (if that is important).

Once again, the grass isn't always green and delightful at all times when you use a VPN. But, it still helps you keep safe online, making it worth the trouble.

However, I still don't use it all the time myself, but I turn it on and off, depending on what I do online, if I use public WiFi networks or not, and if I want to unblock streaming sites and more.

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These are some thoughts on the usage of VPN when surfing the net. What is your experience? Are there any negative side-effects of using a VPN that you would like to share? I would love to hear from you all!

If you want to know more about all sorts of VPN services, take a look at some of the VPN reviews I have written at https://www.ipaddressguide.org/vpn-reviews/

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This is an original article written by me for Project Hope! First published on Hive