You’ve undoubtedly heard of the term “kill switch” if you’re interested in VPNs. Any VPN company with a kill switch is generally thought to have a significant benefit. Nevertheless, many of our readers don’t appear to understand the function of a kill switch or the advantages of using one. As a result, the kill switch offered by VPNs like Urban Free VPN is fully described below.
What is a kill switch?
Online data and privacy protection are essential purposes of a VPN service. Even the most dependable VPN services, which typically deliver consistent and uninterrupted performance, occasionally have interruptions. There may be several causes, including weak signal reception or a crowded network. The VPN client’s performance is directly impacted by the reliability of your internet connection because it needs the internet to connect to a VPN server. Therefore, your VPN will also come and go whenever your WiFi connection does.
Whatever the cause, if your VPN connection is lost, even a brief interruption could leave your data and identity exposed. You can therefore utilize Kill Switch to eliminate any risk to your data and privacy.
When a VPN connection is interrupted or fails, a function known as the “Kill Switch” immediately disconnects you from the internet. This guards against unintentional exposure of your actual IP address and location as a result of a VPN server connection being lost or other similar problems. In the absence of a kill switch, you might not even be aware that your VPN protection has ended and will instead continue to use a standard ISP connection to browse.
Kill Switch is particularly useful for consumers who have a growing need for dependable privacy protection. This includes entrepreneurs who want to protect their journalists, business secrets, activists who live in autocratic governments, or even regular users who want to remain anonymous.
Types of Kill Switch
System-level and application-level kill switches are the two different categories.
System Level
Kill switches at the system level can identify when your connection to the VPN server you are using is experiencing difficulties. In response, the kill switch sends a message instructing the device to stop all outgoing communication. A system-level VPN kill switch will guarantee that your IP address won’t be revealed online because it will stop all traffic leaving your device.
Application Level
You can select which applications you want to close when the kill switch is engaged in this way. You have total control over what is still effective and what is not. However, it also increases the likelihood that your IP address will be made public because certain apps will continue to ‘speak’ to the internet even though they aren’t secured. Users frequently stop their web browser, email, chat, and any other apps they use to download torrents when they use application-level kill switches.
What causes a VPN connection to drop out?
Your VPN may be losing connectivity for a variety of reasons. Here are a few of the most typical causes:
Insufficient Signal Strength
A weak signal is likely to result in a loss of connection if you are using a signal-based network, such as WiFi or a mobile Internet connection. This is because weak signals result in a lot of data being lost. Consider using a wired connection or a signal booster to improve the dependability of your connection to assist fix this problem.
Your VPN’s Allowed Devices Have Been Exceeded.
You may often use a VPN service on up to five devices simultaneously with your subscription. A VPN may disconnect or fail to connect if you attempt to use it on a different device. Installing the VPN on your router or selecting a VPN that allows unlimited simultaneous connections will help you get around the device limit if you need to protect a lot of devices.
The VPN Server You Use Is Overloaded
Small or congested server networks make VPNs slower and less dependable. Your connection may abruptly terminate if too many people are connected to one server.
Your ISP Is Preventing Access to VPNs
Some nations have stringent laws and rules that prohibit the usage of VPN software. Countries like China and Russia severely restrict the use of VPNs, while states like Iraq and North Korea have outright banned them. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can try to detect and block VPN traffic if you’re trying to use a VPN in a heavily regulated nation like China.
Network Connection Issues
Any one of the many interconnected gadgets that make up your internet connection could malfunction, disconnecting your VPN.
Your WiFi network, internet connection, or router you’re using to connect to them can all be having problems. Your VPN connection may stop working if your WiFi network or mobile data connection is unreliable. Your VPN connection may also be less stable if your network is heavily trafficked by other users and lacks the bandwidth to sustain it.
Conclusion
Your online privacy is safeguarded with a VPN. This is accomplished by ensuring that, when using the VPN, no one may see your actual IP address. However, what happens if the connection to the VPN server is lost for some reason?
Your device will continue to communicate over the internet if a VPN without a kill switch is not used. The VPN will no longer be able to mask your IP address, though. Prior to the VPN connection being restored, your privacy will be lost.
When using a VPN that has a kill switch, your device’s internet access will be suspended until the VPN connection is established again. Your privacy will be protected even though doing this would momentarily prevent you from accessing the internet by making sure your IP address is hidden.
To ensure that your online anonymity is preserved, the finest VPNs have a kill switch option. A kill switch stops your IP address from being revealed and protects your privacy by halting your internet activity once the connection to the VPN server is terminated.