What a VPN does
Normally your internet provider carries every connection you make. Even when a page itself is encrypted, the provider can see which sites you visit and when. Each site, in turn, sees your IP address, the number that identifies your connection and shows roughly where you are.
A VPN (virtual private network) runs an encrypted tunnel from your device to a server owned by the VPN company. Your provider, or the hotel Wi-Fi you’re on, sees only scrambled traffic going to that server. Websites see the server’s address instead of yours.
That’s all it does. The VPN company now sees what your provider used to, so choosing a VPN means deciding who you trust with that. A good one is built to keep nothing worth handing over.
Two different things called a VPN
Homelab guides use the same word for two separate jobs:
- A privacy VPN, the subject of this page, sends your traffic out through a company’s server, to hide it from your provider and hide your address from websites.
- A remote access VPN is a private link from your phone back to your own home network, so you can reach your server from anywhere. Tailscale and WireGuard do this, and the remote access page covers it.
They can overlap. Tailscale’s exit node feature, in the list below, sends your phone’s traffic out through your home broadband, which works like a privacy VPN with no company involved.
What it helps with, and what it doesn’t
| You want to | Does a VPN help? |
|---|---|
| Hide the sites you visit from your internet provider | Yes |
| Hide your home IP address from websites and online games | Yes |
| Stop a hotel or café network seeing which sites you use | Yes, though HTTPS already hides what’s on the pages |
| Stop adverts and trackers following you around | No. Use the privacy tools |
| Stay anonymous while signed in to Google or Facebook | No. Your account says who you are |
| Block viruses and scam sites | Mostly no, though Mullvad’s optional blocking catches some |
| Reach your own server from outside | No. That’s remote access |
What it needs
- Money. Servers cost money, so trustworthy VPNs charge for them. Mullvad has one flat monthly price, the same whether you pay for a month or a year at a time, with no introductory deal that jumps at renewal.
- An app on each device. One account covers up to five devices.
- A little speed. Your traffic takes a detour through the VPN server. Pick a server in or near your own country and the difference is usually small.
How Mullvad fits in
- No personal details. The app makes a 16-digit account number, and that number is your whole login. There’s no email address, name or password.
- Pay however you like. Card, PayPal, bank transfer and several cryptocurrencies work, or cash posted in an envelope. There’s a 14-day money-back guarantee, except on cash.
- WireGuard. The apps use WireGuard, a modern way of building the tunnel that connects quickly.
- A kill switch that’s always on. If the tunnel drops, the app blocks your internet rather than letting traffic slip out unprotected. Lockdown mode goes further and blocks it whenever the VPN is off.
- Optional DNS blocking. Switches in the settings block adverts, trackers, malware, gambling, adult sites and social media.
- Extra protection if you want it. Multihop sends your traffic through two servers, and DAITA disguises the pattern of your traffic. Both cost some speed, and most people can leave them off.
- No disks to seize. Mullvad’s VPN servers run entirely from memory and keep no logs.
- Open source and audited, with apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone.
The easy way to set it up
It’s an ordinary app, with nothing to configure by hand.
- Download the app from mullvad.net on a computer, or from the App Store or Play Store on a phone.
- Create an account in the app. It shows your account number. Save it in your password manager straight away. It’s the only key to your account, and Mullvad keeps so little about you that it may not be able to find it again.
- Add time. Log in on mullvad.net with the number and pay. If you post cash, the site gives you a reference to put in the envelope.
- Press Connect. The app picks a nearby server, or you can choose a country from the list.
- Make it automatic. In Settings, turn on Launch app on start-up and Auto-connect, so the VPN is on before you start browsing.
- Add your other devices by installing the app and signing in with the same number.
Questions people ask
Is using a VPN legal?
In most countries, including the UK and the US, yes. A few countries restrict or ban them, so check before you travel. A VPN doesn’t make legal anything that otherwise wouldn’t be.
Should I leave it on all the time?
If you want your browsing kept from your provider, yes. Some banking and streaming apps object to VPN addresses. Split tunnelling, offered in some of Mullvad’s apps, lets chosen apps go around the VPN.
Can my router run it for the whole house?
It can, if the router supports WireGuard, and Mullvad publishes the settings. The router counts as one device, but everything in the house then shares one location, and it’s fiddlier to set up and to switch off when a site objects. Most people are better off with the app on each device.
Can I use Mullvad and Tailscale together?
On a phone, only one VPN app can be switched on at a time. Tailscale sells Mullvad exit nodes as a paid add-on, still in beta, so one app can do both jobs.
Is the free Proton VPN plan good enough?
For trying a VPN out, or for occasional use on one device, yes. It’s the trustworthy free option in the list below.
