I’ve always wondered what are the benefits I would get when I use a VPN in Singapore. To test it out, I got a VPN subscription from NordVPN since it had great features and was priced reasonably affordable.
The most important thing to consider when choosing a VPN, other than its speed, is its privacy and security. You don’t want your VPN service to secretly logging your data or be selling your bandwidth. That’s why it’s always best to pay for your VPN service. As for NordVPN, they have a strict zero-logs policy so there is a good amount of comfort that your privacy on the VPN is secure. Besides, there has been many good reviews about NordVPN.
As for security, NordVPN utilises military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption using only the most secure VPN protocols such as OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), IKEv2/IPSec. If these mean Greek to you, just know that NordVPN uses military grade standards for their VPN so you be feel confident that once you’re connected to the VPN, everything is safe and secure.
But why would you need a VPN in Singapore? Right off the bat, I think the benefits of VPN you could gain is:
- Watching region restricted content
- Accessing region locked websites
- Torrenting
- Privacy
As such, I’ll base my review of these points. But first let’s go through the user experience of using NordVPN.
User experience and Application
NordVPN is really simple to use. Once you’ve created an account, you can install the NordVPN app on multiple platforms – Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and Android Smart TV.
Do note that if you are on macOS, the NordVPN app is available on both the App Store and NordVPN website. They are slightly different – App Store uses the IKEv2 protocol, while the website version uses OpenVPN over UDP. Both protocols are good, but from experience, the IKEv2 connects more quickly. If you want to know what are the differences between both protocols, check it out here. Also, the website version of the NordVPN app has more functionality such as KillSwitch and custom DNS. But we’ll get into that later.
There is also browsers plugins you can install NordVPN on such as on Chrome, Firefox. They only provide the VPN service which encrypts and reroute the web traffic from your browser instead of your entire device.
Connecting to a country is really easy. Simply scroll and select a country you want to be connected to.
And if you want to connect to a particular server, you can choose either by a particular state or by a unique server number.
However, I found that the options given on the iPad/iPhone app in the case of choosing a particular server is better. It gives you data on the amount of load the server is currently experience. A lesser load generally faster internet speeds.
Streaming region restricted content
If you’re thinking Netflix, yes NordVPN works on Netflix. Here’s a video to show you that I’m able to watch The Office (US). And it’s really easy, just connect and reload, bam your Netflix has a whole new stash of content.
And of course, NordVPN lets you access more than just Netflix. Hulu works, BBC iPlay works. I do not subscribe to many streaming services so I can’t really give you all of the services that work. But Netflix prides itself with letting you access content from popular streaming sites through its SmartPlay feature. As of now, Netflix is confident in letting you access content from Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC, Disney+, Hulu, Sky Go, DAZN as shown in its FAQ.
Do note that you can’t ChromeCast your Netflix content from your phone over to your TV if your TV is connected to a non-VPN wifi server.
Torrenting
You can torrent via NordVPN, which is also recommended because you don’t want your details leaked. And since NordVPN does not store any logs, it will never know what you do online while connected to the VPN. This is mainly because the company is incorporated in Panama, which does not have any legal data retention. NordVPN offers dedicated P2P servers which is great for torrenting.
NordVPN has a feature called Kill Switch, which is a great feature if you do torrent content. What the Kill Switch does is that it continuously monitors your connection to the VPN server. If the connection accidentally drops, the Kill Switch blocks your device (or the apps you have specified) from accessing the web. It is the last line of defence to prevent accidental leakage of private data.
On macOS, you can specify which apps are protected by the Kill Switch.
Internet speed
On average, speeds I get through the VPN is around 20% lower than what I would get without VPN. The difference is not really that noticeable. Streaming works fine with 1080p so in that regard, the lower speed isn’t really an issue.
Speeds are maintained pretty consistent so you don’t spikes of lagginess while streaming or surfing.
Other than internet speed, NordVPN does not have any bandwidth of data limits for VPN traffic. So if your internet speed is lightning fast to begin with, your VPN speed should be as fast.
Servers
NordVPN has over 5,000+ servers in 60 countries. That is impressive and might be more useful that you think. More servers means you are less likely to get connected to a heavily loaded one, and as such you can enjoy fast and smooth VPN connection.
Having servers in many countries gives you flexibility and future proofing. Who knows maybe a month down the road, you want to watch a drama or visit a region restricted site in Taiwan, the availability of a NordVPN server in Taiwan will allow you to access the content.
NordVPN also provides servers with added security such as dedicated P2P servers, and Double Encryption servers.
Price
If you’re on a budget, or just don’t feel like spending so much on a VPN. Not to worry – NordVPN is one of the cheapest amongst the competition. On a 3-year plan, it’s basically only $3.50 a month. Besides, you can secure up to 6 devices a single NordVPN account. So, share it with your friends or family and the subscription gets even cheaper.
Furthermore, NordVPN offers a 30 day money-back guarantee, so if the VPN doesn’t work for your purposes then, you can cancel the service and get your money back. Trying it out is basically risk-free!
Customer support
NordVPN has great customer support. There is a whole range of FAQs and tutorials to answer any VPN-related queries. And if you still need help, there is live chat support which was really responsive. Within minutes, you have someone to handle your queries.
Should I subscribe to NordVPN?
That depends on whether you have a use case for VPN. I believe many would get a VPN just to unblock region restricted content. And if you do have a use case, NordVPN presents a very attractive option due to its affordability and trusted functionality. Other reputable tech sites such as PCMag and TechAdvisor has ranked NordVPN as one of the top choices.