Setting Up a VPN on Your Android Device

1. Introduction to VPNs and Their Importance

The importance of VPNs is that they allow improving the security and capacity-sharing opportunities. It also reduces costs and the risks of infrastructure development for your organization. It also provides the benefits, including increased privacy, improved business accessibility, and the ability to grant businesses enhanced access to data and services, all securely. These are the reasons why VPNs are very commonly used around the world. In this article, you will be learning how to set up a VPN on your Android device.

A virtual private network or VPN is a bridge between two points, connecting you to the rest of the internet securely. When you are connected to a VPN, the VPN client running on your phone or other devices encrypts the data before it is moved from the device to the server. The server then sends the data out onto the internet as if it were from the server instead of from your device. When your data returns to the server, it is unencrypted and then sent back to your device. This encryption/decryption process is what makes VPNs secure.

2. Choosing the Right VPN Service for Your Android Device

Choosing the right VPN for your Android device is a matter of a few minutes. Go to the Google Play Store, enter "VPN" in the search box, and a long list of apps that can create a VPN on your device will pop up. Not all of these services, though, are the same. Therefore, a degree of attention is required when it comes to picking the one that suits you the best. For example, you should look for apps that allow the automatic configuration of OpenVPN profiles for the VPN servers, as well as the importing of .ovpn files to settings up a VPN connection on your device, from a server list. You should certainly avoid apps that are outdated or require your personal details, such as an email address, to create an account. Free VPN apps also have their downsides, as some apps offer low VPN server locations while other apps are slow in operation or include ads. However, premium apps are better equipped than their freebies, as they feature high speed, unlimited bandwidth, and don't go in for a user registration system.

Mobile devices have undoubtedly changed the way we connect to the internet. These days, smartphones and tablets are the go-to devices when it comes to surfing the internet, shopping online, or simply streaming movies and music. And even if it's easier to keep a low profile using home computers, we sometimes have no other choice but to connect our Android devices to public hotspots – airports, stations, hotels or cafes. Cool as it may be to have a wide variety of mobile data, grabbing onto a nearby wireless signal seems a lot more appealing when it comes to downloading large-sized files. In this situation, although the availability of free Wi-Fi seems heaven sent, public hotspots pose a security danger to unwary users. Your best strategy for dealing with this issue is to set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your Android device. It's a quick and easy solution of making your online navigations anonymous. However, using a VPN will help you to shield any public Wi-Fi connection through a secure private channel. Your online activities will thereby be free from any interference, meaning that no one – including malware, hackers, or advertisers – will be able to monitor your navigation sessions.

3. Step-by-Step Guide on Setting Up a VPN on Android

NordVPN: The first step is to access the Play Store and search for the NordVPN app. Once found, choose the Install option. You now want to open the app and create an account. If you already have one, then go ahead and log in, meaning you can skip to step 5. Read the installation instructions carefully and proceed, making sure to grant NordVPN permission when prompted. You will need to grant full control to it. Log in (or create an account) after shaking down that NordVPN is trustworthy. The second step consists of the following: Open this link: There is no need to have an account. If you are a NordVPN user, kindly log in to your account. Click on the login tab, which will redirect you to the main website. Accept the website's location preferences and click the Connect button next to your preferred server. The NordVPN app will open automatically and show the server list. Choose the server you desire.

Setting up a VPN on an Android device is not as complicated as you might think. That being said, it is slightly different compared to other devices. First off, some VPN services, like OpenVPN, require a third-party app that may be difficult to understand. Secondly, the steps may look complicated initially, but set-up time is relatively quick and easy. In this section, we provide a step-by-step guide on how to set up a VPN on an Android device. We use NordVPN (a highly recommended and popular choice). We will show you both how to change the settings within the app as well as through system settings. It's always good to double-check whether both methods work on your mobile device.

4. Advanced Settings and Troubleshooting Tips

The DNS Search Domain identifies the namespace from which the phone must allocate a network address to the VPN server used for class resolution. The correct DNS Search Domain value can reclaim DNS-based VPN connectivity. Press the DNS Search Domain "Ikev2.lan" button and change the DNS Search domain so that all added DNS requests occur within the VPN search area. Then your data-sensitive DNS request would not trigger your data-sensitive DNS request.

4.1.2 DNS Search Domain

Checkmark the two command buttons if you want the Android system to auto connect to the VPN whenever it is on and to auto reconnect after you have been disconnected from the VPN without you needing to actively switch them on. If you only maintain one such protected VPN connection at any given time, locating both sliders in the enabled state may be handy.

4.1.1 Advanced Connect Options

After setting up a VPN in a standard fashion, as described in the previous section, you can also customize VPN options by opening the VPN connection setup window and selecting the appropriate command buttons.

4.1 Advanced VPN Settings

5. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In conclusion, with the above steps outlined in this article, you can easily set up the OpenVPN application on your Android device without necessarily having to download the Upnetic application to help configure the settings on the OpenVPN Connect application manually. Just as easily, you can establish other OpenVPN connections with the exact same process to maintain privacy not only on your Android device but any other devices that may be connected to a shared Wi-Fi connection. If you have any questions or suggestions, do not hesitate to leave a comment below. Our team at Upnetic is always eager to help.

As internet freedom increasingly feels threatened, it is now more important than ever to invest in the usage of a VPN. VPN usage comes with a host of benefits like safeguarding your phones against hackers when using public Wi-Fi in airports and hotels, accessing geo-blocked websites and services like Netflix and Spotify, and avoiding intrusive governmental policies and GDPR non-compliance penalties due to the stringent security and data privacy settings of the VPN. Even though VPNs are mostly used on laptops and PCs, Android users should also consider them as an added measure of protecting their privacy. This article provides a step-by-step guide from setting up OpenVPN on your Android device to using Wi-Fi sharing to share an OpenVPN connection from any Windows device to all other devices.