Table of Contents
Introduction
Norton Secure VPN is a reliable and beginner-friendly VPN solution that allows users to access geo-blocked content and secure their internet connection. Developed by Norton LifeLock, a well-established cybersecurity company, Norton Secure VPN offers basic features such as a kill switch and split tunneling. However, it lacks advanced features like the OpenVPN protocol or obfuscated servers. While Norton Secure VPN provides good security with AES-256 encryption, its speeds and streaming capabilities may not be impressive.
Features of Norton Secure VPN
Norton Secure VPN offers a simple and user-friendly interface, making it suitable for beginners. Some of the key features of Norton Secure VPN include:
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Automatic launch at startup: Norton Secure VPN can be set to launch automatically when you start your device.
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Auto-connecting to a VPN server: You can enable this feature to automatically connect to a VPN server when the app is launched.
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Kill switch: Norton Secure VPN includes a kill switch that terminates your internet connection if the VPN connection drops abruptly, ensuring that your data remains encrypted.
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Automatic updates: The app can be set to install updates automatically, ensuring that you have the latest security features.
Ad Tracker Blocking
Norton Secure VPN has an ad tracker blocking feature that intercepts cookies to prevent them from monitoring your online activity. While this feature is enabled by default, it lacks customization options.
Split Tunneling
Norton Secure VPN offers app-based split tunneling, allowing you to exclude specific apps from using the VPN connection. This can be useful if you need to access certain websites or services that are blocked when using a VPN. However, Norton Secure VPN only allows blacklisting of apps, unlike other VPN services that offer both whitelisting and blacklisting options.
Torrent-Optimized Region
Norton Secure VPN does not allow torrenting on regular servers. However, it offers a “Torrent-Optimized Region” option on Windows and Android apps, which automatically connects you to a server with P2P support. If you want to torrent while using Norton Secure VPN, you can add your torrenting client to the split tunneling blacklist.
Server Network
Norton Secure VPN has servers in over 30 countries, allowing users to choose from a wide range of locations. This ensures that you can find a server close to your location and get decent speeds. A larger server network also provides more options for accessing geo-blocked content.
Security and Privacy
Norton Secure VPN uses the OpenVPN protocol and AES-256 encryption, ensuring a high level of security. However, it would be beneficial to have the option to use the WireGuard protocol as well. While Norton has a good reputation for security, its privacy policy raises some concerns. The policy states that Norton collects information such as IP addresses, but it does not specify the duration for which the data is stored or the security measures in place to protect the data. Additionally, Norton Secure VPN is headquartered in the U.S., which is a member of the Five Eyes alliance, potentially compromising user privacy.
Performance
Norton Secure VPN’s performance is a mixed bag. While it offers decent speeds for standard-quality streaming, its speeds are reduced by over 60% on average, and latency increases by 140%. This makes Norton Secure VPN less ideal for gaming or streaming in 4K. Additionally, while it can unblock some Netflix libraries and Amazon Prime Video, it fails to unblock BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Hulu.
Customer Support
Norton Secure VPN offers 24×7 chat and phone support, with support agents also providing remote assistance. The promptness of the support is commendable, but the process of connecting to a support agent via live chat can be cumbersome. Overall, Norton Secure VPN’s customer support is helpful, especially for beginners who may need assistance with security and privacy.
Pricing
Norton Secure VPN offers both annual and monthly plans, with the pricing depending on the number of devices you want to connect simultaneously. While Norton Secure VPN’s monthly plans are relatively inexpensive, premium VPN services like ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer similar or lower pricing for more simultaneous connections. Norton Secure VPN does offer a 60-day money-back guarantee on annual plans, allowing users to try the service without any risk.
Conclusion
Norton Secure VPN is a reliable and beginner-friendly VPN solution that is suitable for accessing geo-blocked content and securing internet connections. While it lacks some advanced features and its speeds and streaming capabilities may not be impressive, it provides good security with AES-256 encryption. Norton Secure VPN is an excellent choice for users who need a simple VPN solution, but there are other options on the market that offer more features and better performance at similar or lower prices.