When it comes to your online security, less is not more. Since you’re here, you’re clearly interested in what is Double VPN and why minimalism won’t apply when online dangers spy on your every online step.
The online environment is not as friendly as you may expect. Just like in real life, the bad boys exist in the online world too. And no, you don’t have to play shooter games to meet one.
Still, there’s a blessing in disguise represented by the online weapons you can use to fight for your online privacy, security, anonymity, and freedom. Besides antiviruses, firewalls, and port scanning tools, the VPN makes it on the list of online security tools must-haves.
What does Double VPN mean? Double security, double encryption… double everything!
Keep in mind that for every lock, some hacker is trying to break it. This is one of the most important reasons why you need to use a Double VPN. The other ones are described below.
Chaining VPNs is always a good idea, so continue reading to learn why and how to do it.
The Transylvanian explanation of Double VPN.
Transylvanian nights can get pretty cold and windy, just like the one that caught TomBat without a gift for his beloved PonyBat.
The picturesque beauty of “the land beyond the forest” and its incredible castles and places will blow your mind.
Living in such a castle seemed a good idea until this decision blew my mind in the worst way possible. Tourists were willing to pay me impressive amounts of money to spend a night in my sumptuous castle, while all I was thinking was to move out and get a warm room in a hotel.
The big rooms were so cold during autumn and winter because of the castle’s old windows. Even after changing them, I was still able to feel the wind touching my face. Plus, seeing it moving my curtains made me feel like living in a haunted place.
Not feeling at home in your own home kind of sucks more than Dracula does. The sleepless nights made me think about a solution. So, I conclude that I should find the most skilled carpenter in Transylvania to solve my problem. Only in this way I could get rid of the feeling that the wind haunts me while sleeping, showering, or writing these bloody helpful articles.
Therefore, I took action, and after a few minutes of searching, I found it. This Transylvanian carpenter goes the extra mile for its customers and provides double-pane windows. Exactly what I needed. Not only one layer of glass but two!
The cruel winter and the ruthless wind can go and flock themselves directly into Dracula’s castle windows. He sleeps in a coffin, so I am sure he is untouchable, but knowing that Dracula feels haunted makes me smile.
After successfully installing these double-pane windows, I sleep like a baby, as the wind cannot break-in, and I am no longer able to hear the noisy bats fighting outside for a frozen apple.
These double-pane windows are exactly like DoubleVPN technology.
When a single level of security is not enough, a double VPN connection can help you rest assured that no hacker in this world will be able to break through your encryption to get access to your web traffic information. Plus, VPN providers are helping you to connect to double VPN servers with just a click.
But, before knowing who these providers are, let’s find out some key information.
What is Double VPN?
The VPN (Virtual Private Network) is like the cherry on top of your online activities. And it stands there to ensure you that while surfing the web you can:
- Hide your real IP address.
- Bypass internet censorship.
- Encrypt your traffic.
- Access blocked websites, Youtube videos, or social media accounts.
- Ensure your mobile device security, no matter if you own an iPhone, a MacBook, or an Android device.
This VPN thing is like a garlic clove that you keep in your pocket while visiting Transylvania. You can take it out to use it as a legal weapon against thirsty vampires or to turn it into a yummy mujdei sauce served next to a fish dish.
A regular VPN connection uses a VPN app, a VPN server, a VPN protocol, and an encryption standard to work, change your IP address, encrypt your traffic, and to help you bypass DPI and restrictions.
When we talk about Double VPN technology, we automatically mean double security, double encryption, and a double VPN tunnel. Therefore, this whole concept represents a VPN on top of another VPN.
How does Double VPN work?
A Double VPN (a multihop VPN/double-hop VPN) server brings a second VPN server in the discussion and, of course, another VPN tunnel to the whole equation. Therefore, all your online data traveling between your device and its final destination on the web is routed via two VPN servers. Not only that your traffic gets an extra layer of encryption, but your IP address is also modified two times.
Double VPN – workflow.
There are plenty of ways in which you can enable a VPN connection like a Transylvanian guru, but if you’re really a pro, you will choose to enable it via VPN software.
Therefore, as soon as you open the VPN client of your choice and pick a robust VPN protocol (like OpenVPN), you will need to select the DoubleVPN server from your server list. As soon as this happens and the Connect button is clicked, the VPN app encrypts your data and sends it to the first VPN server. The first server assigns you its IP and decrypts your data.
Compared to the traditional VPN connection, instead of sending your data to its destination on the web, the first server encrypts your data again and sends it to the second server.
As you might have guessed, the second server decrypts the information, gives you a new IP address, and, finally, sends it to its destination.
The interesting fact in this equation is that the second VPN server receives the information from the first server, so it has no clue about the request’s source. Moreover, this whole process works back and forth, so there’s no way on earth for your online activities to be exposed and compromised.
With the Double VPN feature, you may rest assured that even the highest skilled hacker on the internet cannot decrypt your traffic and steal your personal information.
Can I use Triple VPN or Quad VPN?
In tech, almost everything is possible. Therefore, multiplying your online security by connecting to a Triple VPN or a Quad VPN is also realizable.
The principle behind a Trible VPN, Quad VPN, or an “N” VPN works the same as in Double VPN’s case. That’s why this whole process is also known as chaining VPN servers or cascading VPN as, from a VPN server, you end up connecting to another VPN server and so on.
Yet, there are a few disadvantages you need to be aware of, so I am about to reveal them to you.
Double VPN – Advantages and disadvantages.
Critical mood activated.
No one is perfect. When we talk about VPNs, we know that this tool may have its own flaws, and testing a VPN before surfing the web is mandatory. Still, what conclusion can we draw about Double VPNs? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
Advantages of using Double VPN.
- Double encrypt your internet traffic. When you choose to connect to a Double VPN server, your data and online activities are double encrypted by the two servers used in the connection. If one layer of encryption is almost impossible to decrypt, imagine how secure a Double VPN connection is.
- Complete anonymity. You don’t have to do illegal stuff on the web to want to stay anonymous. Your online privacy is as important as real-life privacy. By connecting to a Double VPN server, this is exactly what you get. Your IP address will be well-hidden by your highly-secured VPN connection and your data is less probable to get decrypted. Thus, Double VPN is well suited for political activists and journalists.
- Avoid ISPs tracking. Your ISP will have no idea what you’re doing on the web, as it has no access to your online activities. The only thing that your ISP can do is to see that you use a VPN. But that’s it.
- Mix your locations. You can choose to connect to two different servers located in two different countries. If you’re located in Germany, you can first connect to a server in Taiwan and then to one in New York. Cool, right? If only real-life traveling were this easy.
- Mix the VPN protocols. In some cases, especially when we talk about Double VPNs that are manually configured, we can refer to two different VPN protocols, as the first server can use OpenVPN and the second one PPTP.
Disadvantages of using Double VPN.
- It affects your speed. VPNs affect your speed by default. The fact that you connect to two or more VPN servers (instead of a single VPN) can seriously decrease your connection speeds. This problem may occur, especially if you want to use a VPN for China. A workaround for this downside would be to use two servers located in the same country. Still, this solution may not work in all cases, but it’s worth trying.
- The Double VPN connection can be hard to set up. If you’re not the happy user of a VPN service with preconfigured Double VPN servers, setting up your own can get pretty hard, as it requires a virtual machine and a little tech knowledge. Of course, it is simpler to connect to one VPN server, but sometimes you need to go the extra mile. Good luck!
When and why to use Double VPN?
I guess it’s pretty clear WHY you should use Double VPN. Still, the question that remained unanswered is WHEN you should connect to such a server.
Because Double VPN slows down your speed, you may reconsider using this technology daily, and I totally get you.
Yet, which are the scenarios when Double VPN is a must?
- While using public unprotected Wi-Fi networks. Almost a quarter of the public WiFi networks worldwide are unprotected, meaning that there are good chances for you to connect to such a network. The dangers of using public hotspots are real, and you need to be aware of this thing. Connecting to a public WiFi happens when you’re in a public place, and you need an internet connection to accomplish different online tasks. Using your VPN, and implicitly a Double VPN server, is the right thing to do, so you can rest assured your personal information is secured and your traffic is encrypted.
- When you need to avoid ISP and government surveillance, the Double VPN is a great solution to keep your information away from your government and your curious ISP. By encrypting your traffic twice, all your online data remains confidential.
- When you send sensitive information over the web, online shopping and online food ordering are basic online tasks, we all perform regularly. You need to be aware that you need to fill in sensitive information like your credit card details, account credentials, etc. By double encrypting your traffic with Double VPN, you can keep your information in a safe place and only for you.
Double VPN vs. other types of VPN servers.
Things are pretty simple when it comes to understanding VPN technology and its purpose. Therefore, the important thing is to make sure we understand the fine elements that can make a difference.
So, let’s find out the differences between a Double VPN server and the other types of existing VPN servers.
Double VPN vs. regular VPN server.
We already know that Double VPN uses two regular VPN servers to double encrypt and secure your traffic. The only difference between a Double VPN server and a regular VPN server is that Double VPN uses two regular servers to work.
Double VPN vs. P2P servers.
P2P (Peer to Peer) servers are the ones that help you download torrents in complete anonymity and security. Such servers are specially configured by VPN providers that allow P2P file sharing. P2P servers are localized in countries where torrenting is legal or is not regulated. Therefore, a P2P server is suitable for users who want to download torrents safely, wherever they are in the world.
Double VPN vs. Tor over VPN.
Tor stands for The Onion Router, an open-source software specially developed to enable anonymous communication, being none other than the Dark Web. As the Dark Web is called Dark for some good reasons, a Tor over VPN server (also called Onion over VPN) is the proper solution to ensure your online security and privacy while using Tor.
Therefore, anytime you use Tor over VPN, you access a Tor network via a VPN connection, so all the traffic is routed via the VPN server first.
Double VPN vs. Obfuscated servers.
Obfuscated servers use a technique called obfuscation that helps you bypass internet censorship and geo-restrictions. In order words, an obfuscated server is a VPN provider’s gimmick used to help its users to access an open internet wherever they are in the world.
How to use a Double VPN server?
Double VPN is, for sure, a great solution developed by VPN providers to help their users with their online security.
An important thing worth mentioning is that only a few providers allow their customers to use such advanced VPN features, while others only let them know how to configure a Double VPN server at home manually.
The easiest way to use Double VPN is to get it already set up by your provider. Nord VPN and Surfshark are two of my favorites providers who allow their customers to connect to a Double VPN server directly from the app. So, let me show you how these providers make things easy for their customers.
NordVPN
NordVPN needs no further presentation as this provider makes it on almost all VPN reviews websites.
With VPN apps working heavenly on most popular devices and operating systems (VPN for Windows, VPN for macOS, VPN for iOS, VPN for Android), to an impressive list of VPN servers located all around the world, and enhance security features (e.g., Kill Switch), NordVPN is surely one of the best VPNs you could take into consideration.
NordVPN provides a series of Double VPN servers connecting different locations worldwide, as you may have expected.
Connecting to such a server is super easy – a task that can be performed with a single click.
Surfshark
Surfshark is a top VPN service with great features and clean, easy-to-use apps.
The Surfshark apps provide access to many multihop (DoubleVPN) servers that can be easily be accessed by clicking on the MultiHop tab. Choose your desired combination of servers (e.g., pass your encrypted traffic to a VPN tunnel that starts in France and ends in Sweden) and press the Connect button.
The multihop servers are available for all VPN protocols (IKEv2, OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, WireGuard).
Mullvad
Mullvad, a privacy-oriented VPN service, has migrated almost completely to WireGuard, the new VPN protocol. And, the WireGuard configuration file generator can be set up to create a double VPN (multihop) tunnel between any two WireGuard servers from the list. Bat-iful!
How to set up a Double VPN connection on your own?
If you’re stubborn enough and want to go for a self-configurable multihop VPN connection, I wish you good luck.
As mentioned before, you can enable a VPN connection manually but you need a Host Machine and a Virtual Machine. The idea may sound simple, but it can get pretty complex if you’re a newbie. That’s why, I will sell you some good tips on how to enable a double VPN connection by yourself, without needing to install a VPN client on a virtual machine and download additional services like VirtualBox.
Here are your options:
VPN client connection + Router.
In this case, what you will need is a VPN app from a provider of your choice and, of course, an active VPN subscription. Furthermore, you will need to manually set up an additional VPN connection on your VPN router. A VPN router is a normal router that supports a VPN connection.
Once you’ve manually configured the VPN connection on your router, you will need to connect to a VPN server via the VPN client installed on your device. In this way, you are enjoying a Double VPN connection.
VPN client + VPN browser extension.
Before telling you what this mix implies, I feel like I need to let you know that a VPN browser extension is not actually a VPN. VPN browser extensions are Proxy Add-ons meant to help internet users easily change their IP address, in order to bypass restrictions and surf the web easily.
The proxy technology uses a proxy server to hide a user’s real IP, but the proxy uses no encryption at all compared to the VPN.
For this combo, the whole idea is to connect to the VPN app first and use a Proxy addon. The final result is a standard VPN + proxy connection – which is clearly more private than the traditional VPN alone or proxy alone connection.
Is everything clear? Let’s double-check!
There is no harm in repeating and double-checking. And, clearly, when it comes to your online security, making sure that everything is understood is mandatory.
So, again, what is Double VPN? In straightforward terms, we can say that Double VPN is a technology meant to use when you go online, and you have double trouble like an unprotected WiFi network and sensitive information to work with.
Furthermore, Double VPN is an additional feature, so finding it in a VPN provider’s server list can be really hard. Still, if you do your research, you can find a few providers allowing you to use Double VPN for enhancing your overall online experience.
Your online security is as important as your real-life one. Ignorance is not bliss, so make sure to stay updated with the latest online trends and tools you need to use.
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- You can keep up with the latest news.
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