I’m not a particularly tech-oriented person, so I feel like I should share some information about how I found Strong VPN before I review the company. Knowing how and why I found it might make it easier for you to decide whether Strong VPN can match your needs, too.
A few years ago, I signed up for premium Hulu account that would let me stream content to my TV through a Roku. This seemed like the logical next step in television evolution, so I was excited to see what it would offer.
For the first couple of months, I enjoyed watching some of my favorite TV shows whenever I wanted to. I didn’t have to follow the cable channels schedule. When I had half an hour to relax, I would turn on my TV and enjoy any of the available content.
I was pretty happy with this situation. I even added a couple of other subscriptions to my list. Now, I certainly had all of the content that I could possibly want, right?
Not quite. In fact, not at all.
It was around this time that I learned that content providers like Hulu and Netflix restrict access to certain movies and shows. If you live in the United States, you get to see one group of content. If you live in Argentina, you get another. The UK gets a different list of available content, too. And so on.
This discovering made me sneer. These other people, paying for the same service that I had, were getting to access a ton of movies that I can’t watch. Feeling upset and cheated, I went online to learn more about this.
What I ultimately learned was that I could take control of the situation by getting a virtual private network (VPN). With a VPN, I could make it look I am practically anywhere in the world. If Argentina has the movie I want to watch, then I could make my device look like it was in Argentina.
This opened me to a whole new world of TV shows and movies.
Since then, I have learned that VPN offers plenty of other benefits. I will outline some of them below.
I hope that knowing why I came to Strong VPN helps you understand my review better. Perhaps you have come here because you are also tired of restricted content.
About Strong VPN
Strong VPN started as a small company in Lake Tahoe that sold personal computers. At the time (1994), this was a relatively new market overtaking households in the area. It gave the company the capital it needed to expand its horizons. After a rather short time in PC sales, Strong VPN started to provide dial up services to individuals and business in the Lake Tahoe area.
Eventually, Strong VPN (called Reliable Hosting at the time) accumulated enough dedicated servers that it wanted to offer a new level of service to its clients. In addition to giving them Internet access, the company would give them virtual personal networks (VPN).
Today, Strong VPN provides a wide range of VPN and related services to individuals and businesses all over the world.
Top Features of Strong VPN
Strong VPN essentially offers one feature: it creates a virtual private network that gives you more freedom and security on the Internet. Since I don’t feel that I can really write intelligently about the individual features, I’ll explain some of the benefits that I get from Strong VPN’s services. I think that’s probably a better way to approach this.
Better Security and Privacy
We all know that there are people out there trying to steal our private information. Some of them are trying to steal our credit card numbers. Others are trying to get our passwords and access codes. These criminals have all kinds of tools to help them.
What do you have to help yourself?
Probably not much, if anything.
With Strong VPN, you create a secure encrypted tunnel. You’re protected by a firewall that prevents hackers from seeing your activity and everything you send and receive gets encrypted. Even if hackers could see what you’re doing, they wouldn’t understand it.
You also get better security from your Internet service provider. ISPs are notorious for blocking certain types of behavior. When you use Strong VPN, though, you get to hide your IP address, making it practically impossible (or at least really difficult) for your ISP to keep tabs on your activity.
Safer Public Browsing
We’ve all found ourselves using public Wi-Fi from time to time. Whether you’re sitting in a coffee shop or a hotel room, there is a risk in using those networks. Since all of your activity flows through a router that you do not control, anyone could eavesdrop on your activity.
That makes it pretty easy to steal information.
Since your VPN creates an encrypted tunnel of activity, those eavesdroppers won’t know what they’re looking at.
More Content for You!
This is my favorite part of using Strong VPN. When you have a VPN, you can set it to change your location. Strong VPN has hundreds of servers located all over the world. You just have to tell the service that you are in a different place.
It’s amazingly simple. You literally just click a button and you get to access streaming movies, television shows, music, and other types of media from all over the world.
Keep in mind that this is content that you would not have if you were using your regular network at home. You need a VPN that can obscure your location and redirect its appearance elsewhere. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. It’s the closest thing we’ll have to teleportation in my lifetime.
Strong VPN Prices
Strong VPN has three packages you can choose from. I’ll list the prices of each one here along with the features and services that each one offers. Hopefully, this will help you decide which option is right for you.
All packages include unlimited server switches and transfers.
Dynamic and static IP servers are available for each option, too.
Lite Package
$6.25/month
Access to 320 servers within the United States.
Special Package
$6.58/month
Access to over 380 servers
Servers located in four countries
Deluxe Package
$12.92/month
Access to over 450 servers
Servers located in 21 countries
Criticisms of Strong VPN
I haven’t had any problems with my services from Strong VPN. When I was researching VPN companies, though, I made a note of one major criticism about the company.
When I asked about the type of encryption the company used, I didn’t get a very straightforward answer. I couldn’t tell whether the customer service rep I spoke to didn’t know how to answer, or if he simply did not want to answer it.
There were enough positive things about Strong VPN that I ended up using the service, anyway. If you are a serious security buff, though, you will probably want to know that kind of information. I was just asking so I could compare it to types of encryption offered by other companies.
Customer Support for Strong VPN
My criticism of Strong VPN’s not telling me what level of encryption it uses kind of bleeds over into this section.
The question remains: was the customer service rep ignorant or does the company prevent its customers from getting this information?
I doubt that I’ll ever know. Considering that I have been enjoying Strong VPN’s services for quite a while without any problems, I guess it doesn’t matter.
If it matters to you, though, you should know about it. Perhaps the company has changed in this regard. Feel free to contact them and ask. I didn’t get an answer, but you might.
Pros of Using Strong VPN
- Increased security
- Access to more streaming content
- Hide your location
Cons of Using Strong VPN
- Lackluster customer service
Conclusion
I found Strong VPN simply because I wanted access to more online content. I know that this is really just a small part of getting a VPN. There are plenty of benefits that I didn’t know about at the time. Still, it was what motivated me to explore my VPN options.
If you are someone who thinks you should have access to more online content (you’re paying for it, after all!), then I would highly recommend Strong VPN. It has done the trick for me. It’s easy and it works well.
I would also suggest Strong VPN to anyone looking for increased Internet security. I make this recommendation with one caveat, though. Try to find out what specific levels of protection they can offer you. If you know more about this than I do, then maybe you can get a direct answer out the company.
In my experience, this is a reliable company that follows through with its promises. When you sign up for its services, you get exactly what you expect.
