--- title: VPN: A Private Tunnel Across the Internet url: https://hdiss.net/glossary/vpn/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Glossary](https://hdiss.net/glossary/) - VPN # VPN (virtual private network) A VPN scrambles your traffic and sends it through a tunnel to a trusted network. It protects the path, and it does not make you anonymous or faster. Working from home on a video call. Stock photo: Adobe Stock, not High Desert customers or staff. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) ## What is a VPN? Your device and a VPN server agree on a key, and all traffic between them is encrypted. The NIST publication SP 800-77 describes IPsec VPNs, the long-standing standard for linking sites and remote users. There are two common uses. A work VPN reaches the office network from home. A consumer VPN service sends your traffic out through its own servers, which hides it from the local network and shows websites the VPN's address instead of yours. The tunnel adds a few extra bytes to every packet, and the far server adds distance. That costs some speed and a little [latency](https://hdiss.net/glossary/latency/). ## Does it matter on this connection? A VPN works over any internet line, fixed wireless included. High Desert's service agreement does not mention VPNs, and the company does not publish a policy about them. Be aware that the speed you see will follow the VPN service as well as your plan, and that the up to 200 Mbps upload on each plan is the ceiling for what the tunnel can send. Home workers are the main users. See [internet for working from home](https://hdiss.net/internet-for/working-from-home/) and [remote access to the office](https://hdiss.net/guides/remote-access-to-the-office/). A VPN also helps on public Wi-Fi, which is covered in [public Wi-Fi safety](https://hdiss.net/guides/public-wifi-safety/). ## What should I do about it? Use your employer's VPN when they ask. For a consumer one, choose a service from a company you can verify, not a free app of unknown origin, since it can see everything you send. A VPN does not stop you from falling for phishing or from using weak passwords. If a test shows a speed drop only with the VPN on, turn it off and test again; the line is fine. Read [VPN at home](https://hdiss.net/guides/vpn-at-home/) for the longer answer. Call 775-575-9593 if a work VPN fails to connect only on this line, with the time and the error message. ### Sources - [csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/77/r1/final](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/77/r1/final) (NIST SP 800-77 Rev. 1, Guide to IPsec VPNs) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) ### Related terms - [A VPN at home: what it does and does not do](https://hdiss.net/guides/vpn-at-home/) - [Public Wi-Fi safety when you travel](https://hdiss.net/guides/public-wifi-safety/) - [Firewall](https://hdiss.net/glossary/firewall/) - [Internet for working from home](https://hdiss.net/internet-for/working-from-home/) - [Working on the office computer from home: VPN and remote desktop](https://hdiss.net/guides/remote-access-to-the-office/) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/)