Virgin Media prides itself on its connection speeds, but thanks to the UK’s data-retention laws and increasingly anti-privacy stance, it’s unable to offer any meaningful level of online anonymity. This is why you should consider a VPN on Virgin Media.
Connecting to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet traffic and changes your IP address based on the server you choose. This not only stops Virgin from seeing which sites you visit, but it also helps protect against cyber attacks and lets you bypass any ISP blocking that might be in place.
Below you will find a shortlist of the best VPNs for Virgin Media. You can find more detailed information about each provider further in this article.
Best VPNs for Virgin Media
- NordVPN: Our #1 pick for Virgin Media customers. An extremely fast, security-focused VPN that supports more than a dozen router firmwares. Hundreds of servers in the UK and over 5,000 worldwide. Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it risk-free.
- Surfshark: The best budget VPN for Virgin Media. Boasts consistent speeds and an ever-evolving security toolkit. Doesn’t keep logs or limit the number of devices you can connect and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ExpressVPN: This industry veteran has its own router firmware and ultra-fast connections, making it a natural choice for Virgin Media customers. Strong on privacy, with 24/7 support and a stellar reputation.
- CyberGhost: A simple, versatile VPN with a large network presence in the UK. One of the fastest services around, ideal for Virgin Media. What’s more, it has specialty streaming servers and live chat support.
- IPVanish: Lightweight, security-conscious, and capable of protecting all of your devices at once. This zero-logs VPN has step-by-step installation guides for popular router firmware. Works great with Virgin Media
- PrivateVPN: A no-logs VPN that puts your privacy first, without compromising on speed or usability. Great for safe torrenting and streaming on Virgin Media. Further, it works with seven types of router firmware.
- Atlas VPN: While this VPN can’t be installed on a router, it does offer very high speeds and impeccable streaming abilities. Keeps no logs and can secure every device you own.
WANT TO TRY THE TOP VPN RISK FREE?
NordVPN is offering a fully featured risk-free 30-day trial if you sign up at this page. You can use the VPN rated #1 for Virgin Media with no restrictions for a month. This makes it ideal for anyone hoping to try the service out before they commit to a longer subscription.
There are no hidden terms—just contact support within 30 days if you decide NordVPN isn't right for you and you'll get a full refund. Start your NordVPN trial here.
The best VPNs for Virgin Media
There are plenty of VPNs out there, but not all of them are a good choice for Virgin Media customers. To find the best of the best, we looked for services that met all of the following criteria:
- Has lots of servers in the UK and surrounding countries
- Is suitable for streaming, torrenting, gaming, and general web-browsing
- Provides high speeds and stable connections
- Includes a wide range of security tools including effectively uncrackable encryption
- Doesn’t log any data that could personally identify you
- Offers apps for a wide range of platforms, ideally including routers
Here’s a list of the best VPNs for Virgin Media:
1. NordVPN
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
- FireTV
Website: www.NordVPN.com
Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS
NordVPN is our top choice for anyone with Virgin internet. It has more than 5,000 servers in 60+ countries, and roughly 500 in the UK. With extremely high speeds (averaging over 350 Mbps on a 1 Gbps connection), P2P-optimized servers, and the ability to stream everything from Netflix to BBC iPlayer, there isn’t much it can’t do. If you choose not to install NordVPN on your router, you’ll still be able to secure up to six devices at a time.
This provider values user privacy, and has repeatedly been audited to prove its no-logs policy is legit. More recently, it’s added a threat protection feature that scans files for malware and prevents your apps from tracking you. The apps also include 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, leak protection, and a proprietary protocol that’s based on WireGuard. Users can pay in three different cryptocurrencies, with support staff on-hand 24/7 via email and live chat.
NordVPN has its own Android, Windows, iOS, MacOS, and Linux apps. It supports a huge range of router firmware as well, making it fairly easy to get working with a Virgin SuperHub.
Pros:
- Thousands of high-speed servers
- Excels at beating regional restrictions
- One of the most security-focused providers available
- Impressive speeds for streaming and other activities
- Zero-logs VPN with 24/7 support
Cons:
- Takes two clicks to disconnect
Our score:
BEST VPN FOR VIRGIN MEDIA:NordVPN is our first choice. This provider offers top-tier protection, particularly high speeds, and the ability to securely access any service you might care to use. There’s even a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you’d like to try it risk-free.
Read our full NordVPN review for more details.
2. Surfshark
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Website: www.Surfshark.com
Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS
Surfshark is the best budget option for Virgin Media customers. Despite its low price point, this service stands shoulder-to-shoulder with better-established rivals, actually beating many of them in our latest speed tests. We’ve had no issues securely accessing services like Now TV, Sky Go, or BBC iPlayer with this VPN, and as there’s no bandwidth or connection limits, you’re free to watch as much as you want, across all of your devices.
This budget provider offers a strong security toolkit as well. Your data is kept secure using a kill switch, 256-bit encryption, and protection against IPv6 and DNS leaks. There’s also a special stealth mode that allows you to browse freely while in countries with strict digital censorship. Surfshark follows a strict no-logs policy and accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple. Just recently, it finalized a merger with our #1 pick, NordVPN, that will see the two companies collaborate on future technical challenges. Live chat-based support is available 24/7.
Surfshark provides apps for iOS, Android, Linux, MacOS, and Windows. Further, its website has detailed setup instructions for all of the most common router firmware.
Pros:
- Fantastic speeds
- Works with almost every streaming service we’ve tested
- Huge discounts for long-term plans
- Takes privacy and security very seriously
- Allows unlimited devices
Cons:
- Many of its features are not included in the base plan
- Customer support could be improved
Our score:
BEST BUDGET VPN:Surfshark is our budget pick. It offers surprisingly strong performance, plus an ever-expanding range of security and privacy features. Doesn’t limit the number of devices you can connect. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Interested? Find out more in our complete Surfshark review.
3. ExpressVPN
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Website: www.ExpressVPN.com
Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS
ExpressVPN provides access to more than 3,000 servers in a whopping 94 countries. Not only that, but its proprietary Lightway protocol delivers extremely high speeds. This makes ExpressVPN a great choice whether your family likes to stream, play games, torrent, or all three. This VPN’s firmware makes it relatively straightforward to secure a whole network, but you can also just choose to connect five devices at a time if you’d rather not mess about with your router.
Users have lots of security tools to take advantage of. For instance, there’s 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection, plus ExpressVPN follows a no-logging policy for enhanced privacy. One of its newest features is called Threat Manager: this prevents your other apps from communicating with known trackers and scam sites. Users can get in touch with support staff, day or night, using the 24/7 live chat service.
ExpressVPN has apps for Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, and iOS. It also offers its own custom router firmware, plus model-specific instructions for getting everything up and running.
Pros:
- Custom firmware offers more features than are usually available
- High speeds, unlimited bandwidth
- Strong on security and privacy
- A strict no-logs policy
- Has more countries to choose from any other VPN in this list
Cons:
- On the higher end of the pricing spectrum
- Streaming servers aren’t labeled
Our score:
EASY ROUTER INSTALL:ExpressVPN is the only service in our list with its own router app. Not only that, it’s extremely fast and suitable for any day-to-day task. This security-conscious provider even comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Check out our in-depth ExpressVPN review.
4. CyberGhost
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Website: www.Cyberghost.com
Money-back guarantee: 45 DAYS
CyberGhost is an excellent choice for anyone new to VPNs. First off, it has one of the largest networks around, with over 7,000 servers in 90+ countries. Better still, these are separated into categories, making it easy to tell at-a-glance which servers are best for streaming, privacy, or torrenting. CyberGhost averaged more than 500 Mbps in our tests, so assuming your home internet is quick enough, there’s virtually no situation where you’d ever experience slow speeds.
From a security perspective, there’s a lot to like. The apps all make use of 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection, plus users have the ability to connect via a random port (which may help beat some VPN-blocking systems). Recent updates have introduced WireGuard support and patched the Log4j vulnerability plaguing large parts of the internet. CyberGhost doesn’t log any data that could identify you. Live chat-based support is available, day and night, at no added cost.
CyberGhost offers apps for iOS, MacOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. It also has detailed setup guides that explain how to manually install this VPN on your wireless router.
Pros:
- Industry-leading speeds
- Clearly says which servers are best for a given task
- Good range of security and privacy tools built-in
- Welcoming to new users yet highly versatile
Cons:
- May not offer enough control for advanced users
- Doesn’t work reliably in China
Our score:
NO GUESSWORK:CyberGhost labels its servers, allowing you to choose one that’s perfectly suited to your needs. What’s more, it has a huge network, outstanding speeds, and a solid security toolkit, plus 24/7 support. This VPN even has a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Why not read our complete review of CyberGhost?
5. IPVanish
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Website: www.IPVanish.com
Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS
IPVanish has really upped its game lately, ditching its connection limit, introducing WireGuard support, and switching to 25 Gbps servers. In simple terms, this means that it’s now extremely fast and particularly well-suited for homes where lots of people use the internet. There are over 2,000 servers spread across 60+ countries, and you can torrent on any of them. We’ve had success using services like ITV Hub while connected, but overall, this VPN isn’t the best at unblocking geo-restricted services abroad.
It’s clear the IPVanish values your privacy, though. It doesn’t keep any logs whatsoever, and allows you to automatically reconnect if your connection drops unexpectedly. This VPN also includes security features like a kill switch, LAN traffic blocking, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and 256-bit AES encryption. Customer support can be reached 24/7 using either email or live chat.
IPVanish has user-friendly apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and MacOS. It must be manually installed on Linux devices as well as ASUSWRT, DD-WRT, Asuswrt-Merlin, and Tomato routers.
Pros:
- Has become significantly faster
- Strong security and privacy focus
- No limit on number of devices you can connect
- Works with Netflix and other streaming services
Cons:
- Traffic scrambling only works on OpenVPN connections
- No Linux app
Our score:
NO-STRESS SECURITY:IPVanish lets you secure all of your devices, even without installing it on a router. It’s also one of the speediest providers we’ve seen, with great streaming potential and a real focus on user privacy. The annual plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Check out the full IPVanish review.
6. PrivateVPN
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Website: www.PrivateVPN.com
Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS
PrivateVPN might only have around 200 servers across 60+ countries, but it owns and hosts these itself, plus it recently began acting as its own ISP for maximum privacy. Speeds are generally fast enough for all but the most data-hungry households, and there are no bandwidth limits at all. There are setup instructions for a variety of firmware, but even if you’re not looking to install a VPN directly on your SuperHub, you can still connect up to 10 devices at once.
As you might expect given its name, this service follows a zero-logs policy. It also accepts Bitcoin payments, which gives you a little extra anonymity during the signup process. PrivateVPN’s security tools include 256-bit encryption, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, an app-specific kill switch, and a stealth mode that lets you access the wider internet in places with strict internet restrictions. Support is available most (but not all) hours of the day over live chat.
Private has its own MacOS, Windows, iOS, and Android apps. It can be manually configured for use with some Linux distros, as well as seven different types of router firmware.
Pros:
- Fast and reliable connections
- Impeccable privacy credentials
- Can access just about anything from just about anywhere
Cons:
- Doesn’t have as many servers as other providers in this list
- Doesn’t have 24/7 live chat
Our score:
GREAT EVERYDAY VPN:PrivateVPN has the speed, security, and reliability needed to stream and browse safely. With a high connection limit, great unblocking ability, and an unwavering commitment to privacy, this VPN is well worth a look. Also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read our comprehensive PrivateVPN review.
7. Atlas VPN
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
Website: https://atlasvpn.com
Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS
Atlas VPN is a decent option for Virgin Media customers, assuming they don’t want to install the service on their SuperHub. It allows any number of connections and provides very impressive speeds. In fact, this VPN even works with services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Disney Plus. The tradeoff is a slightly smaller network—there are roughly 40 locations to choose from, whereas the VPNs above all offer at least 60.
Users can expect top-tier security, though. This provider uses 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection to keep your activities hidden at all times. There’s also a no-logs policy in place, plus support for the WireGuard protocol. Atlas VPN has recently added 24/7 live chat, making it easier than ever to get help with any issues you might encounter.
Atlas VPN apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. At the time of writing, it doesn’t support Linux systems or routers at all.
Pros:
- Faster than many of its rivals
- Performs well with most streaming services
- Good set of security tools
Cons:
- Can’t be installed on routers
- Needs to be easier to cancel
Our score:
QUICK AND CAPABLE:Atlas VPN is a solid general-use VPN. It boasts above-average speed and security, plus it works with a wide range of popular streaming services. Surprisingly for a budget service, it has no connection limit and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Still have questions? Find answers in the full Atlas VPN review.
Methodology: How we chose the best VPNs for Virgin Media
As we mentioned earlier, choosing a VPN can be difficult, especially if you don’t have one specific task (like streaming or torrenting) in mind. Here are the key things we looked out for:
- Server choice: We prioritized VPNs with lots of servers in the UK, since these will usually provide the fastest speeds. However, we required our top providers to have servers in at least a few dozen other countries as well.
- Versatility: The best VPNs should be able to securely access services like Netflix UK, ITV Hub, and My5. They also have to allow P2P traffic, be suitable for playing online games, and be able to avoid the kind of VPN blocking used by hotels and public wi-fi hotspots.
- Performance: Your VPN cannot be faster than your base connection, but we made an effort to select providers that have as small an impact on your speeds as possible. We periodically run hundreds of speed tests and can confidently say that those above are suitable for just about any task.
- Security and privacy: First and foremost, our top VPNs can’t keep any logs that might identify you. We also require effectively-uncrackable AES encryption, plus protection against DNS and IPv6 leaks, and a kill switch. Naturally, the more security tools a service has, the better.
- User-friendliness: If a VPN is too complicated to use, most people simply won’t bother. That’s why we prioritize newcomer-friendly services, ideally with 24/7 live chat, no connection limits, and specific servers for safe streaming.
Want to learn more? Read all about our VPN testing process.
How to use a VPN with Virgin Media
There are a few different ways to secure your Virgin Media connection, and we’ll explore all of these in more detail a little later. For now, this is a guide to getting started as quickly as possible.
Here’s how to use a VPN with Virgin Media:
- Start by signing up for a reliable VPN service – We strongly recommend NordVPN.
- Download the app onto any device you use often. Most providers permit around five simultaneous connections, but the exact limit differs from one VPN to another.
- Log in and select a server. If you’re looking to change your IP address, you will need to find a server in the location of your choice. For example, connect to a server in Canada if you want a Canadian IP address.
- Your data is now encrypted and hidden from the watchful eyes of Virgin Media and you should be able to browse freely.
- If you’re having any issues with your connection, try clearing your cookies to remove any existing location settings. Alternatively, you can connect to a different VPN server.
How to set up a VPN on Virgin Media
There are three main ways that Virgin Media broadband customers can take advantage of a VPN. Below, we’ll run you through these, listing the pros and cons of each, so that you can decide which best fits your needs.
Method 1: Install a VPN directly on your router
This method is fairly involved, and requires a second router. If you’re looking for an easier setup, we’d recommend moving onto method two below.
Installing a VPN on a router ensures that any device on your network can reap the benefits. There’s no need to worry about connection limits, accidental disconnection, or device compatibility. The trade-off is that this takes a bit more time, and is significantly more complex.
First things first: Virgin SuperHubs don’t support VPN connections. You can, however, switch them to modem mode and connect a second, VPN-compatible router. If you have a spare DD-WRT, Tomato, or Asus-WRT router lying around, you should be able to do this in an afternoon.
The exact setup process is different for every router, and it’s very easy to accidentally brick your hardware or mis-configure your VPN, leaving you unprotected. That’s why we recommend asking your VPN’s support team to walk you through the process. After all, they deal with situations like this every day and can ensure you’re properly protected moving forward.
Method 2: Install the VPN on each device individually
If you’re only concerned about connecting a few devices at a time, rather than securing a whole network, it’s much easier to just install the VPN where it’s needed. Most major providers have apps for desktop and mobile, with Linux support and Firestick apps becoming increasingly common.
The disadvantage of this approach is that you could find yourself having to disconnect from one device to browse safely on another. Still, this can be avoided by choosing a VPN provider with a high (or non-existent) connection limit.
Method 3: Share a VPN connection from another device
Once you’ve installed a VPN onto one device, it’s actually possible to share that secure connection with other devices. This is called creating a virtual router, and we’ve put together guides for doing this quickly and easily on Windows and MacOS. Unfortunately, both Android and iOS prevent you from sharing a VPN connection using the personal hotspot feature, so unless your device is rooted, this won’t work.
Virgin Media VPNs: Your questions answered
How do I know which Virgin Media router I have?
The easiest way to tell which Virgin router you have is to look for a sticker on the underside, which should provide the model number. If the sticker is beige, it’s either a SuperHub 3 or 4, and you’ll have to log into the admin panel to find out which. You can do this by typing “192.168.0.1” into your browser’s address bar (or “192.168.100.1” if the hub is in modem mode).
Does Virgin Media throttle connections?
Virgin Media previously restricted user bandwidth if you exceeded “reasonable” amounts of data usage. However, it has announced that it no longer applies “traffic management” to your upload or download activity, even during peak times. This means that, in theory, it won’t limit your speeds, regardless of how much you download, upload, stream, torrent, or game.
There is a little wiggle room in its disclosure statement, though. This says that specific “services, content, applications, or protocols” are not always blocked, slowed, or prioritized. In other words, there may be instances where Virgin still chooses to throttle your connection. Additionally, traffic management services are still used to monitor the sites you visit, so that Virgin can prevent you from accessing specific websites in accordance with UK law.
What websites are blocked on Virgin Media?
Virgin Media doesn’t go out of its way to restrict access to specific websites unless you’re using its Web Safe feature which blocks content inappropriate for children. However, all UK ISPs are legally required to prevent users from visiting a collection of websites known for infringing copyright. This includes The Pirate Bay, Putlocker, and EZTV, as well as sites that collect proxy links to said sites.
What info can my ISP see when I’m using a VPN?
When you connect to a VPN, your ISP loses access to a huge range of data about your online activities. For instance, it can’t tell which sites you visit or what you do there. However, your ISP can still see all of the information below, which allows it to speculate as to what you’re up to:
- What time you started (and stopped) using a VPN
- Your VPN’s IP address
- The amount of data you transfer
- Which ports your VPN uses
- The encrypted data sent back and forth between you and your VPN server
L’article How to set up a VPN on Virgin Media est apparu en premier sur Comparitech.
0 Commentaires