How Does NordVPN Work? – Is it the Best VPN of 2022?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and it hides your online identity by letting you anonymously surf the web.

When you are connected to one of the VPN’s virtual servers, your internet traffic travels through an encrypted tunnel to make sure no one can exploit your sensitive data while you browse the internet.

And when it comes to VPN services, NordVPN is one of the many names which is ranked in the top 10 list of VPNs of the world.

One would think about how NordVPN manages to make its way every time and climb up to the top of the table, giving strong competition to other best VPNs like ExpressVPN and Surfshark.

But why you should use a VPN? Is it that efficient? We’ll answer all your questions in this guide and also tell you why you should choose NordVPN as your default VPN for secure access to the internet.

Regarding security and privacy, NordVPN provides the best features to make sure you have your back covered, including high security, masking your real IP Address, preventing DNS Leaks, streaming with obfuscated servers, enhanced encryption with double VPN, bypassing certain mobile apps using split-tunneling and many more.

NordVPN is fast, reliable, cheap, works best on streaming platforms, and offers all the latest VPN protocols. Even the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) or government authorities will have a hard time cracking your online traffic.

With its latest protocol NordLynx, it has almost doubled its speed for you to experience the best download speeds.

If you are looking for a VPN that is fast, has a strict no-logs policy for tracking user activity, and has the kill-switch feature to guarantee your traffic not getting leaked, then NordVPN is the VPN provider you want.

How Does NordVPN Work?

You can use NordVPN easily as it has a wide variety of compatible platforms. It works on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux. You just have to download NordVPN from its website, install it. When you open NordVPN, log in with your username and password (You should be having a NordVPN subscription plan). Once logged in, choose the Quick-Connect option to connect to a server or you can also choose a server manually.

A VPN protocol is a set of rules routing your traffic and NordVPN uses OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, NordLynx as protocols for your VPN connections to securely travel user data from the VPN tunnel and then to the actual destination, so you surf the web anonymously and there are no restrictions on your internet access.

Previously, NordVPN had other protocols like L2TP/IPSec and PPTP, which were later cut out of the picture as they became obsolete.

Other than that, NordVPN also offers P2P Sharing and double encryption.

The subscription plans of NordVPN are based on a monthly, yearly, and bi-yearly basis. You can enroll for a NordVPN subscription plan from the NordVPN website.

Know more about how does NordVPN work with its never-ending features and flexibility to work on different devices!

How Does NordVPN Work on Android?

By installing NordVPN on your android device, you’ll be able to know how to change your location with the quick-connect option, in a matter of seconds!

• Go to your Android device’s app store.
• Search for NordVPN.
• Download the NordVPN app and install it.
• Once installed, go to the NordVPN app. Enter your credentials (username and password).
• You will see a Connect button, which on tapping, connects you to the best default server available at that moment.
• You can also connect to different server locations (like the UK or US server) manually by choosing one of NordVPN’s servers by tapping on Locations.

Although, it is also possible to set up a VPN connection on your Android manually with just a little more work.

How Does NordVPN Work on iPhone?

• Go to your iPhone’s App Store, search for NordVPN.
• Install it on your iPhone.
• Enter the username and password for your NordVPN given to you by the provider.
• When logged in, you can use the Connect button to connect to the fastest server available or choose different server locations manually if you want.

How Does NordVPN Work on macOS?

• Go to your browser and search for NordVPN in the search bar.
• Go to the NordVPN website and download NordVPN for your macOS.
• Once downloaded, open your downloads folder and install NordVPN.
• Open your Launchpad, find the NordVPN icon and click on it.
• Once it is launched, enter your username and password to log in to your NordVPN account.
• Use the Quick-Connect button or manually connect to servers of other countries.

How Does NordVPN Work on Windows?

• Go to your browser and go to NordVPN’s website.
• Download NordVPN for Windows client.
• Open the NordVPN Software.
• Log in with your username and password.
• Connect to the default fastest server by clicking the Connect button. If you want to connect to a specific geo-location, connect to a different server manually.

How Does NordVPN Work on Linux?

• Open your browser and go to the NordVPN website.
• Download NordVPN for Linux.
• When downloaded, open Linux Terminal and follow the steps.
• Add NordVPN repository into the system,
  • Type cd Downloads/ [Type Enter].
  • Type sudo dpkg -i nordvpn-release_1.0.0_all.deb [Type Enter].
  • Enter your password [Type Enter].
  • The tool is now installed in your system.
• Install NordVPN,
  • Type Sudo apt-get update to update the repositories
  • Type Sudo apt-get install nordvpn
  • You’ll see a line Do you want to continue? [Y/n], type y
• To log in to NordVPN,
  • Type nordvpn login.
  • Type your email or username and password for NordVPN.
• To connect to the NordVPN server,
  • Type nordvpn connect.
• To verify your connection
  • Go to your browser and search for whatismyipaddress.
  • Check if your IP Address is now changed from your original IP Address.

How Does NordVPN Block Ads?

One of the defining features of NordVPN is its ad blocker, CyberSec. This DNS-based feature blocks advertisement trackers, malicious websites, and keeps you safe from practices like DDOS attacks.

Ad Blocking is a must. As you load a page, the page loads all of its content, and the ads too. With this, your page can take more time to load and you use more data to those unnecessary ads and pop-ups.

NordVPN’s CyberSec can protect your home or office network from malicious practices and you can avoid all the annoying ads you see on the web.

You can easily enable CyberSec by following these steps.

How Does NordVPN CyberSec Works in Windows?

• In your NordVPN window, find the Settings icon on the top right corner. Click it.
• In the General tab, you will find CyberSec.
• If it is Off, turn it On.

How Does NordVPN CyberSec Works in Android?

If you downloaded the NordVPN application from your Android app store, then it does not support the CyberSec feature in it. But if you want to avoid ads on your Android device, download NordVPN’s .apk file and install it.

• Once downloaded, open the app and head to the Settings on the top left corner.
• You’ll find the CyberSec toggle button in the General section. Turn it On.

How Does NordVPN CyberSec Works in iPhone?

• Open NordVPN, head to the Settings. The icon would be displayed at the top right corner.
• You’ll find the CyberSec toggle button, enable your Ad Blocker.

How Does NordVPN CyberSec Works in Linux?

To turn off or on your CyberSec AdBlocker on Linux, all you have to do is open your terminal and type the commands below.

• For turning CyberSec On: nordvpn set cybersec on
• For turning CyberSec Off: nordvpn set cybersec off

How Does NordVPN Billing Work?

NordVPN has various subscription plans for every kind of user. There are three plans which NordVPN offers, a user must know how much does NordVPN costs a month, a year, or more than a year.

• A one-month plan costs $11.95 every time the user purchases it.
• A one-year plan requires a payment of $59.00 upfront when you purchase it, costing $4.92 per month.
• A two-year plan requires a payment of $99.00, costing $3.67 per month.

Moreover, you can set up your own VPN on Google Cloud or Amazon Web Services to escape the purchasing cost, but then you’ll lose access to all the great features that third-party VPNs offer, plus, you’ll have to maintain it all the time.

How Many Simultaneous Connections Does NordVPN Offer?

NordVPN offers simultaneous connections to all compatible operating systems, including PCs, mobile devices, or smart TVs. Whether it be Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android, you can easily use NordVPN.

With a single subscription, you can use NordVPN on up to six devices simultaneously, doesn’t matter which platform you’re using it on.

Also, there are separate NordVPN browser extensions for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

How Much Data Does NordVPN Use?

VPNs don’t use much data. The encryption procedure while accessing or downloading something uses data with a percentage of 10% of the original file downloaded. For instance, if you download a file that has a size of 3 GB (or 3,072 MB to be exact) without a VPN connection, it would take exactly 3 GB to download the file. NordVPN with the encryption process will download the same file using approximately 3,380 MB of your data.

With this keeping in mind, if you stream or download a number of movies with your VPN connection, it would take an extra usage of 1 – 2 GB of data for encrypting that traffic.

How Does NordVPN Free Trial Work?

To use a VPN service like NordVPN for 30 days without paying a single penny is simple. Although, there is no program for a free trial version for NordVPN without paying. But with its 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s a simple procedure to hack your way into it.

Subscribe a Plan

• Go to your browser and get to the NordVPN website.
• Click on the Get NordVPN button to go on the subscription page.
• Now you have to choose a plan. There are three plans of NordVPN, a one-month plan, a one-year plan, and a two-year plan. Whatever plan you will choose, you have to pay that amount upfront to subscribe to that service.
• If you are looking to avail of the 30-day free trial, we suggest you go for the one-month plan.
• On the payment page, select your country, fill in your payment information and choose a payment method. NordVPN has the compatibility to accept a broad variety of payment methods including Cryptocurrency. Grab your deal.
• After finishing up the payment procedure, an email will be sent to you to set up your account credentials and activate your account. Set a new password for your NordVPN and activate your account. Now you can use your NordVPN for exactly 30 days.
• It is to advise that you have to cancel your subscription exactly before 30 days to get a full refund.

Cancel Your Subscription

• When you have used your free trial, cancel your subscription before day 30th by going on the NordVPN website and head to My Account.
• Find the section of My Services. You’ll find Change Plan, click on the three-dotted option beside Change Plan. Cancel your subscription by clicking on Cancel automatic payments. Do the necessary confirmations and your subscription will be canceled.
• You will see that your VPN subscription is indicating that it is going to expire in XYZ days.
• Contact NordVPN’s Customer Support by going on NordVPN’s website.
• Find the option for customer support in the bottom right corner.
• Request a refund by sending an email. Provide the necessary information on your subscription plan.
• You will receive an email for confirmation of canceling your subscription plan and refund.
• Wait for a few days to get your money refunded back to your account.

How Many NordVPN Users Are There?

NordVPN which was first registered in the country Panama because of its flexible laws of data retention has now 14 million users all around the world.

NordVPN’s Android App has 10M+ downloads on Google Play Store.

The customers for NordVPN are increasing as it has qualified to come in the list of the top five best VPN providers of the world.

How Many Servers Does NordVPN Have?

NordVPN has a total number of 5,500 VPN servers lying in 75+ locations spread over 59 different countries including the United States, France, Brazil, the Netherlands, Australia, and Sweden. So you can connect to any secure VPN server with just a tap of a button.

Although NordVPN was first registered in Panama, it now has offices located in Lithuania, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands also.

It has 2290 VPN servers in North America, 2170 servers in the region of Europe, 241 servers in Oceania, 542 servers in Asia, 15 servers in Central America, 53 servers in South America, and 26 servers in the Africa region.

How Does NordVPN Kill-Switch Work?

NordVPN’s kill–switch is an amazing plus. It makes sure that you are secure and anonymous at every cost. So even if your VPN connection drops, it immediately terminates all of your activities to prevent your identity from being exposed on the web.

The feature works differently on each platform. For Windows Client and MacOS, it closes the applications you are using to prevent your traffic to be sent without VPN protection. For iOS, the kill switch disables the internet so the flow of the traffic is stopped.

How to Enable NordVPN Kill-Switch?

• Go to the NordVPN website and download NordVPN for your respective operating system.
• Install the file.
• Open NordVPN and log in with your username and password.
• On the NordVPN window, go to the Settings which is on the top right corner.
• In the Kill–Switch tab, you will find a toggle button. Enable it.
• Connect to a server and enjoy anonymous browsing!

How Do I Keep NordVPN Connected?

You can choose whether you want a VPN connection all the time or just part-time. NordVPN has three options to keep you connected to the VPN,

• Always
• Only on WiFi Networks
• Only on Mobile Data

As public Wi-Fi networks can be dangerous, you can choose the option for NordVPN to only connect when you join a WiFi Network. Although, for maximum protection, you can go for the Always option to stay connected to the VPN when you’re on an internet connection.

Is NordVPN Legal?

Not just NordVPN, but any VPN is legal in the US. VPNs are used to achieve the online protection of data. VPNs can unblock the geo-restricted websites which you are not able to access.

You can browse the internet freely without the fear that your online traffic is at high risk. Although, there are some countries where VPNs are banned. You should check the government policy for VPNs before using one.

How Does NordVPN Make Money?

There are three NordVPN plans.

A one–month plan costing $11.95, a one-year plan costing $59.00, and a two-year plan costing $99.00.

Other than that, NordVPN with its effective marketing teams makes sure about its global recognition to gain more users worldwide.

Does NordVPN Offer Different IP Addresses?

NordVPN offers a variety of IP addresses to users. So every time you connect to a VPN server network, you’ll experience that you have been assigned a different IP.

IP addresses can even be different for the same VPN server you connect to.

But if you want your IP to be the same every time you connect to a server, then NordVPN also assigns dedicated IP addresses to users by charging some amount.

You can call them specialized servers.

Dedicated IP addresses can be useful when you don’t want a particular IP to get banned because of some other user.

How Does NordVPN Protect Me?

NordVPN has been in the top 5 best VPNs to protect customers with secure internet and fast VPN service. With its 256-bit AES encryption and double VPN feature from which your traffic is passed through two encrypted tunnels, it is impossible to hack into it.

NordVPN has the latest protocols like OpenVPN, NordLynx, and IKEv2 to make sure your security is not compromised.

Other than that, you don’t have to worry about IP, WebRTC, or DNS leaks if you’re using NordVPN.

There is a strict policy for tracking customer logs and it is even tested as NordVPN invited big-name auditing firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers to perform tests and audit their no–logs policy.

You can have the benefits of uninterrupted streaming and say goodbye to buffering. NordVPN makes sure that your online privacy is protected just by one click. With 5,500+ servers all around the world, you can choose to connect anywhere and unlock the barriers of restrictions.

NordVPN uses its Multi–factor authentication feature to protect your account at all costs.

With its kill–switch feature, you don’t have to worry about your traffic being leaked when your VPN disconnects out of nowhere.

NordVPN also has Double Protection feature so you can have an extra layer of security added while you’re performing your online activities.

Other than that, if you don’t require a VPN for certain apps, then you can explore NordVPN’s split-tunneling feature to bypass banking apps, do online gaming, or access LAN resources.

With CyberSec, a feature for blocking malware and ads, you are secure. You can even save on your data usage as CyberSec blocks the ads and pop–ups which take extra data to load on your web page.

How Does NordVPN Smart DNS Work With Netflix?

As tested, it has been accomplished that NordVPN works better than most of the other best VPNs to unblock international libraries of streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or BBC IPlayer. With NordVPN’s Smart DNS feature, it can unblock the Netflix Library of any country. With its fast connection speed, you will never have to stumble upon the buffering problems while streaming.

It is very easy to change the Netflix region by NordVPN to access international libraries. You have to follow the steps to stream your favorite geo-restricted movie.

• Go to the NordVPN website to download NordVPN.
• Install it and open it.
• Log in with your NordVPN credentials. (You should have a NordVPN subscription plan).
• Use the Connect button to connect to the fastest default server. Or you can choose other servers of different countries manually and connect to them.
• Minimize NordVPN and go to Netflix.
• You will be able to access the Netflix library of that country now.

How Do I Connect NordVPN To My Router?

Connecting NordVPN directly to your router can be a great hack to ensure that the VPN app protects you by covering all devices you use.

There is almost no possibility for traffic leaks as you are connected to the VPN all the time.

The most important benefit of VPN on your router is that it will also cover the devices connected to your WiFi that don’t have the compatibility to support VPN apps.

Other than that, on a NordVPN subscription, it allows 6 devices at a time to connect. But with your router covering all of your devices, it will only be count as ONE!

You can set up your own VPN server by this method,

• Log in to the Configuration Page of your router by typing (192.168.0.1) or (192.168.1.1).
• Type your username and password for Administrator access to the Configuration Page. If you never set a username or password for your router, check the bottom sticker or the box of your router, you’ll find it there.
• Your router must have VPN functionality or support any third–party firmware to enable VPN on your router.
• Go to your router’s VPN section and configure your router with the VPN settings.
• You’re all set to test your VPN on your devices!

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs