We’ve seen a lot of important features that a VPN should have to make sure you’re hundred percent secure on the web. But what do we know about Double VPN? Well, it works just as same as the normal VPN. But instead of passing your traffic through a single VPN server, Double VPN uses two VPN servers.
Let’s see more about what is Double VPN, how it works, and whether you should be using it frequently or not.
Short on time? Here’s a Short Summary of What is Double VPN
- Double VPN is a powerful feature that allows user to route their traffic through two VPN servers instead of one.
- As the data is doubly encrypted, the chances of being attacked become severely less if any third party is targeting you specifically.
- You can use two VPN providers simultaneously if your VPN provider doesn’t offer this feature.
- Providers that offer this feature are NordVPN, Surfshark, and ProtonVPN.
What Is Double VPN?
Double VPN is a VPN feature that allows you to route your internet traffic through two VPN servers. It can be useful if you want to maximize your internet security with an additional layer of protection.
But comparing it with a regular VPN connection, Double VPN limits your choice for picking VPN servers, you just have to choose what’s available.
Moreover, it can slow down your internet. Looking at how VPNs work, your traffic does a detour, gets encrypted from the VPN server, and then reaches the destination. But with the Double VPN feature on, the journey for your traffic becomes longer as it has to travel through two VPN servers now.
But still, it’s a useful feature. Especially for those who require extra safety on the web while doing their day-to-day jobs.
How Does Double VPN Work?
Double VPN encrypts your traffic twice, hence it hides your online identity better. To understand Double VPN, let’s demonstrate how a regular VPN encryption process works.
When your VPN is on while browsing, the VPN app encrypts your internet traffic and sends it to the VPN server. The server then decrypts your traffic, shields your IP address, and sends it to the destination page.
That was how a normal VPN connection would work. Now the case for double VPN.
- The VPN app encrypts your internet traffic and sends it to VPN server 1.
- VPN server 1 encrypts traffic again, shields the IP address, and sends it to VPN server 2.
- VPN server 2 decrypts the traffic and sends it to the destination page with maximized security and anonymity.
And this is how your internet traffic is encrypted twice from two different VPN servers and the destination page sees the IP address of VPN server 2.
Which One Is Safer? Regular VPN Or Double VPN?
Double VPN is definitely safer. Your traffic is being encrypted twice. Unfortunately, some VPN providers don’t really encrypt users’ traffic twice. But even if this is the case here, your IP address is still hidden behind two VPN servers.
There are two VPN servers involved in encrypting. So basically both the servers only have partial information full information about you because of the data split.
With a regular VPN connection, the server has both, your IP and your destination (where the traffic will land). But looking at Double VPN, one server has your IP address but not the traffic destination. Similarly, the second server has your destination but not the IP address.
So yes, Double VPN is safe. But make sure you sign up for a reliable VPN provider that has a strict no-logs policy because you don’t want to hide your traffic from your internet service provider and give it to your VPN service provider.
When Is Double VPN Required?
A regular VPN is just fine for you to carry out your normal activities but some scenarios are different, for which the Double VPN feature can save the day.
- On public wi-fi networks. Who doesn’t like free internet? When you’re sitting in a restaurant or a library, you would find open wi-fi networks. But are they safe? Because these open networks are primary targets for hackers as there are many users on them and they lack the proper security features. But if you’re using Double VPN, then you don’t need to worry about anything as your traffic is encrypted twice.
- Escaping official spies. Government bodies fancy keeping track of their citizens. Not every government does it, but some do. And you don’t want to be caught visiting geo-restricted content or torrenting your favorite movie. With Double VPN, you can escape third parties trying to monitor your activities.
- For certain groups of people. If you’re a journalist or an activist covering up a sensitive story then you need multiple layers of privacy to eliminate entities with harmful intentions for you. You need to be extra cautious if you belong to such a profession, for which, Double VPN is the best option to protect you and keep you anonymous on the web.
What Is VPN Over VPN?
VPN over VPN is creating a Double VPN by combining two VPN providers. For Double VPN, you simply use the feature to run your traffic through two VPN servers of one single VPN provider. Similarly, for VPN over VPN, you route your traffic through two different VPN servers of different VPN providers.
It’s actually a good idea if it works. Because let’s imagine if your VPN provider logs customer data and you use the Double VPN feature to run all your traffic through it, then it’s a dead-end.
However, if you route your traffic through two different VPN providers, and even if your traffic is compromised, both servers will have partial information about you. One will only have your IP address but not the destination, and the other server will have your destination but not the IP address.
But running two separate VPNs simultaneously can cost you double the price. And plus, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll be able to run two VPN apps simultaneously as the providers don’t build their programs this way.
So the better option would be to get a VPN subscription from a reliable VPN provider that offers the Double VPN feature. Don’t just take the VPN service’s word for it, search for reviews, or check if they’ve been audited by third-party firms.
What Is Onion Over VPN?
Onion over VPN is when you combine a VPN server with a Tor browser to maximize your security. You can either use NordVPN’s Onion over VPN feature or choose the manual way of doing it with any reliable VPN service.
For the manual process, just connect to a VPN server and then use the Tor browser.
To tell you how it works, the VPN app first encrypts your traffic and routes it through the VPN server, hiding your IP address. Then your traffic enters The Onion Network by the entry node or first node where your traffic is encrypted again and then it exits and reaches the destination with maximum privacy.
Pros & Cons Of Using Double VPN.
Double VPN can strengthen the encryption process and anonymize your online identity better on the internet. But it’s not a compulsory feature to have. You can still easily manage to geo-spoof your location or change your Netflix region even with a regular VPN connection.
Most VPN providers don’t even offer this feature and they might not have any plans to introduce it in the future. But why is that? Let’s find out.
- Your traffic reaches the destination doubly encrypted.
- The first server knows your IP but not the traffic destination and the second server knows only your destination but not the IP address.
- Your internet service provider will have no clue about your traffic destination and you’ll be totally anonymous from any third party.
- As you know if you’re using two VPN servers to encrypt your traffic, you’ll experience slower speed.
- You won’t have the choice to select a server from a pool of many, you’ll need to choose one from the available ones.
- You can’t use Onion over VPN and Double VPN together. And even if you do, you’ll be staring at a lot of buffering screens.
- Your battery will drain a lot faster while using this feature.
Although it’s a great feature to have if you require some extra safety on the internet, it certainly isn’t the best choice for carrying out your normal everyday activities.
Other Features To Have Along With Double VPN
As powerful as the Double VPN feature is, it alone cannot save your online identity from exposing on the web. Although it eliminates all the chances of you being attacked since it encrypts your traffic twice but there can be other loopholes.
First of all, your VPN provider must have a strict no-log policy. Because you don’t want to end up escaping one threat and then hand your entire internet history to some other party.
Secondly, only sign up for a VPN if the service provider offers a kill-switch feature. This feature can come in handy when your VPN drops accidentally. While offline, the kill switch feature will terminate your internet connection and only restore it when your VPN connection gets back online.
In the end, Tor over VPN feature. It’s not a primary should-have feature but still, it can work as a substitute for Double VPN.
VPNs That Offer Double VPN
As we have realized that searching for a reliable option that offers this amazing feature can be tricky. So we have done the leg work for you. These VPNs offer the Double VPN feature and they are the best in business.
NordVPN
NordVPN is a Panama-based company. You can use 6 devices simultaneously with a single subscription. It has a server count of 5200 in 60 countries, and it works great with Netflix.
The NordVPN Double VPN feature is available for Windows, Mac, and Android apps. And here’s how you can use it.
- Launch the NordVPN app.
- Find Specialty Servers.
- Click on Double VPN.
- Choose a default server or manually select one.
Surfshark
The Double VPN feature of Surfshark is called MultiHop. It works on all major operating systems including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
Follow the instructions to use the MultiHop feature.
- Launch the Surfshark app.
- Click on Locations.
- Find MultiHop on the top right corner.
- Connect to a server.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
Is Double VPN a necessary feature to have?
What if my VPN doesn't offer a Double VPN feature?
Is it okay to use two separate VPNs at the same time?
Which VPN providers offer the Double VPN feature?
Should I use Double VPN all the time?
Will Double VPN decrease my internet speed?
Can I use Onion over VPN with Double VPN?
Conclusion
Double VPN is a mighty feature but it is safe to say that you won’t need it for everyday internet usage. Unless you’re a journalist or an activist working on a sensitive topic, this feature can come in handy to maximize your anonymity on the web. Other than that, a regular VPN connection will work just fine.
