How to set up a VPN on any device

VPNs are massively handy pieces of kit – and not just because digital censorship and restrictions are on the rise. With a VPN, you're able to check out streaming content from overseas and unblock sites that might otherwise be unavailable where you are. Sounds handy, right?

Some folks are put off by the seemingly techy nature of VPNs, which is totally understandable, but today's best VPNs are supremely user-friendly. They're designed to be pretty much plug-and-play – so you can spend less time looking at menus and more time doing whatever it is you do online.

Me and the Tom's Guide team has racked up more than 3,000 hours of testing providers, big and small, and I'm constantly getting hands-on with services. So, if you want a stress-free guide to setting up your virtual private network (VPN), just keep reading.

The ins and outs of how VPNs work might seem complicated at first glance, but the general idea is pretty straightforward.

Usually, your web traffic leaves your device and heads on over to the site you're trying to visit, but by connecting to a VPN server, you make a subtle change to its journey. Now, your traffic goes through a secure tunnel before reaching the site in question, and it'll be encrypted in the process. This means that opportunistic cybercriminals (and nosy ISPs) can't monitor your activity as you go about your business – and that's great news for your digital privacy.

VPNs assign you a new, temporary, IP address, too. This effectively cloaks your original IP address, makes it a lot harder for third parties to build up a profile of your habits, and allows you to traverse the web more anonymously.

IP spoofing also lets you unblock streaming content, sites, services, and pretty much anything else that might otherwise be unavailable to you thanks to geo-restrictions. How? Well, if you're trying to check out a Netflix show that's only available in the UK, connect to a London VPN server, and the site will think that you're really in the UK, too, and serve up the content to you on a platter.