Smart DNS or VPN? Understand the differences and find the best option for you

If you often visit foreign websites or media services at all times, you’ve probably come across the famous warning that certain content is not released in your area. This is what happens to those who visit Hulu or BBC iPlayer in Brazil, for example. But while inconvenient, geo-based restrictions, usually made due to content licensing limitations, are not an insurmountable barrier.

Today, the most popular alternatives for those who need to circumvent them are Smart DNS and VPN – which offer basically the same solution but have significant differences that you should consider when making your choice. Find out now why, depending on its purpose, one option may be more appropriate than the other.

Smart DNS: How It Works, Advantages and Disadvantages

It is a kind of intermediary that connects your device to the website you want to access. It does this through a DNS server that acts as a bridge between the two sides, changing the address of your device and causing some traffic to travel through an alternate path. This is where your data make the identity geographic the person responsible for connection – that is, it dribbles restrictions forging its location through the equipment that makes the connection.

he great advantage of Smart DNS is that it maintains the speed of your connection. This is because it does not encrypt traffic, functioning as a good option to access services of streaming, for example. Now, despite acting on your settings, the service does not change your IP address or code your data, meaning your identity will be visible and your device more vulnerable to attack.

VPN: what is positive and negative points

In the case of Virtual Private Network ( VPN ), your device connects to the site or service you want to access through a tunneling protocol – a process that masks your connection, encrypts your information, and makes broadcast them way more secure, protecting your address IP while viewing the server, forging thus its location.

As you may have already noticed, the anonymity of this option is good for those who have a greater concern for the security of the data they travel. However, this ends up compromising the speed. Also, the alternative is less versatile than Smart DNS and may not work if you want to use it on entertainment systems like Google Chromecast and Apple TV.

After all, which one to choose?

The decision between Smart DNS and VPN must take into account its purpose. If you are visiting torrent pages and P2P file sharing, which may expose your device to greater vulnerability, the latter may be more appropriate. Now if your intention is to browse websites and secure streaming services, the first one is a good solution.

Whatever you choose, make sure it meets your needs and consider whether it is really worth investing in this type of subscription. Netflix is striving increasingly to track and block access servers associated with these activities to your content, and other companies may follow suit.

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