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That's great news, because it is by far the easiest way to set up a VPN on your Chromebook.
#How to use tunnelbear chrome extensiion android#
However, Google has confirmed to me that Android VPN apps do, in fact, secure everything on you Chromebook. There's a lot of confusion as to whether or not Android VPN apps actually secure all of your Chromebook's web traffic or just the traffic of other Android apps. Handily, Android VPN apps appear as connection options in the network settings menu on your Chromebook.
#How to use tunnelbear chrome extensiion download#
Just download the VPN app of your choice, log in, and switch it on.
#How to use tunnelbear chrome extensiion full#
Running a smartphone app on a laptop may sound a little nuts, but more and more Chromebooks are supporting Android apps, giving you the full fruits of the Google Play store. The best way to secure your Chromebook's web traffic is to use an Android VPN app on your Chromebook. In general, we advise people to use a VPN as often, and as broadly as possible. But this can also create confusion about what is and what isn't secure on your device. If you want to secure your web traffic but don't want your VPN to screw up your video streaming, you can protect the browser and use, say, an Android app for viewing Netflix that won't be piped through the VPN. Web traffic from all apps on your Chromebook won't enjoy the security provided by VPNs. The downside is that Chrome VPN extensions secure only your web browser traffic. Each method, however, has potential drawbacks, ranging from a lack of support to a lack of documentation, as I'll explain. Surprisingly, going the Android route is probably your best option. What's the Best Way to Set Up a VPN on a Chromebook?īroadly speaking, there are three ways to get your Chromebook protected by a VPN: You can use a Chrome browser extension, use an Android app, or manually configure the client in Chrome OS to use the VPN of your choice. Note that using a VPN in these ways may break terms of services you've agreed to, and even local laws. That said, using Netflix with a VPN can be difficult, because the company works hard to block VPNs. This is useful for tunneling past repressive online censorship or just tricking a streaming service into letting you watch movies from a different part of the world. Just connect to a VPN server in a far-flung locale and all of a sudden your web traffic appears to be coming from the other side of the globe. You can also use a VPN to spoof your location. Plus, if you're connecting to HTTPS sites, your data will be encrypted at every step of your web browsing. It's also much harder to correlate online activities directly to you. But because it appears to be coming from the VPN server and not your computer (or smartphone), your IP address is hidden. Once your data reaches the VPN server, it's no longer encrypted. This is most critical on public Wi-Fi networks, but it's important in every context. You need a VPN because when it's active, anyone on the same network as you, anyone that can access that network's router, your ISP, and sneaky intelligence agents will all be kept in the dark. By passing your internet traffic through that tunnel, you ensure it cannot be spied on in transit. Does Your Chromebook Need a VPN?Ī VPN, or virtual private network, creates an encrypted tunnel between your Chromebook and a server operated by a VPN company. We'll explain why it's a problem, as well as ways to (maybe) fix it. If you ever wanted to secure your connection with a VPN, but struggled to make it work on your Chromebook, you're not alone. But there's one key area in which Chrome OS can be a headache, and that's VPN support. Installing malware on them is devilishly tricky, and wiping them to start over from scratch is a snap. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security SoftwareĬhromebooks, and all Chrome OS devices, have a lot going for them in terms of security.