{"id":33258,"date":"2026-09-20T10:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T08:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifi.se\/en\/blog\/faq\/what-is-a-vpn\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T10:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T08:50:11","slug":"what-is-a-vpn","status":"publish","type":"faq","link":"https:\/\/wifi.se\/en\/blog\/faq\/what-is-a-vpn\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a VPN?"},"content":{"rendered":"

VPN<\/strong> stands for Virtual Private Network<\/em>. A VPN creates an encrypted connection from your device to a VPN server and sends internet traffic via that server.<\/p>\n

It can be used for extra privacy or to get an IP address from another country. If you choose a Swedish VPN server, for example, you normally get a Swedish IP address.<\/p>\n

Do I need a VPN for Wifi.se?<\/h3>\n

No. Mobile data, SIM and eSIM work without a VPN. You only need a VPN if you have a particular need yourself, for example a Swedish IP address for a service while you are abroad.<\/p>\n

VPN in the router or on the device?<\/h3>\n

For the best performance we normally recommend a VPN directly on the phone, computer, tablet or streaming device. A VPN directly in the router can give lower speed.<\/p>\n

\n

VPN and speed<\/h3>\n

A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and a VPN server. This can give better privacy but can also reduce the speed, because the traffic has to be encrypted and sent via an extra server. So if the internet feels slow, test without the VPN as part of troubleshooting.<\/p>\n

For most users a VPN on the phone, computer or streaming device is easier to manage than a VPN directly in the router.<\/p>\n

Do not change more than necessary<\/h3>\n

Router settings such as APN, DNS, network mode and VPN can affect the whole internet connection. So change one setting at a time and note the original value before you change anything. Then you can easily go back if the result gets worse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read more:<\/strong> Support & help<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"faq_category":[511],"class_list":["post-33258","faq","type-faq","status-publish","hentry","faq_category-router-settings-and-software"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is a VPN? | Wifi.se<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. A VPN creates an encrypted connection from your device to a VPN server and sends internet traffic via that server.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wifi.se\/en\/blog\/faq\/what-is-a-vpn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is a VPN? | Wifi.se\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. 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