VPN for Remote Work vs. Streaming: Why the Setup Matters
Updated: 7 days ago
A few years ago, I made a video explaining how I used VPN technology to do a few different things while living outside the United States. Watch American TV. Access websites back in the States. Pay bills. And, of course, work remotely.
At the time, I grouped all of that together under one big umbrella: VPN. Technically, that wasn't wrong. But after helping people with VPN systems for years, I would explain it differently today.
Because here's the thing. Not all VPNs solve the same problem. And if you're trying to work remotely from another country, the VPN you use to watch Netflix is not necessarily the VPN setup I would recommend for your job. Let me explain.
First, What Does a VPN Actually Do?
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. At the simplest level, you have a client on one end, a server somewhere else, and an encrypted tunnel between them. Your traffic travels through that tunnel before it goes out to the internet.
So instead of a website seeing the internet connection where you are physically sitting, it normally sees the internet connection associated with the VPN server. Back in 2022, I described this as probably the closest thing we had to the teleporter on the Star Trek Enterprise. And I'm sticking with that one. My Trekkies understand.
You can physically be sitting in Mexico while your internet traffic exits somewhere in the United States. The question is: What is sitting on the other end of that tunnel? Because that makes a big difference.
There Are Really Two Different VPN Conversations
For most people, I think it is easier to divide this into two categories. There are commercial VPN services. And there are Personal VPN systems. They both use VPN technology. But they are not the same thing.
Commercial VPN Services Are Great for Certain Things
Companies like NordVPN operate large networks of VPN servers around the world. You install their application on your computer, phone, television or other device and select the location you want to use. Atlanta. Miami. New York. London. Wherever they have a server available.
I still use NordVPN. But today I mainly use it for things like streaming television and general consumer VPN use. Let's say I'm outside the United States and I want to watch content that is only available in the U.S. That is exactly the kind of problem a commercial VPN can solve well.
You also get a major convenience advantage. You don't have to maintain the server. You don't need a family member hosting equipment. You don't need to configure two routers. You open an app, choose a location and connect. Simple. And sometimes simple is exactly what you need.
I Also Used VPNs for Something Much More Boring
When we first moved to Mexico, I still had bills and accounts back in Georgia. I discovered that some local services did not particularly care that Monte had moved to Mexico. Their websites simply didn't want connections coming from outside the United States.
So there I was trying to pay an electric bill or deal with some local account and couldn't get into the website. A VPN connection back to the United States solved that problem. Nothing dramatic. I wasn't trying to hack the Matrix. I was trying to pay the light bill.
That's another reason I don't like talking about VPNs as though they are only one thing. Sometimes you just need a U.S. internet connection.
Remote Work Is Where the Conversation Changes
This is where I would draw a much harder line today than I did when I first wrote this article. If your goal is long-term remote work and maintaining your location privacy, I would not treat a standard commercial VPN service as equivalent to a Personal VPN. Here's why.
When you use a commercial VPN service, your traffic normally exits through infrastructure operated by that VPN provider. Those servers typically live in commercial data centers. Even if you pay for a dedicated IP address so that you aren't sharing the same IP address with thousands of other customers, the connection is still generally associated with commercial VPN or data-center infrastructure.
I've actually demonstrated this. I connected one of my GL.iNet routers to a NordVPN dedicated IP in Miami. Then I checked that connection using services designed to identify VPN and proxy traffic. They could tell I was using VPN infrastructure.
Then I disconnected from NordVPN and connected to my own Personal VPN server at a residential internet connection in Atlanta. Different result. The internet connection looked like the residential connection it actually was. That is the architectural difference that matters.
So What Is a Personal VPN?
A Personal VPN is a VPN system that you control. Instead of connecting to a server in somebody else's data center, you operate your own server at a home or another trusted residential location. For many of the systems I set up, there are two routers.
One router stays at the home location. That becomes the VPN server. The other router travels with you. That becomes the VPN client. The two routers establish an encrypted connection using a VPN protocol such as WireGuard.
So when you're traveling, your internet traffic goes through your travel router, across that encrypted tunnel and out through the internet service at the home location. If the server is sitting at your home in Atlanta, your internet traffic exits through that home internet connection. It's your equipment. Your connection. Your system. That's why I call it a Personal VPN.
That Doesn't Mean a Personal VPN Makes You Invisible
This part matters. A Personal VPN is not some magic invisibility cloak. Your computer, employer, websites and networks can have many different ways of collecting information. IP address is only one signal.
There can also be device-management software, corporate security systems, account activity, GPS-capable devices, browser information and any number of other controls depending on the environment. So I don't recommend thinking about this as: “How do I fool my employer?” That's the wrong question.
The better question is: What network architecture gives me the location privacy, control and reliability I need for my particular situation? And if you're using employer-owned equipment or working with sensitive information, you should understand your organization's requirements before deciding what you're going to do. Know your system. Know your policies. Know your risk.
Personal VPNs Have Trade-Offs Too
I don't want to make this sound like there is no downside. There absolutely is. A Personal VPN requires equipment. It requires configuration. And somebody has to maintain the server-side internet connection.
If the internet goes down at your server location, your VPN connection goes down with it. That's why I talk so much about redundancy with my clients. If your job depends on this system, one router sitting in one house with one internet connection can become a single point of failure.
You need to think about what happens when something breaks. Because eventually something will. That's networking.
Your Internet Speed Matters More Than Most People Realize
Another thing I've learned after setting up these systems for people is that everyone wants to talk about download speed. “My internet is one gig!” Okay. What's your upload speed?
Because when you're building a Personal VPN, the upload performance at the server location becomes critically important. If the server-side internet connection only has 20 Mbps of upload capacity, buying a faster travel router isn't going to magically give you a 500 Mbps VPN connection. The slowest part of the path becomes the limitation.
This is one of those details that sounds small until you're on a Zoom call trying to figure out why everything is freezing.
So Which VPN Should You Use?
This is the easiest way I know to think about it today. If I want to watch U.S. television while traveling, I will happily use a commercial VPN such as NordVPN. If I need a quick U.S. connection for general internet use, a commercial VPN may be perfectly fine.
If I am building a system around long-term remote work and maintaining location privacy, I prefer a Personal VPN. Different problem. Different tool.
That's the part that gets lost when somebody simply tells you: “You need a VPN.” Okay. Which VPN? And for what? Those are the questions that actually matter.
Want Help Building Your Personal VPN?
If you're planning to work remotely while traveling or living abroad, I help people understand, build and support Personal VPN systems using GL.iNet routers and technologies like WireGuard. Some people want to learn enough to build the system themselves. Others just want it configured correctly and want to understand how to use it when something goes wrong.
Either way, the goal is the same: Understand your system. Maintain control of your setup. And know what you're relying on before your job depends on it.
Just Need a Commercial VPN?
If your primary need is streaming, travel or general consumer VPN use, I still use NordVPN and think it can be a good fit for those situations. That's a different job than the Personal VPN system I recommend for remote work.
The Bottom Line
The basic VPN technology hasn't really changed from what I explained years ago. Client. Server. Encrypted tunnel. What has changed is how I think people should choose the system.
I wouldn't tell somebody today simply to “get a VPN.” I would ask what you're trying to accomplish first. Because the VPN I use to watch television isn't necessarily the VPN architecture I want to depend on for remote work. Same technology. Very different problem.
Until next time, MexitPlans Monte “I'm Out.”
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