I'm a promoter of VPN services, and though that will turn most of you off to what I have to say, the truth is that VPNs just aren't that interesting, so anyone who dare's to write or blog about them is going to be making money off it in some way. That being said, my exposure to VPNs and their services over the years has taught me that there are very different kinds of people looking to buy a VPN account. Some are trying to bypass internet censorship and fight for human rights overseas. Some are just trying to catch up on the latest episode of Glee. And with such a wide range of VPN fans out there, how is it that one VPN service can meet all these needs?

Though all VPNs are going to work essentially in the same way, there are some features you can keep your eye out for which may be specific to your needs.

For example, if you want to buy a VPN account for TV streaming overseas, then you certainly want to get an account with unlimited bandwidth. Though this is becoming a standard features for some of the more competitive VPN services, some smaller sites still place a monthly limit on the amount of bandwidth you can use for downloading, uploading, and normal internet use. This could be a hindrance on your TV and movie streaming habits.

But if you want to buy a VPN account for privacy, you had better be sure that the VPN service you choose has a rock-solid privacy policy, and know where their home base is. The country where the company is registered will have an affect on what laws they are subject to. If you live in China, and choose a Chinese based VPN service, or live in The US and use a US based VPN service, even with your anonymous IP, a court order can mean that your VPN service MUST provide the government with your IP address.

And if you want to buy a VPN account for security - maybe you're a whistle blower or military personnel working overseas - encryption is going to be your best friend. Though 128-bit SSL encryption is now the industry standard, it is slowly being phased out, as we can see with the recent development of SSTP by Microsoft which uses 256-bit. OpenVPN an be upgraded to 256-bit, 1024-bit, 2048-bit, or even 4096-bit encryption for super security. I think in most cases 256-bit is going to be enough, but hey, I don't know what kind of business you've got yourself into. If I were planning the Jasmine Revolution in China, I too would want to take precautions to keep my identity and location secure. (remember that SSTP VPN is only for Windows 7 and Vista, while OpenVPN can be used for Mac, Windows, and Linux).

If you are already getting stressed out about choosing a VPN account because I confused you with a bunch of computer jargon that you don't really understand - don't worry. It's not that big of a deal. In fact, my thinking is that if you don't know what you want in a VPN service, then any VPN service will do. As I said before, VPN services are not limited to only certain types of activity, but certain features can enhance their abilities to better suit specific types of customers.