Use VPN when on Cell Data?
#1
Original Poster




Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Connecticut
Programs: AA LT plat; Delta Platinum ; Marriott LT titanium; Hilton Gold
Posts: 299
Use VPN when on Cell Data?
I recently began using a personal VPN (Cloak) for public wi-fi locations. I am in the US. Recently used my iPhone's personal hotspot feature so I could access the internet on my wi-fi only iPad. I noticed that the VPN came on automatically.
Do others utilize a personal VPN when connecting through your cellular device (in my case, AT&T)? What are the pros and cons of doing so?
Thanks.
Do others utilize a personal VPN when connecting through your cellular device (in my case, AT&T)? What are the pros and cons of doing so?
Thanks.
#2
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,934
One pro is that you can access "banned" sites when in places where there is internet censorship such as China. Another pro is that if your VPN IP address matches up, you can access content from sites which limit access to IP addresses to certain regions.
#5


Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Bay Area
Programs: BA - Blue
Posts: 4,720
tb
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
Programs: AA EXP, UA Silver, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Titanium, Nat'l EE, Avis PC, Hertz PC
Posts: 16,635
Extra data consumption caused purely by the fact that you're connected to a VPN is not substantial. What you're actually trying to do over that connection will be far more relevant to your level of data consumption, but that consumption would be the same whether you're connected to VPN or not.
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist



Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: ORD
Posts: 14,772
Extra data consumption caused purely by the fact that you're connected to a VPN is not substantial. What you're actually trying to do over that connection will be far more relevant to your level of data consumption, but that consumption would be the same whether you're connected to VPN or not.
#10
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1.050MM, PersonalCar 0.275MM
Posts: 1,720
Also possible that by using a VPN, your VPN software could compress the payload data being transmitted and received, more than making up for the additional protocol overhead, and therefore could actually reduce the amount of data that your cell phone carrier will charge against your account.
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Democratic People's Republic of the UK
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 21,895
I only use a VPN (Tunnelbear) when I need to access a betting site back in the UK when I am in the US.
#13
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: on the Llano Estacado
Posts: 2,652
An interesting YouTube provides fairly definitive proof that Verizon is throttling NetFlix (and who knows what else), and that accessing them through a VPN improves performance SUBSTANTIALLY.
#14



Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: DL DM+(segs)/MM, UA Ag, Hilton DM, Marriott Ti (life Pt), TSA Opt-out Platinum
Posts: 3,366
An interesting YouTube provides fairly definitive proof that Verizon is throttling NetFlix (and who knows what else), and that accessing them through a VPN improves performance SUBSTANTIALLY.
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Democratic People's Republic of the UK
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 21,895
Well, I still find the approach to mobiles in the US monopolistic and, compared to what I am used to in the UK where I can get a SIM a lot easier than the US, mobile companies archaic. I am sure they know what they are doing.

