AVAST SECURELINE VPN Security, What Is Avast Secureline ?Watch When you're connected to a VPN, the service creates an encrypted tunnel between your computer and the company's server. Information sent through this tunnel is unreadable to anyone who tries to intercept or spy on it. Also, if you're trying to hide your IP address, you're in luck, because a VPN changes your apparent IP address while active.
Of course, using a VPN doesn't guard against all dangers. Malicious ads, malware, and other network attacks can still harm your computer and steal personal information. I highly recommend using antivirus software to keep your computer protected from all angles.
For its relatively high price, I expected more features from Avast SecureLine. There's no option to change VPN protocols, and the protocol used by the service is not easily discoverable on its website. Avast SecureLine does not provide ad blocking, which is a relatively rare feature but one that is available in Spotflux's offering and in F-Secure Freedome, too.
Other VPN services that offer special features include TorGuard VPN, which is designed with BitTorrent users in mind, and has servers designed to provide anonymity and speed for downloading torrents. You can also purchase a static IP from TorVPN for an additional fee. NordVPN has a variety of specialty servers, among the most intriguing of which is Tor-over-VPN, which creates a secure connection to a Tor entry point, providing maximum anonymization and protection. Avast offers nothing similar to these offerings.
ABOUT AVAST SECURELINE VPN REVIEWS
Avast SecureLine presence on your computer is very minimal. You can access some of its key functions through a system tray icon, but you'll probably use the main app. This is a small, single window that provides access to all of Avast SecureLine features with ease.
You can select a server from a pull-down menu, or let Avast SecureLine choose the closest (and probably fastest) server. Though it's simple, I would prefer a search box to make finding specific servers easier. Also, I really like how NordVPN shows the popularity and latency of each server, making it easier to choose a good one.
Beyond that, Avast SecureLine has little to offer aside from a setting to automatically activate when connecting to an unknown network. Other services, like PureVPN, include a Kill Switch that prevents apps from transmitting information if the VPN becomes disconnected.
Of course, numbers don't always reflect experience. To get a feel for how VPNs perform, I connect to an Australian VPN server before browsing some websites, loading up Netflix, and trying to stream increasingly higher quality videos from YouTube.
While SecureLine didn't have exemplary speed scores, I did find it to be quite zippy when browsing the Web. It also felt like a solid connection, unlike other VPN services which feel more like tuning in a distant radio station. Netflix loaded quickly but the streaming service's new VPN policies prevented any video content from loading. On YouTube, I was pleased to see videos load quickly, though not at HD quality. Still, they loaded in at 480p, which is better than most other VPN services can manage. When I switched to 4K streaming, it took quite a while to load only a few seconds of video. TorVPN was the only service I've yet found that handled video better. In fact, TorVPN makes a special effort to keep Netflix accessible and offers servers specifically for high-speed video streaming.
PERFORMANCE AVAST SECURELINE
Avast knows what it's doing with security software, and the Windows client was one of the most polished and professional we've tried. Installation was quick and hassle-free, it was supremely easy-to-use, and everything worked just as we expected.
A lot of this was due to the simplicity of the service. There are no complex settings to get in the way: you just launch the client, click Connect to access the closest server, or choose your preferred location from a list.
If you try to connect to an unsecured hotspot then SecureLine will also pop up and ask if you'd like it to protect you, a handy extra as it's easy to forget to connect manually.
This all makes for a smooth and straightforward experience, and the news only got better when testing began. In our tests*, our best-case UK-UK connection showed latency was up by a third, but download speeds saw a minimal fall of around 5% compared to what we would normally get, and were consistently over 35Mbps.
SecureLine US-UK speeds were also well above average. Latency doubled and upload speeds dropped by two-thirds, but downloads were still averaging around 28Mbps. That was within 20% of our no-VPN speed results, and two to three times the rates we've seen with many competitors. Avast may be expensive, but at least you can see where the money is going.
PRIVACY AVAST SECURELINE VPN
Avast has so many services and applications that it can be a challenge to find policy details on AVAST SecureLine, but head off to the FAQs section of the support site and you'll uncover some clues.
The company explains that there's no logging of your internet activities, the sites you access, packet data or even the bandwidth used. That's a good start, although as with many other VPNs there's no detail on what might be logged when you initially connect to the service.
Avast also states that it won't sell your data to third-parties, or insert ads into your browser.
We couldn't find any information on how Avast would handle legal requests for VPN data. But as Avast is a Czech-based company with a strong incentive to maintain user privacy, and big enough to afford the best lawyers, we suspect the company won't hand anything over easily.
Other issues in the small-print included confirmation that torrents are allowed, although only at Avast's data centre locations. There are nine of these covering the US, UK, Europe and South America.
If you're tired of wondering whether a VPN provider can be trusted, Avast SecureLine should appeal immediately. It's a simple VPN from the popular antivirus provider Avast Software, so you can be sure that the firm knows what it’s doing and you're going to get an acceptable level of service.
This doesn't translate into a lengthy list of features, however. There's no tracker or ad-blocking, no real configurability, an average set of 27 locations in 19 countries – it's not bad, more focused on being ‘just good enough’.
