Most Interesting Things you Can With a VPN in Chicago
Chicago is blessed with high internet speeds across the entire city almost. Around 95% of Chicago has access to internet speeds of 250 Mbps or above. Indeed the stats for internet access across Chicago, and Illinois are highly impressive.
While not every household in Illinois has WiFi, there is 100% availability for speeds of 25 Mbps for the entire population. It is in the top ten of most connected states in the US, and Chicago has some of the fastest speeds in the country. The average broadband speed in the Windy City is 283 Mbps which at least half the country can only dream of. AT&T advertises that its fiber options can reach speeds of up to 5 Gbps in Chicago which means you could be downloading around 625Mbs per second. Say goodbye to buffering.
During Covid, the need for remote schooling put the city in the spotlight. This showed some disparity in internet access in different urban areas. Now though, Chicago has the largest program for providing web access to students in the US.
So, if you can enjoy the high broadband speeds that Chicago has available, what could make your internet access more interesting? A VPN perhaps?
Why use a VPN in Chicago?
You’re already enjoying some of the fastest broadband speeds the country can offer, so what could a VPN possibly do to enhance your online experience? Well, VPNs are essential tools for online security today with the many threats that users face when connected to the web.
But, VPNs are much more than just encryption tools. Normally, a VPN might be expected to slow a connection down slightly, but with the speeds that Chicago has, they can make any time online more interesting with no negative impact on your connection.
Watch the UK Netflix library
Or, for that matter the Thai one and expand your knowledge of foreign cinema and TV shows. Due to licensing restrictions, many streaming channels have different content for the regions they service. They also choose the content they think fits different demographics, meaning that you could be missing out on classic British comedy and creepy Asian horror movies.
Installing a quality, fast VPN for Chicago means that you can stream content that is not available in the US. It can also mean being able to subscribe to free trials in other regions.
Join another continent’s gaming servers
A huge part of the internet is assigned to gaming. It is estimated that there are around 3.2 billion gamers in the world presently. Most of these individuals play online solo and in teams, and usually connect to local servers.
Accessing overseas servers is sometimes allowed in certain games. But, very often, geo blocking technologies will stop gamers from joining other servers. Because Chicago has such high broadband speeds, you should be able to enjoy playing online on European or Asian servers with no problems.
VPNs can also let gamers access updates and patches that might be released in other regions first. Normally the US enjoys early updates, but there are many Asian and UK game developers too.
Increase your security when traveling
If you are only in Chicago for work or a break, then you will likely be reliant on hotel internet and from other public places. Adding a VPN can help keep you secure. It may not be interesting, but it’s likely to be more fun than having your private information intercepted as you view your banking online.
Installing, setting up and using a VPN is easy, so it is easy for a visitor to Chicago. It can also help to bring a few home comforts to the city.
If you are craving the latest Premier League action from England, you may find it hard to watch in a city that loves baseball and basketball, but with a VPN it won’t be a problem.
Access geo blocked promotions
Many brands and websites offer promotions and free trials but often only to certain regions. A VPN lets you change your location virtually, so you can appear to be in any country you choose.
Your choice of servers will depend on which VPN you install, but many will let you choose not only the country but the city too. There are plenty of reasons to avoid free VPNs, and the choice of servers is one.
If you can connect to the right location you could be picking up restricted promotions and getting better prices for online purchases.
Avoid being throttled by your ISP
Your excellent Chicago broadband provider might decide to throttle your download speeds at times. This is often standard practice, especially if you have been downloading heavily.
A VPN can help to avoid this particular restriction, and let you carry on enjoying those speedy Illinois connections.
Summary
IPs can be rotated, so there are times when you may be assigned an IP associated with suspicious online behavior. When this happens you can be identified as a robot or worse, and you will be subjected to CAPTCHAs, or perhaps blocked from a website.
A VPN can help by masking your IP. This is the same reason that you can enjoy extra streaming content or access promotions in other regions. A VPN can make those high Chicago internet speeds even more useful.
