Or only when streaming
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When streaming is plenty.
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Greetings Starphish and welcome 
I think we need to be careful when discussing when you should and shouldn’t use a VPN.
There are many instances when using one is advantageous.
- Streaming of course.
- Torrents.
- To bypass content restrictions (i.e. setting your location to another region/country).
- Anonymity.
- If unsure whether your activity is legal and want to protect yourself. This is why a good VPN that does not maintain/store logs is so important.
- And so on…
Anytime you do something new, visit unfamiliar websites (I’m assuming you already have some kind of malware blocker installed), or do anything that takes you out of your comfort zone, turn it on.
Personally I leave it on 24/7 and whitelist (split-tunneling, excludes apps/processes) the apps I don’t want to use it for (i.e. cable provider). The only other time I disconnect is if I find the VPN server I’m connected to starts slowing down. That way it’s always running even if it isn’t being used all the time.
Hope this helps.
Capp
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Welcome to our community
If you want my opinion, I’d suggest running it when you access the internet.
Streaming more so.
For example: even websites track your ip, I can see your ip address right now.
With that info companies can use it for targeted ads and all kinds of nonsense. If your paying for a vpn, use it. It changes your ip address and location attached to it. Even blocks out your telecoms service you use. (Isp)
Websites have lots of admin capabilities and log info, vpns help distort that info to block out your actual ip data. Just food for thought.
As mentioned above, leave it on.
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My thoughts exactly. I leave mine on all the time. Our iPhones, IPads, TV’s. The split tunneling on our Shield Pro and TiVo Stream 4K’s is great
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Thanks I am a bit taken back you mean you can see my ip now when I had my vpn on or so I thought?
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Having thought about it I’m hoping that up you see was my vpn
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Ip sorry typo I should before sending
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Vpns don’t hide your ip from websites they mask it and encrypt the data.
As a moderator I can see ip logs, but I only ever concern my self with it if I have to ban a user who is making continuous accounts under the same ip and breaking the rules. Or have to ban someone for malicious intent to protect the site or others.
All websites track ip data my friend. This is a trusted website with no issues, we do not give out data to anyone. My point was to use a vpn to mask your ip and your inet logs. My main goal is security and maintaining the site. Every single website does it.
It’s called entry nodes and exit nodes.
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As an aside, Starphish there are a ton of sites that will give you your ip address and info if you want to see if your VPN is active.
www.whatismyip.com is one.
Capp
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Sorry I am novice. Does that mean no one can see my real ip until it gets to it destination?
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As mentioned above, turn off your vpn click that link.
Turn on vpn refresh link if it’s different boom that’s the ip every site you go to will see.
Anytime your vpn is on the ip address it gives you is what websites will see.
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Ok I see it. Thanks for the lesson Great stuff
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When you connect to your VPN and it’s active, nobody other than the VPN knows your real IP until you disconnect your VPN.
So…
Connect to VPN, VPN assigns you a new IP. Everything from that point on uses the IP the VPN assigned to you not your real IP.
Capp
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Well that’s clear then leave it on! I glad I can go on and be forgetful without worrying I’ve exposed my real IP yea go VPNand don’t stop for nothing hehe!
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Yup you just have to make sure it’s active and not just running doing nothing 
Capp
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Starship. I leave mine on constantly. I use ipvanish. Troy has a good video on split tunneling for paid apps you may have. Look it up. I don’t have the link. I have yet to have a issue with it. Also that safety dot app works great. Troy has taught me a lot. You will be an expert in no time.
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Ok so my first insider experience has been very positive thank you
So thank you very much all who answered me. I can’t recall all your names so I won’t risk leaving anybody out you know who you are.
So it good night from I promise to return with more queries tomorrow. Nighty night
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Side question, i have ipvanish on, connected to a different city. My ip address, as per the site listed here, it shows im still in my city, different zip. Is this right?
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