There is plenty to admire about St. Helena, not least of which being its breathtaking landscape and distinct culture. It does, however, present a few difficulties for tourists, with internet speeds essentially prohibiting streaming and a lack of legally enforceable data protection laws. While we have no control over the speeds (visitors may want to wait until the nation is fully linked by undersea cable), we can help and guarantee your anonymity with a St Helena VPN.
A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, making it unreadable to your ISP, the government, or whoever controls the network you’re accessing. Additionally, you’ll be given a new IP address that links to the nation in which your selected server is located, concealing your real location and adding another degree of anonymity.
You may spend days trying to identify a VPN that is unquestionably the best for a certain job. However, there comes a point when you’re just splitting hairs. The reality is that the typical user is nearly always better off with a comprehensive service. To guarantee that you don’t choose a VPN that fails at the first hurdle, we suggest that the providers fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Provides access to a large number of high-speed servers.
- Has a negligible effect on the speed of your connection.
- Can unlock famous geo-restricted websites from outside the country.
- Utilize encryption and a number of other security measures.
- By refusing to retain any personally identifying information, it safeguards your privacy.
- Provide applications for the most widely used operating systems and mobile devices.
Best VPN for St Helena
NordVPN
NordVPN is our top recommendation for St Helena users. It has thousands of servers in several countries and is capable of reliably unblocking a wide variety of geo-restricted websites, including Spotify and YouTube Music, which are not usually accessible in St Helena. Additionally, this service is renowned for its fast speeds, which implies that it will have the least effect possible.
This service puts a high premium on the privacy of its users. Indeed, recent upgrades have bolstered its already robust security offering by adding NordLynx, a proprietary protocol based on Wireguard, to complement the 256-bit encryption, kill switch, leak prevention, and automated malware scanning. Additionally, NordVPN maintains no records at all, a fact that is confirmed every month by independent auditors.
NordVPN supports MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android devices. It may also be installed manually on a variety of compatible routers. Additionally, customer assistance is accessible through email and live chat 24 hours a day.
How to use a VPN to protect yourself online in St Helena
Contrary to popular belief, VPNs are very easy to use. The following is a two-minute overview of how to remain safe online in St. Helena (or anywhere else abroad).
- Begin by registering with the provider mentioned above (we recommend NordVPN).
- Following that, download the app on the devices you use the most often. On average, you may anticipate a five-connection restriction, but this varies per VPN.
- Connect to any accessible server by logging into the VPN. In general, the closer your selected server is to your location, the less effect it will have on your performance. Thus, if feasible, a South African server would be a smart option.
- Simply click the Connect button and your internet activity will be secured and protected from snoopers.
Using a VPN in St Helena: FAQs
Is it possible to use a free VPN in St Helena?
We strongly warn against using free VPNs at all times, but it’s an especially terrible idea if you’re in St. Helena. These services are notoriously sluggish since their networks are often insufficient to support their massive user populations. St. Helena already has among the slowest internet connections in the world, and adding such a barrier would exacerbate the issue.
Consider why you want to use a free VPN. You can do better if your goal is to unlock geo-restricted services. Typically, free providers are the first to be banned. If you’re doing so for privacy, you may be underestimating how safe these services are; a new study shows that almost 40% of free VPN applications include malware, and nearly 20% fail to encrypt your data at all. Rather than simply relying on pricing, we’d suggest examining the service’s reputation, logging policy, and average speed.
Are VPNs legal in St Helena?
For the majority of the globe, VPNs are lawful, which is fortunate given their everyday use by millions of individuals, journalists, and companies. In St Helena, no explicit regulations prohibit the usage of a VPN. This implies that you should have no cause to fear getting into trouble unless you use one of these services for illegal reasons.
How fast is the internet in St Helena?
In a word, sluggish. Currently, the entire population of the nation shares a single 40Mbps satellite link. This may come as a surprise to foreign visitors, many of whom are used to having more than this amount of bandwidth exclusively for themselves.
However, change is on the way. When Google completes the construction of its 18Gbps underwater connection in 2022, island inhabitants will notice a significant improvement. Even if half of this bandwidth is used, this will result in a 2250 percent boost in download speeds, ushering St Helena into the era of internet streaming. Of course, service providers will need to grow here as well; at the moment, Netflix is the only major streaming platform with a dedicated St Helena website.
Is it possible to get an IP address from St Helena?
At the moment, no major VPN provider has servers or even a virtual server on the island. However, you do not need to have a St Helena IP address. St Helena has a very limited range of television stations, none of which are unique to the nation. For example, SuperSport is available in several countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, whereas MTV is accessible from anyone with a US IP address.