If you’re starting to stream on Twitch you may be worried about your online privacy. You may have heard about VPNs and how they can help to keep you safe online. Let’s take a look and see if it is worthwhile purchasing a VPN for your stream.
Hiding Your Identity From Hackers, Governments, and Corporations
Knowing how to protect your IP (Internet Protocol) is always a great habit to perform when you’re getting famous on Twitch. When you accidentally share this valuable number, you expose yourself to the terrible dangers over the Internet.
When other people know your IP, they have the power to attack your connection directly. Sometimes, they tend to use the old DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) tricks. In return, your stream could become vulnerable, and you’ll lose the Internet connection for a while.
Furthermore, once someone knows your IP, they could even share it with their “hacker” friends/community. In other words, you’ll have a terrible time streaming peacefully at all. To fix this, you might need to call your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and let them help you solve the issue.
In this article, we’ll discuss preventive ways that you can practice to protect your IP address and avoid any troubles as you continue growing with your stream.
Do I Need To Use A VPN To Be Safe On Twitch?
The short answer is no. Websites like Twitch wouldn’t share important information like the user’s IP address to anyone. Therefore, you can plan any streams without any worries about the Twitch platform.
Additionally, having a healthy conversation with your viewers through the Twitch chat will give you the same security. Hence, you can make comments on your channel or even when you visit other streamers.
Still, though, as you may already know, you should never trust strangers that visit your channel. Sometimes, “harmful” viewers could share an unknown website link over your chat. If you click on the link, you’ll probably see a harmful site, but at the same time, they could gather your IP.
It is always recommendable that you block any website links from untrusty visitors. Moreover, with that bit of change on your stream, you’ll save your viewers from any possible threats.
To change this setting on your channel, you’ll need to follow these steps:
- Go to Twitch and click on the top-right icon (your avatar).
- Select Creator Dashboard.
- In the Creator Dashboard, look on the left menu and click on “Settings.”
- Afterward, click on “Moderation.”
- In the “Chat Options” part, click on “Block Hyperlinks.”
Reasons Why A Streamer May Want to Use A VPN
First, the main reason you’ll need to use a VPN while streaming is to protect your IP. When you use any VPN, you’ll have another IP and hide your location. Still, though, the price you’ll pay comes with the monthly fees and latency increments (lag).
Even though Twitch gives you the tools to defend your channel, sometimes this isn’t enough. As you might already know, there are still threats all over the Internet that aim to gather this information.
As we mentioned before, harmful links will make the task of acquiring your IP so much easier. However, there are other ways that you could share vital information while you’re having fun with your viewers.
One way is to share a video call while using older versions of Skype. At the same time, any unsafe program that could start a video conference could be dangerous to your channel. Therefore, you’ll need to use a VPN or do intensive research before using anything.
Secondly, some of the oldest multiplayer games have this vulnerability. Indeed, in a middle of a fun match between your viewers, someone can access the game’s “console” and obtain your IP address. If you’re not careful enough, simple tasks like these can share your information without you noticing.
Last but not least, it is recommendable that you block any untrusty person that tries to add you on anything. For example, ignore/block any friendly invitations from Steam, Skype, Origin, or anything related to your current multiplayer games.
If you want to avoid these troubles, you can take the easy route and go for a VPN. Most noteworthy, even though they could obtain your “fake” IP, they will have no power over you.
Is There A Free VPN Good Enough For Streaming?
Even though it is practical to save a few dollars when using a free VPN, the results aren’t that great. In this part of the article, we’ll tell you why going in this direction might become troublesome.
First of all, almost all of the free VPNs have few countries to use for your account. Therefore, you’ll need to pick a server from another place that might no be close to your location. In other words, you’ll have tremendous lag when you’re trying to play multiplayer games.
Secondly, many of these choices have low “upload speed” for all of the available servers. As you may already know, the upload speed is crucial when you’re trying to stream. If the rate is low or inconsistent, you’ll lose video quality or interrupt the feed. Moreover, the viewers could get “pixelated” screens when the game becomes “heavy” (too much movement).
Lastly, the free VPNs usually come with “free trials” that could last days or even hours. When the time runs over, you’ll need to make another account or spend a monthly fee. If you’re in the middle of a stream, you’ll lose the connection and interrupt the show.
If you’re serious about streaming you’re safer going with a full paid VPN service.
Top Three VPNs For Streamers in 2021
ExpressVPN: at the moment, this is the best VPN on the market.
ExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPNs on the market right now. It is known for its incredibly high speeds making it perfect for streaming and gaming at the same time ensuring you don’t experience any lag.
They regularly rotate your server IP Address to keep you protected and never log any details such as your browsing history, data usage or IP Addresses.
Features:
- 3,000 servers in 94 countries
- 5 Devices per license (Use on Your phone, iPad and Computer)
- 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
NordVPN: plenty of servers and outstanding performance.
NordVPN is another VPN service that has been around for a long time. NordVPN is known as one of the best VPNs for gaming. It comes with DDoS Protection, Worldwide access and a secure gaming experience.
Features:
- Prevents DDoS Attacks
- Play games in any region
- Stops Bandwidth Throttling
Surfshark: A cheap VPN that’s great for video streaming.
Surfshark is a newer VPN service that has came to the market however that doesn’t mean they aren’t up to scratch when it comes to gaming. Surfshark will help to hide your IP in Discord and other chats like Skype. They also help to protect you from DDoS attacks.
Features:
- Fast Speeds
- Affordable
- Access International Games
- DDoS Protection
Wrapping Up
Even though all VPNs can help you protect vital information like your IP, the best defense comes with the user. When you have enough knowledge to protect your computer from Internet threats, nothing will stop you.
Above all, you’ll have a better connection when you’re streaming and playing multiplayer games. Moreover, you can save few dollars as you avoid paying the monthly fees from the best VPNs.
Still, though, if you feel comfortable using a VPN, go for it. After all, it is your stream, and you have the final vote on how to protect yourself against any Internet threats.
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