PC, console, or mobile gamer? High ping can ruin your online gaming

Whether you’re a casual gamer or an e-sport professional, you have already experienced the nightmare of high ping, latency, and lag! Here, we’re going to talk about how to get a low ping, latency, and lag for better online gaming sessions but first what’s Ping, Latency, and Lag?

What are Ping, Latency, and Lag?

Ping is the way the network measures latency, a ping message is sent to measure the time it takes from your computer, console, or phone to the game server and back again to you. So, if your ping is 100ms this means it takes 100 milliseconds for your computer, console, or phone to respond to the game server, which is a bit high but within the acceptable range.

When you’re playing an online game, you’re connected to the game server, every action you make such as moving around, lotting stuff, or running for your in-game precious life is data sent to the game server and back to you. So, low ping means smoother gameplay because the data travels fast between you and the game server and this is called low latency.

Lag is another term for the delay and there are different kinds of Lag, such as Network Lag or Input Lag but that’s another subject for another time.

Network Lag is a delay in data exchanged between you and the game server. You have seen it before, it’s when you pull the trigger but the bullet takes a little bit of time before it’s shot and now you missed the shot and revealed your position! I can feel your frustration!

What Causes High Ping, Latency, and Lag?

Many factors can contribute to high ping and cause latency which will make your game laggy and ruin your online gaming session. It could be your home network, your ISP network, the game server location, or the network hardware between your computer, console, or phone, and the game server.

How to Reduce Latency and Get Rid of Lag?

Get wired “Ethernet” Connection
If you’re on a wireless connection “WiFi”, maybe it’s a good time to get wired “Ethernet”.

Close Background Application and Programs
Also, make sure that no other apps are running in the background, these apps could be eating your bandwidth. In some cases, your Antivirus or firewall can cause latency.

Select A Server Near Your Location
If all is good on your end, it could be the game server location. Servers located far from your actual location will definitely cause high latency, so choose a server near your region for lower ping. Usually, online games offer multiple servers located around the world for that reason.

Use A VPN

If all the above didn’t help lower your ping, then you may need to use a VPN.

Online gamers use VPN for many reasons, some online games are banned in certain countries and a VPN can help you reach the game server and also to lower your ping.

In simple terms, VPN creates a tunnel between you and the VPN server, so you’re accessing the internet through the VPN server. This can help you avoid any routing issues that probably exist in your ISP network.

We have tested lots of VPNs and found that bVPN is a very decent solution with unlimited bandwidth, zero-logging policy, and servers strategically located in more than 40 locations around the world, I’m sure you will find a server near your location. You can even get 30 Days Free Trial if you subscribe through Apple App Store.

The post How to Get Low Ping to Improve Your Online Gaming appeared first on VPNanswers.com.

How VPN Services Can Change Your Online Business

Virtual Private Network (VPN) software is not only useful for people looking to enter Geo-blocks and access sites from their devices securely. The VPN software is much more than that as it offers valuable benefits to online businesses in plenty of sectors, such as financial firms, SEO companies, travel agencies, digital marketing agencies, and more. VPN can give you a competitive edge for your online business and might be an essential factor to your organization’s success.

Before we dig into how VPN benefits your business, it’s important to know what exactly is a VPN, especially when you are wondering whether to add it to your business or not. VPN is a software that allows you to maintain a secure and private connection to another remote network. Developed initially by Microsoft in the 90s, VPN technology is now conveniently available in the market.

Now, as the perks go far beyond this, we are going to explain how VPN services can change your online business. Here the top five ways how VPN services can take your business to the next level.

Top 5 Ways How VPN Services Can Change Your Online Business

1. Provide Remote Access

Remote staff or remote jobs are no longer a new term as more and more businesses are increasingly shifting towards it. Especially when you are dealing in an online business, you may have workers in different parts of the globe to connect with potential customers.

You can expect increased productivity and efficiency for your online business as your workers are doing the tasks conveniently at their own pace. In previous times, workers were required to work overtime hours, but now with a VPN service, you need an internet connection and a computer. You can finish the job in time while delivering quality results with online protection.

VPN service is crucial especially when employees are working on-the-go accessing public WiFis. With the tool, businesses won’t risk their data to the public networks. Aside from the importance of VPN services for business, it’s also important to have the best backup software solutions in 2020 to protect your online data.

2. Manage and Optimize SEO Rankings

If you are operating an agency, optimizing your content management process with the ability to monitor and find international keywords is essential. Being an online business, how are you supposed to do it if the web in your country differs from the web in another country? Well, it’s simple – via a VPN service.

The top VPN service providers empower your online business to maintain a connection with a remote server, including international businesses. You can feasibly change your online location and connect it with multiple international servers. Moreover, you may browse servers as if you are in another country. This feature helps you to check your ads in key markets and monitor keyword performance in another country. In short, a VPN service allows you to advertise internationally to your greatest potential.

3. Go Past IP Banning

As an online company, along with traditional marketing efforts, your business requires advanced guerrilla marketing techniques through social sites and popular forums. Many social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, or Snapchat recognize your IP address – your unique online identifier. If you post too many times in a day or share posts plenty of times, they will access your IP address while blocking your access.

The good part is that when you have a reliable VPN software, you can easily avoid this. Whenever you connect with a VPN server, you may change your online location along with your IP address. You may browse through multiple IP addresses and eradicate monitoring and tracking. You can post as much content as you want on your social sites without any hassles.

4. Utilize Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting is a widely used term in today’s market. It is a known tactic used by websites to deliver a variety of content to multiple users based on geographic location. Personalizing your site to respond this way along with native language, native currency and visuals is a strong marketing tactic and may enhance your conversion rates tremendously.

The best VPN app allows you to connect with a VPN server for you to change your perceived geographic location online while ensuring 100% anonymity. You can monitor how your competitors are managing Geo-targeting as well as how effective your Geo-targeting efforts are. The VPN software will enable you to make robust, targeted efforts while driving business revenues in any geographic location.

5. Bypass Online Price Discrimination

When you are dealing in an online business, the ability to pass through online price discrimination can provide real benefits to your business. Online price discrimination is a term where service providers such as rental cars, airlines, clinics, and software services charge a different amount based on geographic region.

With a VPN service, you can change your IP address and match it with the country with a lower cost of services. This method can save your business hundreds and thousands of dollars. You can get all the local services for your business at the lower rates with the best possible deals.

VPN Service – A Valuable Addition to Your Business

According to research by Forbes, around 400 million people around the globe use a VPN network. The advantages of a VPN network can provide to your online business are tremendous such as increased security, protected network and much more.

We have listed down all the perks as well as how VPN services can change your online business. The importance of a VPN service is increasingly being recognized. With the many options available, it can be difficult for businesses to choose one.

To make sure you select the right VPN service for your business, determine your specific requirements. This can help you narrow down your list of VPN services to choose from based on which ones meet your needs best.

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When you sit down at your Mac, there are always few applications that you frequently use and start up whenever you boot your computer. Such items could be applications or documents that you would prefer if they automatically started up upon rebooting your Mac, like: Apple Mail, Safari or even messages. Instead of having to start those login items manually every time you turn on your Mac, you can set your Mac to start them for you automatically. In this guide, we will show you how you can set apps to launch automatically upon startup.

How to Add Startup Items on Mac (Method #1)

Follow the steps below in order to successfully set your preferred programs to be launched automatically upon startup:

1- Log into your Mac device. If you have more than one account, then log into the account you want to set startup items on.

2- Head over to your “Dock” or “Apple Menu”, and then click on “System Preferences”.

3- From “System Preferences” go to the “System” section, and then click on “Accounts” or “User & Groups”.

4- In the accounts list, select the username you want.

5- Next, choose the “Login Items” tab.

6- In the “Login Items” window, click on the “+” sign.

7- Once you have clicked on the “+” sign, you will see the standard “Finder” browsing sheet open. Browse until you find the item you want. Click once to select it, and then hit the “Add” button.

All done! The item(s) you have chosen will be added to the startup list and will be automatically launched next time you turn on your Mac. Good job!

How to Add Startup Items on Mac (Method #2)

Drag and Drop is another method to set items to startup automatically on Mac. Follow the steps below in order to successfully set your preferred programs to be launched automatically upon startup:

1- Log into your Mac device. If you have more than one account, then log into the account you want to set startup items on.

2- Head over to your “Dock” or “Apple Menu”, and then click on “System Preferences”.

3- From “System Preferences” go to the “System” section, and then click on “Accounts” or “User & Groups”.

4- In the accounts list, select the username you want.

5- Next, choose the “Login Items” tab.

6- In the “Login Items” window, click on the “+” sign.

7- Now, click on the item you want, and then hold it.

8- Next, drag the item while holding it, and then drop it into the list of startup items.

9- Close the “System Preferences” menu when you are finished.

All done! The item(s) you have chosen will be added to the startup list and will be automatically launched next time you turn on your Mac. Good job!

The post Launch Apps Automatically on Mac (Complete Guide) appeared first on VPNanswers.com.

File Safe is a built-in feature in the latest version of the smart phones operated by Android. The feature acts as a virtual safe or vault for all your important and confidential files on your Android phone. A lot of Android users today are not aware of the built-in File Safe feature and usually refer to downloading third party applications for this purpose. In this tutorial we will show you how to enable/disable and use the File Safe feature on your Android smart phone.

How to Enable File Safe

1- From the main screen tap to open “Settings”

2- Scroll down in the “Settings” page and tap on “Security & privacy”

3- Under “Privacy” tap on “File safe”

4- At the bottom of the screen, tap on “Enable”

5- Choose which location of files you want to secure; “Internal storage” or “SD card”

6- Enter a password you wish to set for your File Safe and re-enter it to confirm it

7- Tap on “Done”

8- You will be asked to set 2 security questions and answers. You can tap on the questions to open the drop-down menu and select a security question and then enter the secret answers

7- Tap on “Done”

8- If your phone has the “Fingerprint Recognition” capability, you will be asked if you want to associate your fingerprint to quickly access the safe. If you want to associate, tap on “Associate” but if you don’t, tap on “Cancel”

At this point you have successfully enabled the File Safe feature. Now we will show you how to add files or use the feature.

How to Use or Add Files to the File Safe

1- Repeat steps “1” through “3” from the previous section

2- If you associated your fingerprint in step “8” from the previous section, you will be asked to enter your fingerprint to access the safe or you can tap on “Use Password” at the bottom of the screen, enter the password you have set for it and tap on “Done”

3- Choose which type of files you want to add to the File Safe; either “Images”, “Audio”, “Videos”, or “Files” and tap on “Add”

4- Browse through your files, tap to check the checkbox next to the files you want to hide in the File Safe, and tap on “Add” at the bottom of the screen

How to Remove Files from the File Safe

1- Repeat the first 2 steps from the previous section

2- Tap on the type of files you want to remove

3- From the files, tap to check the checkbox next to the file you want to remove and tap on “Remove”

4- You will be asked if you want to move the file to the “Default Location” that the file was saved in before you added it to File Safe or move it to a “Custom Location”. Tap to choose one of these options

How to Disable File Safe

1- Repeat the first step from the previous section

2- From the bottom of the screen tap on “Settings”

3- At the bottom of the screen tap on “Destroy Safe”

4- Verify your identity either by your fingerprint or by password

5- A message will pop-up telling you that the File Safe and all the files in it will be deleted. You can either go back and remove them, or tap to check the checkbox labeled “Move these files to another location” or leave them to be deleted and tap on “Confirm”. If you chose to move the files to a different location you will be asked if you want to move them to their “Default Location” or “Custom Location”. Choose the option you want.

At this point your File Safe has  been completely disabled.

The post How to Enable/Disable and Use File Safe on Android appeared first on VPNanswers.com.

Are you tired of having a lot of applications cluttered on your iPhone home screen? This is very confusing particularly if you have a ton of apps installed, such as: videos, games, etc. The easiest and most efficient way to organise your apps is by creating folders and grouping them into those folders. In this way, you will save time and frustration. In this tutorial, we will show you exactly how to group apps and create folders on iPhone. Scroll down for more details.

Grouping Apps & Creating Folders on iPhone

In order to create a folder, you will need to group at least 2 applications together. Here is how you can do so:

1- Tap gently on of the apps until all the apps on your screen start to shake.

2- Now, drag the app onto another app until they merge.

3- Take your finger of your screen. A folder will now be created.

4- Now you have the option to edit the name of your folder (e.g: Games, Music, Movies, etc.). You can type in a name using your on-screen keyboard.

5- After adding, grouping and editing the folder names of all the apps you want, press on the “Home” button in order to save your changes.

6- If you want to “edit” a folder that you have already created, lightly tap on the desired folder and hold it until it starts to move.

7- Next, tap one more time. The folder will now open displaying its contents on your screen.

8- Tap on the existing text to edit its name.

9- If you want to add more apps into it, you can simply drag the apps and drop them into the folder.

10- Press the “Home” button to save your changes.

That’s it! You have successfully grouped and created folders on iPhone. Well done!

Removing/Deleting Apps from Folders

You have created folders, but you have decided to remove a certain app or more than one app. Follow the steps below:

1- Tap and hold the folder you want to delete an app or more from.

2- Once the apps as well as the folder start shaking, remove your finger.

3- Tap the folder again (the one you want to remove the app/apps from).

4- Drag the desired app out of the selected folder and drop it onto your Homescreen.

5- Press on the “Home” button to save your changes.

That’s it! You have successfully removed an app from an existing folder. Good job!

The post Easiest Way to Create Folders and Group Apps on iPhone appeared first on VPNanswers.com.

What does wiping a hard drive mean? To wipe a hard drive means that you have decided to erase completely all the data stored on your hard drive. To clear out any confusion, there is a big difference between deleting all data from your computer and formatting the hard drive. Deleting your data does not mean that you have cleaned your computer completely because there are shadow files and other data stored on your hard drive. However, when you format your hard drive or even delete an whole partition, it wipes it completely from all data shown or hidden. You can always recover your data through a file recovery program or through a certain hardware.

How to Format (Wipe Out) Your Hard Drive Using DBAN?

Follow the steps below in order to successfully format or wipe out your hard drive without a hassle. Please note that this may take from a few minutes to a few hours depending on how big your hard drive is:

1- First of all, you need to backup all the data you need to keep because once you start the formatting process, you will not be able to retrieve anything.

2- Next, download a free data destruction program, such as: DBAN because they can wipe clean your hard drive from outside of Windows especially if your Windows OS is installed on it. In addition, using a data destruction program is considered the easiest formatting method. Not only that, but it also allows you to use your hard drive again.

In this tutorial, we will use DBAN as an example to format a hard drive.

3- Download the DBAN software, and then save the ISO file to your computer.

4- Burn the DBAN ISO file to either a CD or a USB flash drive.

5- Restart your computer, and then insert the DBAN USB or disc.

6- When you see the DBAN blue screen, choose an option as you prefer.

7- Next, use the interactive mode to select which drives need to be wiped.

8- Almost done. Just wait for the program to erase the data from your hard drive.

9-  Now, verify that your hard drive has been wiped (erased).

That’s it! You have successfully wiped all information from your hard drive. Well done!

The post The Correct Way to Wipe Your Hard Drive (DBAN) appeared first on VPNanswers.com.

Do you suffer from Home Screen Confusion on your Apple TV? If you do, this means that you are the type of user who enjoys downloading apps from the App Store. There is absolutely no shame in that! This is exactly why these kinds of Smart TVs are cut for. However, downloading too many apps on your Apple TV may cause a lag while scrolling through the app menu to find the app you want. That is why it is very important to organise your apps into folders (e.g: according to categories) to be able to enjoy a smooth Smart TV experience. In this guide, we will show you how you can cleverly manage your apps to get the best out of your Apple TV. Scroll down for more details.

Creating & Using Folders

If you have downloaded a big bulk of apps, games and videos from the App Store, then allocating them in categorical folders is the best way to organise your Apple TV and prevent Home Screen Confusion. Here is how you can easily do so:

1- Select the application you want by using either “Apple Siri remote” control or any other alternative with a touch surface.

2- Now, depress the touch surface of your remote control to move the app.

3- If you are using a regular remote control, then select the app first and hold down the select button until you see the app moving.

4- You can now move the vibrating application you have selected by swiping up, down, right or left by using your remote control’s touch surface or pressing the arrow buttons on a regular remote control.

5- In order to release the selected application, you simply need to press the touch surface or the select button on your remote control.

6- For each app you want to move, repeat the steps above.

7- To create a folder, you simply need to select and move another app to another app, and then “drop” it. A folder will be automatically created.

8- Now that you have more than one app squeezed within one folder, you will have the option to rename that folder;e.g: Games, Movies, Music, etc.

9- Repeat the same steps for the apps on your Apple TV to organise your list of apps and enjoy a clean view.

That’s it! You have successfully created folders on your Apple TV and organised your apps. Good job!

Stay tuned for more Apple TV tutorials.

The post Managing Apps to Make The Best Ouf of Your Apple TV appeared first on VPNanswers.com.

What is Wifi+?

Wifi+ is a feature built in the latest version of the popular smartphones operating system, Android. When enabled, it allows the phone to compare between the strength of the Wifi network available and the mobile data network and automatically either switch on or off the Wifi. In other words, if the mobile data network is stronger than the Wifi network, the phone will automatically switch off the Wifi and connect to the mobile data network. In addition to that, if the Wifi+ is enabled it automatically switches on your Wifi in the phone if a known Wifi network is detected. For example, if you have Wifi+ enabled in your phone and enter an area where there is a public Wifi hotspot, your phone will automatically switch on the Wifi to connect to the Wifi network. Last but not least, Wifi+ evaluates all available Wifi networks and temporarily suspends auto-connect to avoid your phone connecting to a Wifi network that is not connected to the internet. There is a similar feature in the latest versions of iPhone called Wifi Assist.

Advantages of Using Wifi+

The main advantage of using Wifi+ is that it ensures that your phone will always be connected to the internet, whether if its through the mobile data network or through a reliable Wifi network. If for any reason the Wifi network or connection drops, your internet session will not be interrupted until a stable, strong, and reliable Wifi network is in range again.

Disadvantages of Using Wifi+

The problem with using Wifi+ is that if your Wifi network weakens or drops temporarily for any reason your phone will switch to mobile data without your prior consent, which will cause your mobile data bundle to be overused hence increasing your mobile data bill with no way of controlling when your phone uses mobile data and when it uses Wifi. The only way to control this is by disabling Wifi+ from your phone settings

How to Enable/Disable Wifi+ on your Android Phone

1- From the main screen, tap on “Settings”

2- From the “Settings” page, tap on “Wi-Fi”

3- From the “Wi-Fi” section and under the button responsible for switching the Wifi on or off, tap on “Wi-Fi+”

4- Tap to turn on or off the button labeled “Wi-Fi+” to enable or disable “Wi-Fi+”

Conclusion

If you prefer that your phone to be continuously connected to the internet regardless of its impact on the cost or the usage of the mobile data bundle, then it is recommended to keep this feature enabled. However if you would prefer to be in control of how you are connected to the internet and when your phone relies on a Wifi connection or a mobile data network connection, then we would recommend you keep this feature disabled.

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Did you lose your iPhone or has it been stolen from you? Do not lose hope because Apple has got your back. There is actually a free tool provided by Apple to help you locate a lost or stolen phone. It is called “Find My iPhone” and it actually works. Find My iPhone does not only help you find your phone, but it also protects your personal data from thieves and strangers.

So how does “Find My iPhone” work exactly? The process is very simple. By using GPS and a good internet connection, Find My iPhone helps you locate your lost or stolen phone on the map. Pretty simple, right? And could not be more effective. In this guide, we will show you how to you use Find My Phone. Scroll down for more details.

Getting Things Ready

Here is what you need  before you start using Find My iPhone:

1-  iCloud Account.

2- A working WiFi connection.

3- “Find My iPhone” application installed on your device. This is a very important requirement because without it, you will not be able to track your phone down.

How to Use Find My iPhone

Follow the steps below in order to successfully use Find My iPhone to locate your lost or stolen iPhone:

1- Use the same account you used when you installed Find My iPhone to log into “iCloud”. It is most likely to be your Apple ID or iTunes ID.

2- Under the web-based tools, click on “Find My iPhone”. Once it is clicked, the app will automatically start searching for the devices enabled on it. You will be able to see notification messages as it works.

3- At the top of your screen, click “All Devices” if you have more than one device enabled on “Find My iPhone”.

4- Choose the device you are looking for.

5- Once located, Find My iPhone will zoom in on the map and the location of your device will be shown in the form of a green dot. You have the options to zoom in and out of the map as well as the options to view the map in satellite, hybrid or standard modes much like Google maps. In addition, a small window will open once the device is found giving you information about the battery level of your phone among other options.

6- You can also lock your phone and set a passcode remotely by clicking on the “Lost Mode” option. In this case, no one will be able to access your device and use your personal data. You can also add in a phone number so that the person who finds your phone will be able to contact you. Moreover, you have also the option to type a message that would appear on the screen stating that your phone is stolen.

7- There is also an “Erase” button that allows you to wipe out all data stored on your phone in case it is lost or stolen to prevent anyone from getting hold of your personal information, such as: photos, videos, messages, contact numbers, etc.

8- Finally, if your iphone is on the move, you can keep updating its location by clicking on the green dot.

The post Lost Your iPhone? Here is How to Use Find My iPhone to Locate it appeared first on VPNanswers.com.

Do you have a pokey iPad that constantly bogs down? It does not matter if your iPad is old or new, even with the latest iPad released with the highest processing power, you may find it bogging down. There are many reasons why your iPad is running slow; it could be due to a slow internet connection or issues with applications running on the device, or others. Fortunately, all this can be easily fixed to get your iPad back on track and running as smooth as a butter knife. In this guide, we will show you some tricks to speed up your iPad. Scroll down for more details.

Close Current APPs

This is one of the most common reasons why your iPad is slowing down. The problems mostly lies within an application rather than the device itself. Notice if there is any app that is behaving oddly, by that we mean running slower than usual. If so, then what is done normally in this case is to press the “Home” button, close the currently running app, and then run it one more time. But does pressing the “Home” button and closing the app actually closes the app? No, not really. What happens is that this procedure only suspends the application and keeps it frozen in the background. It does not terminate its running process. With iPad, there are several apps that keep running in the background after attempting to close them using that method. Here is what you need to do to close a running app:

1- Hold your finger down on any active screen (not a particular app icon).

2- Swipe to the top of your screen without lifting your finger.

If you want to close all running apps, here is what you need to do:

1- Double-tap on the “Home” button at the bottom of your screen.

2- By pressing twice, all the most recent apps will be displayed in a cascading view.

3- Tap to close the running apps.

Restart Your iPad

If your iPad is still chugging along, you can try rebooting your entire system. This should clean up your memory and give a speed boost to your device. You can do so by following these steps:

1- Hold down the “Sleep/Wake” button, and then wait until you are prompted to either turn the power off or restart the device.

2- Slide the button and your iPad will turn off. Wait for a few moments and it will restart.

It should run faster than it used to be.

Check The WIFI Connection

You could have been wrongfully accusing your device all that time. Your iPad could be just fine, but the problem might be with your internet connection speed. You can try running an internet speed test to check your connection speed if you are receiving the same amount of the bandwidth you are paying for. In addition, you can try performing some tweaks to speed up your internet connection. Check out our guide here.

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