Ever since the acquisition of SurfEasy VPN by Opera, they are now introducing secure VPN features in various forms – as a part of the Opera web browser for the PC, in form of the Opera mobile browser and now as a stand-alone Opera VPN app for Android. The new Opera VPN app for Android makes use of the in-built VPN features of the Android OS to help you connect to a public WiFi network in a much more secure way. Like many similar apps (for example Psiphon VPN) for Android, Opera VPN also allows one tap on-off flip switch for enabling or disabling the VPN.
After installing the app, it will introduce you to all the features it offers and then you can tap on the Connect button to enable the Opera VPN. By default, it connects you to the a server as close to you as possible, but you can tap on the Change Region button to choose a server located in the US, Canada, Germany, Netherlands or Singapore. It does not indicate how much data you have used as it offers unlimited VPN use.
Among some of the other features that it provides are a tool to test your WiFi network security and a feature to block some of the popular tracking servers. The latter is named Guardian and is enabled only when you enable the Opera VPN.
The WiFi security testing tool can be used to check different aspects of the WiFi network you are connected to. It treats all the WiFi networks as networks run by other people, and so don’t be alarmed if it gives your WiFi network a low security rating. For example, my own private WiFi server was given a B+ rating because the network admin could monitor the traffic or WiFi sniffing is possible. This should not be a problem if you are the network admin yourself, but on a network run by someone else, this is a security concern. As soon as you turn the Opera VPN on, the security rating score goes to A+ – the highest possible rating.
Conclusion: Opera VPN app for Android is easy-to-use, indispensable solution for weaker WiFi network security problems when using public WiFi networks, for example, on the airports or in the restaurants. It is packed with a nifty WiFi security testing tool which might be able to help your secure your own WiFi network.
You can get Opera VPN for Android from http://www.opera.com/apps/vpn.