Inside the Tunnel: What Happens to Your Data Once NordVPN Is Switched On
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
From your device to a NordVPN server: the route your traffic takes
When NordVPN is switched on, your traffic no longer goes straight from your device to the sites and apps you use. The app creates an encrypted VPN tunnel between your device and a NordVPN server. That server then forwards your traffic to the websites, apps and services you were trying to reach.
NordVPN describes itself as an all-in-one digital security app. Alongside the VPN, it combines a next-gen antivirus with scam, phishing and malware protection, so the tunnel is one part of a wider set of tools. NordVPN also states that all its apps support post-quantum encryption.
The service is owned by Nord Security, a global cybersecurity company, and was launched by childhood friends in 2012. It operates globally, with offices in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Switzerland and Panama.
Three steps in, then one button to press
Getting started follows three steps set out by the NordVPN help center: download and install the app, open it, then sign up or log in.
From there, the main control is the "Secure my connection" button. Press it and the app automatically connects you to a fast server close to you, so there is no server list to work through before you are protected.
If you would rather not remember to press anything, an auto-connect feature is available.
This is useful in the moments you are least likely to think about security: joining the Wi-Fi in a café, logging on in a hotel lobby, or picking up your phone on the sofa at home. The steps are the same each time, and the tunnel is set up the same way wherever you connect.
Split tunneling, NordLynx and the rest of the toolkit
Not every app has to go through the tunnel. Split tunneling lets you select apps that do not run through the encrypted VPN connection, so you decide which apps are covered and which connect directly.
For the connection itself, the app offers three VPN protocols: NordLynx, which is based on WireGuard, NordWhisper and OpenVPN. You can choose the one that suits how you use it.
If you want an extra layer, Double VPN encrypts your traffic twice.
Kill Switch and DNS leak protection are also part of the toolkit. They sit alongside Meshnet, Dark Web Monitor and the next-gen antivirus with scam, phishing and malware protection, all within the same NordVPN app rather than spread across separate downloads.
Ten devices under a single account
One NordVPN account can be used on up to 10 devices at the same time. That is enough to cover a laptop, a phone, a tablet and more under one login instead of buying protection device by device.
The apps run on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and Linux. NordVPN also works through browser extensions, routers, smart TVs and gaming consoles, so the living-room screen and the console can be part of the same setup as your work machine.
If you only want coverage in your browser, you can get a VPN proxy extension for it instead of a full app. Otherwise, there is a VPN app for all major platforms, and each one follows the same simple routine: install, open, sign up or log in, then secure the connection.
Why today is the easy day to switch it on
NordVPN says you can download the app and use some features for free, so you can see how the tunnel, the "Secure my connection" button and the app layout work on your own device before deciding how far to go.
The setup takes three steps, and protection after that is one press away, or none at all with auto-connect turned on. The next time you join public Wi-Fi, your traffic can already be travelling through an encrypted tunnel instead of in the open. At home, the same account can stretch across up to 10 devices, from phones to the smart TV.
Each day without it is another day of connections made without that tunnel in place. Download the app now, press the button once, and every connection after that starts protected.
