McAfee offers various cybersecurity packages. Not all include VPN access; therefore it’s essential that you carefully consider their offerings before making a decision. You can do this on their website or by reaching out to customer support for additional help.
McAfee VPN’s main disadvantage lies in its data logging policy; they collect personal information from their users while being located within the US’ Five Eyes Alliance country of origin.
Auto-connect
McAfee’s auto-connect feature securely encrypts your data whenever you connect to a new network, helping protect against hackers tracking your browsing history and location, while simultaneously creating a backup copy in case your VPN connection goes down.
The software’s privacy features include bank-grade Wi-Fi VPN encryption, ID theft protection and more. Furthermore, it monitors personal accounts for breaches and provides alerts so you can take proactive measures against safeguarding your data.
Unfortunately, McAfee’s VPN lacks a kill switch – an essential tool that prevents ISPs from slowing your internet connection – and its servers are located in the US; meaning if government authorities request information from McAfee they could likely have to hand it over – creating a major security risk for anyone using this service.
Kill switch
McAfee’s malware scanner stands out among competitors with impressive detection rates, offering secure VPN, ID theft protection and password manager solutions in one package. While missing some advanced features like split tunneling support, McAfee remains an ideal choice for protecting privacy online.
McAfee Internet Security’s Safe Connect VPN features both a kill switch and safe reconnect features to protect your data when the VPN disconnects, as well as port forwarding, so you can select specific apps to route through it.
This software’s interface is minimal but includes tabs for your account and usage stats. Performance for a VPN is average; however, due to limited locations it manages to avoid ISP throttling while providing impressive upload speeds.
Safe reconnect
McAfee Safe Connect VPN securely encrypts and routes all of your data through its servers, so no one can track your online activity – meaning your ISP cannot limit your speeds or advertisers can no longer track what sites you visit. Available both iOS and Android devices.
However, it should be remembered that the service is located within the US and part of Five Eyes alliance, making privacy-focused users wary.
McAfee servers offered average download speeds and locations, yet I experienced noticeable download speed increases upon switching to one in New Zealand; my ping was reduced and download speeds improved, suggesting it can help circumvent ISP throttling.
No-logs policy
To stay private when browsing the internet, it’s essential that you use a VPN that doesn’t keep logs. For optimal protection of your information from third parties such as hackers and identity thieves, select one that operates out of a country without data retention laws – this way you won’t risk having it exposed!
McAfee VPN purports to be no-logs, yet its privacy policy doesn’t specify this and it is located within the Five Eyes Alliance so can easily be accessed by authorities when necessary.
McAfee Safe Connect Desktop also doesn’t feature optimized servers for specific purposes like gaming and streaming, which could limit your choice of server locations and reduce speeds; however, when I tested McAfee Safe Connect Desktop upload speeds were impressive and ping times even lower than when not using VPN services.
Customer service
McAfee remains one of the few security companies offering customer support – an essential feature in an age of malware that’s impossible to eradicate with just anti-malware programs alone. Unfortunately, prior to its major restructure in 2022, their customer support had been dismal.
Use of a VPN service protects your data from hackers and prying eyes while browsing the internet, with McAfee’s auto-connect features providing extra peace of mind when using public wifi networks.
Identity theft protection from this company is included as standard with their plans, so that you know when a new account or social security number has been used to obtain credit – something other security firms charge extra for. It’s an invaluable feature that other security providers charge extra for.