Safe Connect VPN from McAfee is a powerful security tool that encrypts your internet traffic and protects you against online threats. It’s easy to use, and has been designed with Windows 10 in mind. We review the app and give our verdict on whether it’s worth installing.
McAfee Safe Connect VPN for Windows 10 is a program that provides users with the ability to connect to the internet securely. The program uses OpenVPN technology, which is known for its security and speed.
The American security software business McAfee Corp., which is already well-known for its antivirus products, created the VPN service known as McAfee Safe Connect VPN. It is situated in the US.
Although this VPN is compatible with Windows, Android, and iOS, we’ll focus on the McAfee Safe Connect VPN for Windows 10 edition in this review.
Using a VPN service nowadays may be quite beneficial since it enables users to get around geographical limits and internet censorship in certain areas and nations while also protecting their online data and hiding their browsing activities.
If you’re interested in learning if McAfee Safe Connect VPN is one of the many potent VPN services that are highly successful at assuring all of the above, you should keep reading since you’ll undoubtedly learn whether it is.
Is the Windows 10 version of McAfee Safe Connect VPN worth it?
UI & Design: minimalist and user-friendly
The McAfee Safe Connect VPN has a user-friendly client for Windows 10 devices, making it simple for the average user to use even if they are not very tech-savvy or knowledgeable about VPN services in general.
The primary dashboard displays your VPN information, such as how much MB you have used and how many you still have, as well as the HOME menu (the hamburger button) from which you may access several tabs.
You may access the current tabs from the menu; the first one is MY ACCOUNT. You may see details about your membership here, including your email address, account status, the total number of devices utilizing McAfee Safe Connect VPN, and the current device.
The next tab is MY VPN STATS, where you may see information about your network use for the last seven or the previous twenty-four hours. For instance, the number of protected and unprotected devices during the given time period, the quantity of protected data, and the data limit will all be shown.
Additionally, the periods of time that your network/connected device was secured or not are shown.
You may pick your protection choices, or when to utilize McAfee Safe Connect VPN, under the SETTINGS pages. Protection may be manually enabled from the client, enabled automatically on Wi-Fi and LAN, or enabled exclusively on Wi-Fi.
Additionally, you may activate Safe Reconnect, which performs the same purpose as a standard VPN OFF switch when your VPN connection fails by halting all network traffic entering and leaving your device.
Your location and data will stay confidential when your VPN protection is turned off thanks to this added security measure.
When using McAfee Safe Connect VPN, you could sometimes have connectivity issues and get a message asking you to enable TCP Override, which is conveniently located on the settings tab.
You may add trusted networks to Trusted Networks, which will keep them out of the VPN connection. For instance, when you choose automatic protection, McAfee Safe Connect will establish a connection based on the network type you precisely choose.
The client will only automatically create a VPN connection after it leaves the added trustworthy network, however, if you add one or more.
There are various commonly asked questions included under the HELP page, including general inquiries about how the VPN works and particular inquiries for PC, iOS, and Android users.
You may leave comments about your experience using McAfee Safe Connect VPN for Windows 10 or make improvements to the VPN software under FEEDBACK.
The last page, ABOUT, lists the open-source licenses, the privacy notice, the licensing agreement, the open-source licenses link, and the current version of the McAfee VPN client.
The McAfee VPN client for Windows 10 offers a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI), as you can see from the pictures above. You can quickly go through all the sections and modify the settings as you choose.
Features are lacking in comparison to top rivals.
While McAfee Safe Connect VPN for Windows 10 can accomplish its broad objectives—enabling you to get around geo-restrictions while still accessing the internet safely and anonymously—it does miss a few key capabilities.
Servers
More than 2,000 servers for McAfee Safe Connect VPN are dispersed throughout several sites in 23 different nations. You’ll have plenty of possibilities to connect to different VPN servers located all around the globe thanks to the respectable quantity.
By selecting Start Protection, you can instantly establish a VPN server connection. When you choose this option, you will often be connected to a server that has already been linked.
By clicking the down arrow as seen above from the main dashboard, you may access the list of accessible servers. You may get a list of all the supported nations here.
Simply choose a nation from the list, click on it, and then click Connect. You are now linked to the nation of your choosing. Afterward, you may simply exchange them.
As an alternative, you may choose to connect to the quickest location by going to the nation list. When you’re not really worried about getting over geo-blocking, this can be a suitable choice.
For instance, you may opt to connect to the quickest location if all you need is online privacy and safety or quicker connections for gaming or torrenting.
Speed
When selecting a VPN service, speed is a crucial factor to consider, therefore you should either do your own testing (if feasible) or look at reviews to get the results there.
VPNs have a reputation for reducing internet speed. Your speed is often impacted by the Encryption, the VPN protocols being utilized, and the distance to the server.
We used two websites that analyze performance parameters including upload speed, download speed, ping, and latency to gauge the speed of McAfee Safe Connect VPN.
Ookla Speedtest without McAfee VPN
Here, from a location in Romania, we do a typical internet speed test. As you can see, the ping is quite minimal and the speed is excellent.
Ookla Speedtest with McAfee VPN
The speeds are drastically decreased and the ping is raised after connecting to a McAfee VPN server in New York, which is rather reasonable considering the great distance.
Without a McAfee VPN, use SpeedOf.Me
In the previous illustration, we used the same Romanian location to connect directly to the internet, and after running the SpeedOf.Me test, we obtained excellent download and upload speeds as well as a very low latency.
McAfee VPN with SpeedOf.Me
We then reconnected to an American VPN server to compare the outcomes. There were slower upload and download rates, and the latency rose.
Depending on the instrument you choose to test speed, ping, and latency, you can obtain different findings. However, considering that VPNs slow down connections due to the aforementioned reasons, McAfee Safe Connect VPN often provides very quick speeds.
Encryption
The greatest degree of encryption employed by governments, armies, and intelligence agencies throughout the globe is AES-256 bit bank-grade encryption, which is what McAfee Safe Connect VPN employs.
Your personal information and online activities will be kept private with this encryption, protecting them from prying eyes and any other unwanted third party intervention, including that of marketers, trackers, hackers, ISPs, and government monitoring.
OFF switch
A VPN OFF switch is a very important feature that automatically disconnects your device (PC, phone, or tablet) from the internet when your VPN drops for whatever reason.
This security measure ensures that your private information will remain safe and secure and that your IP address won’t be disclosed.
Usually, even if the VPN connection drops for a short period of time, without the OFF switch enabled, you will still have direct access to the internet, and your data might be compromised.
McAfee Safe Connect VPN comes with a OFF switch that is called Safe Reconnect, so when you turn it on, it will keep your location and data private – in case your VPN stops – until the VPN connection is restored. The OFF switch is only available with the McAfee VPN for Windows 10 clients.
Splitting a tunnel
Splitting a tunnel is a nice feature that allows you to route some applications or traffic through the VPN tunnel, while the rest will have direct access to the open network.
Unfortunately, neither the iOS version of McAfee Safe Connect VPN for Windows 10 nor this functionality are accessible. Only the Android version of the app is accessible.
Logging
Before selecting a VPN package, many consumers are understandably worried about a provider’s logging practices since it directly affects their privacy.
VPN logs may also include connection logs, which may contain timestamps, connection information, or IP addresses, or use logs, which may include browsing history, connection times, and IP addresses. Following the disclosure of this information to other parties, the VPN user may be observed for a variety of purposes.
McAfee Safe Connect VPN, sadly, collects a lot of data, including email, username, password, phone number, connection timestamps, IP addresses, browsing history, geolocation data, etc.
If privacy is important to you, then McAfee Safe Connect VPN is not a sensible option since it has a very poor logging policy. Top VPN services like Private Internet Access have a rigorous no-logs policy.
If you just want to use it to avoid geographical limits and internet censorship, as well as for other purposes like torrenting, and you don’t care as much about privacy, you may not be bothered by its logging policies either.
Free test
If you wish to try it out, McAfee Safe Connect VPN has a free version available. Unfortunately, the free edition only allows for 250MB of data use per month and only supports one device.
You must purchase a premium membership, which is rather inexpensive, if you want limitless data and protection for several devices.
Other lacking components
Numerous other crucial capabilities offered in other top VPN services available on the market are absent from the McAfee Safe Connect VPN for Windows 10 edition.
In addition to Splitting a tunnel, McAfee VPN also lacks obfuscation, multi-hop, ads and malware blocker, port forwarding, dedicated IP, etc. As a result, if you’re interested in these features, you can enjoy them with a premium Private Internet Access or NordVPN subscription.
Verdict on McAfee Safe Connect VPN
Depending on what you want to gain out of a VPN service, McAfee Safe Connect VPN for Windows 10 may be the right choice for you.
This VPN will undoubtedly assist you in getting over geo-blocking and will also guarantee the privacy of your data with robust encryption, which is crucial as it will protect you from cyberattacks while you do your typical online business.
However, since it stores a lot of records, it is not a viable option for consumers who are worried about their privacy. Instead, they should use another VPN service that has a strict no-logging policy.
Additionally, McAfee Safe Connect VPN lacks other crucial VPN characteristics that might increase security and have more potent anti-censorship abilities.
As a result, we rate this VPN as mediocre since it performs well in certain areas while being greatly surpassed by its rivals in others.
You must determine if it is worthwhile or not, but we are convinced that this in-depth analysis will make you wiser than you were before you arrived.
McAfee Safe Connect VPN for Windows 10 is a free and easy to use app that allows users to connect to their home network from anywhere in the world. It also offers a secure connection with no ads, malware or viruses. Reference: mcafee vpn not working.
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