We’ve all been there before, at the edge of our seats in the closing minutes of the match. Morelos has been set up, he’s got the ball, he winds back for the shot and…! Nothing. Your screen stops, the sound pauses, and the rotating buffer wheel begins to spin. A few frustrating seconds later, you just manage to catch the end of the goal celebration.

Watching the match on an unreliable stream is one of the greatest pains any football fan can experience. The stream could suffer for several reasons. More than likely, your internet service provider (ISP) is throttling your bandwidth.

Or maybe you’re trying to catch the game while you’re on holiday. What happens if the country you’re in doesn’t let you access the broadcaster you need? It looks like you’ll be missing this match. 

These issues can be alleviated with a little help from a virtual private network or VPN. If you enjoy watching the beautiful game, a VPN should be your best friend. 

What is a VPN?

A VPN is a tool that gives you control over your privacy while browsing the internet. When you switch on a VPN, no one can see what you’re looking at or where you’re located. 

Connecting to a VPN server provides you with a temporary IP address, masking the IP address of your device. If you’re on holiday in Greece, for example, you can just connect to a UK server and instantly start streaming with an IP address in London.

A good VPN service won’t keep tabs on you, either. Protecting user privacy is the top priority of any premium VPN, so you won’t have to worry about your data falling into the wrong hands.

Why should I start using a VPN?

Some of the main benefits of a VPN are the protective qualities. When a VPN covers your base, you should feel safe browsing or streaming anywhere. Unsafe public Wi-Fi hotspots are breeding grounds for opportunistic hackers. Public Wi-Fi networks often have lax security, so it’s not hard for bad actors to access them.

Worse still, cybercriminals can disguise their own Wi-Fi hub as that of a legitimate nearby business. For example, imagine that your favourite pub advertises free Wi-Fi. Once you sit down and attempt to connect, you see several networks to choose from. Do you connect to ‘Louden_Tavern_Ibrox’ or ‘Ibrox_Pub_real’? One might be a trap set up by a hacker, but with a VPN activated, it wouldn’t matter which network you joined. Anyone trying to work through the Wi-Fi to implant malware or steal your credentials wouldn’t be able to break through your VPN’s encryption. 

VPNs: the antidote to bandwidth throttling

Not only can a VPN provide you with safety, but it can also add many quality of life improvements to your day-to-day experience. Let’s get back to streaming, the real meat of the matter. 

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) won’t hesitate to throttle your internet speed in moments of high traffic. Unfortunately, those moments usually happen to be football matches, with potentially hundreds of thousands of fans tuning in at the same time. Throttling their network ultimately saves an ISP money, as it means less data usage on their end. 

If, however, you decide to watch the match with a VPN active, your ISP won’t be able to see that you’re trying to stream an HD quality football match. If they can’t see what you’re doing online, they won’t decide to cut your speed. 

Why NordVPN?

NordVPN has the best coverage of all VPN services. No matter where you are in the world, you’ll be close to a lightning-fast server. With over 5000 servers located across 50+ countries, there’s a reason NordVPN is the #1 VPN available. 

No matter where you are — at home, on the train or at the pub — you can stream safely and quickly with NordVPN. 

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Through our partnership with NordVPN Ibrox Noise will get a small commission on each sale, revenue which will go towards the upkeep of the site. NordVPN are also an official Rangers partner so you’re supporting the club too.

Today’s your last chance to subscribe and get 68% off your subscription before the discount vanishes. Remember, 1 account covers up to 6 devices. Get it now before you miss it!