PPTP, L2TP/IPsec VPN For iPhone

***The following information can also be used for iPad, iPad 2, and iTouch.

With the iPhone 4g already out and rumours of the 5g on it’s way it seems like everyone and their brother has got a iPhone.  People who use Android do so just to be different.  Join the club. Be cool. Get an iPhone you hipster.

And people who use iPhone, know that connecting to wireless internet is great.  No matter where you are, what you’re doing, or any other of those time/place variables, you can connect to the internet.  Having an argument about who was in that movie with that one guy who did that thing?  Google it.  Lost your way? Use the map app.

There’s tons of cool stuff, we don’t have to tell you.  But there are also lots of dangers.  Most people don’t realize how dangerous public internet zones are.  Connecting to wifi anywhere leaves you and your personal information EXTREMELY vulnerable to getting passwords, data, and other information stored on your iPhone stolen.

We’re not exaggerating.

So people are getting vpn’s for their iPhone to protect themselves.

And here’s the big question – Should I get PPTP, L2TP, or IPsec for my iPhone?

The difference (as it matters to you) lies in their set-up and the level of security.  PPTP is the simplest to set up of the three, and also the least secure.  It is generally considered inferior to the L2TP.  PPTP was the first protocol of vpn’s and since then they’ve made some major improvements.

L2TP and IPsec are quite similar.  IPsec is the the most secure of the three, but really, both will do.  To be honest, we’ve read TONS of articles saying that PPTP is more simple to setup, but the vpn set up process on an iPhone, and really all Apple products is already really easy, so that shouldn’t be an issue.  A paid vpn service will definitely have L2TP available, so instead of the PPTP. IPsec is also a great option but it can be a bit difficult to get started.

We recommend Strongvpn because they have a great step-by-step set up guide just for iPhone, iTouch, and iPad users.  You can’t go wrong.

Hide My Ass is also a great choice.  Heck, you even get SSL/OpenVPN which can be used on your Mac (in the same package as PPTP VPN!)