Hey everyone. So I got my Pixel 4XL about a month ago. One of my favorite features was the built in Fi VPN. However I couldn’t really find any comparisons or reviews comparing Fi’s VPN to other well established VPN services.
Anyone have any reviews or knowledge about how Fi’s VPN stacks against others?
Fi’s vpn protects your data from everyone other than you and Fi, so no one else could intercept your data and read what you’re doing. It does not protect your data between you and Fi in that a Fi server decrypts the data at the endpoint and can see everything that you do (if they wanted). So if you were doing illegal stuff, like downloading copyrighted content for example, Fi would be able to see that you are doing that. Other VPN services would protect your data in that regard.
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You’re just transferring where the peeping eyes are. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just a matter of if you trust Google over any other provider.
The Fi VPN is pretty basic (no choice of servers, protocol, etc.), but it is automatic and integrated into the system better than other VPNs. I was always a little skeptical of it, however, due to Google’s interest in building out advertising profiles and selling ads based on that gathered information. I feel like the VPN option Google offers may be a legal maneuver to allow them to more deeply inspect internet traffic and use it for ad profiles (i.e. they are our ISP on the phone, but when using the VPN, they are a service over the top…ISPs may be more heavily restricted with regard to what data they may log and use for advertising). I prefer to use a VPN service that I pay for and that is privacy-focused. I also don’t use my VPN all the time. I only use it when I distrust a network I’m attached to and/or I am doing something I’d rather keep more private than usual, such as looking up a medical condition.
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While I’m not doing any illegal stuff, like download pirated movies, I see your point. And it sounds like you’re saying my data will be more protected and kept private by another VPN, like Express VPN or something. That’s a biggie for me. Like would Fi turn me in if I did start downloaded a bunch of pirated copyrighted material where Express would not?
So in short only Fi and you know everything you do but 3rd party vpns knows nothing you do?
Thanks for sharing your experience. Now if only I could get Fi’s VPN on my laptop for free lol.
I used express for years and loved it. Never really had any trouble on my phone, but I typically only used on public WiFi. I’ve trialed a few others but none of them matched express’s speed (at least in Dallas/fort worth area where I was at till recently). Ended up not renewing cos I need to find one with a static IP option which express unfortunately didn’t have. As I’ve found a workaround for the IP issue (work related), I’ll probably end up getting back with express eventually. Don’t really need it currently cos of being quarantined and all that.
Good questions. I would say my biggest concern is just overall security. I’m not as worried about public wi-fi because I don’t use those much. Was also considering whether I should get a paid VPN service that I can also use on my laptop. For example, I have BitDefender on all my devices and I can pay to activate their VPN. It’s been rated fine, easy of use etc. But there are more secure VPNs out there. I’m far from a security expert, but it seems like how many global servers etc. are certain measures.
I’m learning, just after posting this question and doing research on the answers, that VPN really is one of the wild wests of the security world where there’s actual innovation to be had. Also, so much of the speed depends on your country. That’s very interesting.
Makes sense. And I suppose it’s matter of whether I want to add a VPN to my laptop as well. I’m not doing anything serious on my personal computer, like running a business or something. And like I said, I have BitDefender on all my devices. I suppose the topping point would be if there are some clear benefits to using another VPN service, then I’d just get that and add it to all my devices.
Completely agree. There is a big trust issue with Google, however better than traditional ISPs. The only network I’d really want to protect myself from is my work internet. My office is in a complete dead zone, so I have to connect through the (secured) wi-fi. But I also don’t need to be getting trouble for accidentally hitting an NSFW pic while surfing reddit on my phone at work lol. I don’t know if any VPN will help me with that since I have to log onto the wifi with my ID here.
Can you elaborate? Someone else recommended Mullvad as well.
I would just like to clarify what OP is saying here:
Fi server decrypts the data at the endpoint and can see everything that you do (if they wanted)
They can decrypt the VPN traffic but they can not decrypt the underlying TLS traffic which is what most Internet traffic is these days.
What FI could potentially see is the initial websites you are connecting to e.g. “reddit.com”, but not what pages you are going to on that website or any of the raw traffic between you and Reddit, or even follow up website addresses as they will just see the IP connections (which in fairness can be reversed). But they can estimate the amount of traffic and other statistics.
Only if the traffic between you and the website is unencrypted (e.g. HTTP instead of HTTPS) can the VPN see your raw data, and that is increasingly rare.
As for your question about would Fi “turn you in”. First let’s consider who could turn you in without a VPN. The answer is the underlying ISPs, T Mobile and/or Sprint for cellular and whoever is the the ISP of the WiFi connection otherwise.
These companies are U.S based and subject to U.S laws, out of those which Google has publicly fought legal requests far more, but most big information companies are known to get secret FISA requests that they comply with. I would not assume differently for most VPNs, if they are wholly U.S owned (it gets more tricky if they are foreign) they may not keep logs but that’s not to say they aren’t getting secret U.S orders to install software that taps user records. But if you’re just worried about Film or Music legal requests and not the U.S government then a well respected 3rd party VPN should be good, Google is probably fine, and T Mobile / Sprint will likely happy turn all your data over.
In fact for me I’m more worried that these T Mobile or Sprint selling that data to 3rd party than I am about Google. Google is usually pretty jealous about keeping user data and usually provides some way for the user to delete it even it requires really digging around.
Like would Fi turn me in if I did start downloaded a bunch of pirated copyrighted material where Express would not?
I doubt they care, but they might keep records in case they get a court order.
I presume Fi would absolutely obey DMCA copyright claims and respond accordingly.
Many VPN services advertise they do not retain any customer info/data in terms of browsing content, and is secured by your own key. So without your key, they couldn’t do anything anyway. I’m not up on the latest VPN services offerings, but there are more than a handful of privacy-first services that lots of people rely on.
I’d go with Express VPN personally. It has a great track record and doesn’t keep logs. I’d recommend Private Internet Access too, but in some testing I did a month ago, it was edged out by Express VPN speed-wise…and PIA is also under a lot of scrutiny from the VPN community after it was bought out by Kape Technologies.
With Fi VPN, you can use public Wifi, such as at grocery stores. Then you don’t have to worry about data charges while you video chat with the person who will yell at you if you get the wrong groceries.