Protecting any devices from hackers is a necessary part of doing business. For the most part, Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology is available to small and large businesses, but VPN programs aren’t largely available to the general public. Hotspot Shield Elite is an exception to this rule, since both individuals and companies can use this program alike. Not only is Hotspot Shield Elite easy to use, but it comes with a price tag that most people can justify – this program is also ideal if you own a company and want to protect laptops and other devices that employees use while traveling.
Using Hotspot Shield Elite
During the initial installation process, Hotspot Shield Elite provides an option to install a toolbar. Unlike other programs of this sort, Hotspot Shield Elite will not automatically install a toolbar, which is a great thing (especially if you don’t like to crowd your desktop with too many toolbars). Hotspot will install plugins for both Explorer and Firefox in addition to two Hotspot Shield Helper and Hotspot Shield Class (present in order to monitor VPN activities for both Firefox and Explorer). Unfortunately, Hotspot Shield Elite does not come with a Google Chrome plugin, so keep this in mind if you use Chrome and don’t want to switch to Firefox or Explorer.
After the plugins have been installed, Hotspot will change the overall appearance of each browser, which may or may not be a good thing depending on how you look at it. These changes include Routing Service, Tray Service, and Monitoring Service icons that are installed on the top portion of each browser. It’s also important to note that Hotspot also installs system tray and desktop icons. There is no option to uninstall these icons and users won’t have a chance to skip the icon installation. This reviewer found the installation of icons somewhat intrusive. Otherwise, installing Hotspot Shield Elite is simple enough and didn’t present any real problems.
Features Worth Noting
Basically, Hotspot Shield Elite includes two possible modes: off and on. When the program is turned on, all data is encrypted and sent through AnchorFree servers. When the program is turned off, a system is not protected (easy enough to understand). Remember those somewhat annoying icons? Well, the way to tell whether or not Hotspot Shield Elite is on or off is to simply look at the icons located in any of the aforementioned locations (system tray, desktop, or browser). So, it seems, those icons that are installed without consent are actually an integral part of this program, though one icon would have done the trick!
One additional feature worth noting is the warning feature that comes with Hotspot Elite. If you happen upon a website that’s going to harm your system, you will be notified quickly. This is a nice feature to have and it’s good to know that you won’t be allowed to linger on a harmful site too long. Hotspot Shield Elite does a good overall job of protecting any system from potential danger, and it’s a good idea to consider purchasing this program if you want to keep your system safe while traveling. Hotspot Shield Elite can be purchased for $29.95. A free version of this program is also available, though you will be bombarded with advertisements if you choose the free option.