The NordVPN team never stops exploring new horizons and innovating their services to provide users with the best experience. The time has come to introduce the latest feature in our portfolio — Meshnet.
You can think of your Meshnet as a decentralized or DIY virtual private network that you create using the NordVPN app and the private devices of NordVPN users you trust. Instead of connecting to a server managed and configured by NordVPN, you can form encrypted connections with devices that you or your friends own.
Once you route your traffic through a Meshnet device, your traffic will be encrypted just like it is when connected to a NordVPN server, but instead of getting a NordVPN server IP address, you’ll have the IP address of the device you’re routing your traffic through.
There are a few key differences that set Meshnet connections apart from your average NordVPN connection:
Meshnet can unlock unprecedented possibilities for users with specific needs in mind. Some of the most common use cases will depend on one or both of these two key characteristics:
Here are just a few of the many ways to take advantage of this:
When Meshnet forms an encrypted connection, those devices can treat each other as if they were on the same local network. Depending on your device and operating system, this can unlock all sorts of connectivity features, including direct file sharing. If you form a Meshnet connection between your laptop and PC and then configure file sharing, you can access your home hard drive from anywhere.
With a more populated Meshnet, a team of colleagues can share files between one another’s devices remotely to facilitate seamless project work.
Some video games allow users to form LAN connections between locally networked devices. This lets players compete with their friends privately, and often with better connectivity. A Meshnet network connection with your own server can be used just like a LAN connection to form a fun match between you and your friends wherever they are.
When you connect to a NordVPN server, you browse the web using the IP address of a server you may potentially share with hundreds of other connections. Meshnet, on the other hand, allows you to use the IP address of whichever private device you connect to. This opens up interesting private functionalities for yourself and your friends.
For more detailed instructions, read our Meshnet user instructions.
Meshnet is available on NordVPN’s Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux apps.
Find out more about Meshnet below!