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Best VPNs for remote access in 2024
Take control of your security while working online with these secure VPN solutions
Thanks to an abrupt shift from weekly office life to working from home to hybrid positions, remote working has become the norm. As a result, the need for VPNs has risen. Not just VPNs for streaming, but services that also keep your information, and company data, secure.
At Apple I/O 2022, the company announced its flashy new hardware and software, including a powerful new M2 chipset, redesigned MacBook Air and 13-inch Macbook Pro, as well as iOS 16. Despite all the hubbub, one feature caught my eye: Continuity Camera. With the recent release of MacOS Ventura and iOS 16, Mac users are able to use their iPhones as a webcam without any fiddly setup. It's exactly the kind of thing I'd expect from Apple because the company loves hardware integration. It's also something I think Google should adapt for ChromeOS.
Google Meet is ending unlimited group video calls for free users
1h+ group calls are a now a no-go for free users
Google made unlimited Meet group video calls free when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, but the company never intended this feature to remain available for everyone. The business originally wanted to introduce a long-planned 60-minute limit for free accounts in March this year, but then extended the deadline to June 2021. And well, there's no further delay: June has come and gone, and so have free unlimited calls for everyone.
Google will offer free, unlimited Meet video calls a bit longer
24-hour limit for all users extended to June 2021
There's light at the end of the tunnel for millions of employees forced to work from home, and Google is here for them ... or at least wants to keep Google Meet relevant in the meantime. Previously Google made its Meet video chat platform free and unlimited through March of this year, eschewing the 30-minute limit on free accounts. Now that freebie period has been extended until June 2021.
SignalWire Work is a fully browser-based Zoom alternative with support for 4K video and 100+ participants
It's the exact opposite of free, though
With the work-from-home mindset becoming more and more mainstream in the ongoing pandemic, services like Zoom and Google Meet are rising in popularity to keep teams connected. A new entrant from SignalWire — unimaginatively named 'SignalWire Work' — promises 4K streaming for up to 100 simultaneous users per room, all with no separate client directly from your browser. But it's definitely not free.