VPN

I have been using Express VPN for a couple years. I haven't used any other so I can't compare however, I am very happy with it.

Tunnellbear thats supposed to be fairly good..

I know some folks that swear by it, but I've no real experience with it.

With my Netgear router and OpenVPN I can create a VPN connection to my router at home. You also have to use a dynamic DNS service but there are free ones available.

If you don't have a router that can do this, ProtonVPN comes highly recommended.

I use ProtonVPN on my laptop when traveling and using WiFi that are public. Also, on my Android phone I do the same, TurboVPN.

I have only limited experience with it, but it seems to work very well/easily on my Mac.

I tried ProtonVPN, but it didn't have a native iOS app, ExpressVPN does and is very easy to use.

I use two free ones, but not 100% of the time, only use them selectively when I need to. I do not turn them on when I see no reason to use VPN.

1.) Windscribe offers you 10GB free usage on a computer, Android or IOS. Free 10 GB per month.

https://windscribe.com/

2.) YOGA VPN on IOS and Android, you have to do certain things to build up free usage credits.

https://yoga-free-vpn-unlimited-vpn-ios.soft112.com/

...never had occasion to use VPN. I don't know much about any of the providers.

I'll give you an example:
Friends winter in Mexico and have Netflix where they live. But from Mexico using a Mexican ISP their Netflix account is blocked.
By using a VPN you can make yourself appear as if you are in your home country and Netflix will work.

I just spent 2 weeks in Russia but using VPN it looked like I was using a German ISP. This lets you bypass certain restrictions.

The Opera browser has one built in, I don't really do anything where I'd need one but I have posted test posts in a forum I an an admin on to see the different IP's and it does work to mask your IP although I don't think it has many layers to it and wouldn't be hard for a tech savvy person to break.

I have used VPN Unlimited for some time. It has generally served me well. I use it for some financial stuff, and it also works on my iphone so when I'm using public wifi I have an encrypted tunnel. On the computer, for most stuff, I just use 'HTTPS Everywhere' extension to encrypt website communications. Might still get hacked, but at least I'll feel like I tried.

Facebook is starting to offer a VPN service. DON'T use that one. They track everything you do (just like on Facebook). To mean it kind of defeats the purpose of using a VPN.

This is a great topic, but what moved you to post it on a GPS POI forum?

google 'vpn review' and you will get a lot more info. But personally, I would not look at the pcmag reviews. It takes $$$ to get on their list.

Yes, it is a gps enthusiasts forum. This thread is in the "Open Talk" section which is available for non-gps topics.

Why post here in addition to just doing a google search? I think the regular members here have come to trust and respect the knowledge, opinions and broad interest base of the other members on many topics other than GPS issues. So this is as good of a place as any to seek advice on many different technologies.

I use Windscribe when I am at a public WiFi location. It works well enough for me.

It is a good idea to discuss this subject, because a Google search for VPN will just result in numerous fake review sites that are trying to get you to click on a commission link.

Always love forums that include an off topic area because of exactly what you said, you get to know these cyber folks on a variety of levels and the knowledge base among them is amazing on all sorts of topics.

I also use my own ‘OpenVPN’ with my home router (Asus),
BUT
DON'T USE THIS METHOD if you’re wanting to hide your IP address … this will broadcast your home IP. I use a commercial VPN for the few times I want to hide it.

Also, not all VPNs (and Browsers) are created equal. See:
https://www.vpnuniversity.com/guide/vpn-test
to check yours.

This test will give you a good idea how ‘open’ your VPN may be. Run it with your VPN on:
https://whoer.net/
One thing to check is if WebRTC is disabled. Here’s what it is and its problem:
https://blog.ipvanish.com/webrtc-security-hole-leaks-real-ip...

RT

Depends what the OP's intentions are. I haven't set one up to hide my IP.

I do use one often when traveling. At home I run sophos utm home edition where I have openvpn and L2TP/IPsec configured. I prefer the latter because it's also certificate based and windows has built in support for it. It also seems to have lower overhead.

I haven't been able to truly test speeds because no one I know has a pipe of 300 mbps or faster. Service at home is symmetrical gigabit.

Sophos is run under esxi with 6gb ram, i5 6500 cpu with 4 cores allocated..

On android speed doesn't really matter as much so I use openvpn for ease of configuration. I have an l2tp/ipsec profile also configured but cricket does some weird things with its public ip's so a connection is made maybe 1 out of 10 times. No issues with other providers.

Interesting. I have been using Opera for many, many years, primarily because of its reputation for security. However, I have never had an occasion when I felt I needed to use a VPN, and I had completely forgotten about that feature of Opera.

- Tom -

I'm not sure what you're referring to. When using a commercial VPN, you don't have to 'set one up to hide my IP', it is HIDDEN!

Assuming the VPN is working correctly:
If you use a commercial VPN, the VPN's server's Public IP is what's broadcasted to the internet, thus 'hiding' your originating router/modem's Public IP.

If you're using OpenVPN to your home network's router, your home network's Public IP is being broadcasted ... same as if you're sitting in your easy chair at home using your home network.

This is not a problem if you don't care if your home network's Public IP is broadcasted; but a lot of users have a VPN just for that reason ... they don't want their home network's Public IP known.

Note:
("When most anyone talks about an IP address in general, the public one is the one they're referring to. It's also the most important one in your daily life: Your public IP address—every other network and computer in the world will know your computer by when you're actively on the Internet." -- from whatismyipaddress.com). The Public IP is also known as 'External IP' and "WAN IP'.

RT

You might be interested in:
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/opera-vpn,review-4496.html

RT

I'm also in a forum where you can post "Test" messages. I used it to test my FREE VPN. Made several posts and each time using the VPN set to a different country.

Looking at the test messages each one showed me as coming from a different location, nothing close to my real ISP !

For home I don't use a VPN. I set my router to not broadcast my wifi so I feel no need for this at home. I also set my router to not allow any new connections.
When I am out and on public WiFI I use Norton. It works great for me.

Mary

Yes, I was aware of that, well at least that it's not a true VPN and only works while browsing with the Opera browser. A true VPN is always working no matter what's open or not.

I’ve been using the VPN that came with my Usenet service. Usenetexpress