Post: #1

Hi all,

I'm interested in getting a VPN account set up for my PCs at home, but know little of the lingo. There's a list here that I was looking at:


http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-servic...on-140315/

I was hopeful someone here could make some suggestions please?

Post: #2

no complaints with boxpn

Post: #3

I have been using vpn4all for the past year, no complaints and great features

Post: #4

I've been using Spotflux for the past few months. Works very well, good speeds, easy to use.

The free version is solid and will give you a good idea of what the service is like.

After a while I went ahead and bought the premier version which costs $30/year that you can use on five devices. So I have my laptop, tablet and iPhone all covered and secured when I use wifi.

Post: #5

Any opinions on Hide My Ass pay version?

Post: #6

(04-16-2014 11:40 PM)Nemausus Wrote:  I've been using Spotflux for the past few months. Works very well, good speeds, easy to use.

The free version is solid and will give you a good idea of what the service is like.

After a while I went ahead and bought the premier version which costs $30/year that you can use on five devices. So I have my laptop, tablet and iPhone all covered and secured when I use wifi.

I've met the CEO of Spotflux in person. Really smart guy, and a solid product.


I use WiTopia. I think I'm paying $49.99/year. It's fine, and it also has mobile functionality which is nice

Post: #7

(04-17-2014 02:26 AM)Rutting Elephant Wrote:  Any opinions on Hide My Ass pay version?

Don't use them. They lost all credibility once they sold out to police inquiries

http://www.thewire.com/technology/2011/0...him/42895/

Post: #8

BoxPN served me well in China. I still use it to hide my tracks as it's so freaking embarrassing using dating sites at home then Google ads with half naked chicks showing on your work PC!

The downside is that you might need to configure PPTP on your router to get a stable connection (not easy if you're in a hotel/rented accommodation and they haven't changed the default router password!).

Post: #9

What are you guys using these days?

I am doing some planning and want access to various things including Netflix and Amazon prime. These are blocked outside the US but VPNs can make it work, right?

Post: #10

I use open VPN per the dark web.

Post: #11

I'm no guru on this topic, but here's what I use:

Open VPN, paid, roughly the same as netflix per month.

Https everywhere (EFF might be part of the NSA which, as far as I know, i'm the only one to say that)

Ghostery OR Disconnect (Not both)

I use MalwareBytes Free and SpyBot Search&Destroy to check for malware/spyware and I use the less renown but widely used Avast Anti-virus (I reccomend using AVG free and KeyPass with the paid Kolab email and an obscure linux distro if you're really cool)

And Kolab for email for everything. If you use Google/andriod at all you might as well be using nothing (duckduckgo sucks as a browser but using !googe "bangs" and contributing to DDG's data is good but annoying) so find a way to extract yourself from the helpful but invasive google suite (using owncloud to replace google drive) if you really want to un-grid.

I would like to (but don't wait for it) post a datasheet on best practice internet usage, but feel I'm less qualified than some of the men here (lookin' at you greekgod).

Either way, that's a slice (no pun) of my setup.

Post: #12

I use Astrill and it works flawlessly. But I think it's better suited to the needs of the China residence than what you are looking for.

Post: #13

I use PIA, privateinternetaccess.com

I can't remember where, but a couple different computer security people I read recommended it, if that means anything. I pay $6.95/month or you can pay for a year at $39.95 (just realized this, damn it). Works great. Lot of servers to choose from around the world.

I set it up with Tunnelblick on my mac, its an OpenVPN client.

Post: #14

(12-17-2015 02:19 AM)GlobalMan Wrote:  I use PIA, privateinternetaccess.com

I can't remember where, but a couple different computer security people I read recommended it, if that means anything. I pay $6.95/month or you can pay for a year at $39.95 (just realized this, damn it). Works great. Lot of locations to choose from around the world.

My bad, this is the VPN I use. I'm like 3 bottles of merlot deep at this point.

Global, have you noticed it's mad slow sometimes? Optimization for my system might be my issue.

Post: #15

(12-17-2015 02:21 AM)h3ltrsk3ltr Wrote:  

(12-17-2015 02:19 AM)GlobalMan Wrote:  I use PIA, privateinternetaccess.com

I can't remember where, but a couple different computer security people I read recommended it, if that means anything. I pay $6.95/month or you can pay for a year at $39.95 (just realized this, damn it). Works great. Lot of locations to choose from around the world.

My bad, this is the VPN I use. I'm like 3 bottles of merlot deep at this point.

Global, have you noticed it's mad slow sometimes? Optimization for my system might be my issue.

I don't have any issues these days really, but I did at one point and it was something with the OpenVPN client, which I resolved somehow, I think re-installing. I'm not even sure how I fixed it honestly.

As fas as the VPN itself, when I choose Canada or U.S. I don't experience much latency, but it can happen when I choose EU. Try Toronto, that's the best for me. Otherwise it may be your configuration. Tunnelblick works well for me now.

Post: #16

I used PIA as well, some of the country choices get blocked on certain sites (some got blocked on RvF) but it isn't hard to switch to another country fast. I mostly used it for downloading shows/movies/etc. torrents, but I don't do that anymore, so I haven't renewed.

There is a christmas/holidays sale right now on PIA, $35/yr, $60/2yrs, $15/3mo. I paid $40/yr when I had it, not sure if that was a sale price or regular, or if their prices went up.

Post: #17

My company provides Astrix whenever I go for business to China and it has been quite decent, no complaints.

Heard good things on PIA and Spotflux too.

Post: #18

I keep hearing about VPNs. Forgive my ignorance by what do they do and what use are they?

Post: #19

VPN is Virtual Private Network, which from what I understand, encrypts your internet connection and funnels it through a server in the US or EU. Your IP address will be based in either one of those countries, but will also be private so you could use torrents if you wanted.

Using the internet this way is safer than using wifi without VPN in some random cafe in SEA, where someone a couple tables away could be listening into your unencrypted connection when you log into your bank account or something.

I don't use it yet, but plan to choose a VPN service before I move to SEA.

Post: #20

Due to recent changes in legislation, VPN's became a big thing here in Australia :

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/06/the-be...d-to-know/

Post: #21

I've been using IP Vanish. I signed up for their one month free trial. They were meant to start charging me afterwards, but for some reason no deductions have ever been made through my paypal. Weird. But I'm not complaining.

Post: #22

I use PIA and IP Vanish depending on the device.

Post: #23

I use StrongVPN. I think it's something like $55/year but stability and speed is great. It also offers upgrades if you want a personal VPN for your smartphone.

Post: #24

PIA user here, it worked like a charm all summer and I haven't had much issues with it.

Some sites block the IPs that PIA uses, but just disconnect and then reconnect or manually select somewhere else to connect usually does the trick.

I did a lot of research on VPNs before choosing PIA and as far as I could tell PIA had the most good things/least bad things said about it.

They did have a security leak recently that affected a small number of users, but they notified everyone via. email and pushed through an auto-update to fix it. That's about the only thing, and I don't think it's fair to blame them for that.

Post: #25

what happened to TOR? I thought it was by far the most popular VPN but no one seems to be using it.