Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

[blue934]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

[QUOTE=thekorvers;2034480]check out Internet Download Manager (IDM).

I will definitely check this out.

[blue934]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

All good info. Most of my work and all my torrents are done on my PC which is hard wired to router. Most streaming (Amazon, Netflix, etc) will be done on laptop, BD player, smart tv, or WD live using wifi so Silver's suggestion of running VPN in office and DNS elsewhere sounds logical. DNS service appears cheap.
The reason I was asking about selective sites with the VPN is speed. I thought if I wasn't worried about fooling anyone for geral browsing there was no use being slowed down by rerouting the data. In my searches I found one VPN service that offered this but they had a negative for me. Limited bandwidth IIRK.
Someone explained to me today how to change the IP in BD player or smart tv to get American Netflix. I wonder if this will help with amazon also?

David

[thekorvers]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

By the way, if you download a lot as I do, check out Internet Download Manager (IDM). It is one of the best of the substantial number I have tested over the years. Nice, clean and easy with frequent and smooth updates. It will pick up broken downloads and finish them. It is not a torrent program, but for regular downloads it is great IMO. I have been using it for years. They have a 30 day trial period. Cost is small ($24.95):

http://download.cnet.com/Internet-Download-Manager/3000-2071_4-10071618.html

I haven't looked much lately, but there are some other ones that seem interesting. A few even have a torrent program built in:

http://download.cnet.com/GetRight/3000-2071_4-10005533.html

[Silver1omo]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

PIA being a "real" VPN (you need to install a client on the PC) might not be usable the way the OP wants to.
The DNS proxy would be more usable (at least for streaming) as you only need to configure the DNS of the device you want to be able to stream from the US (Netflix, Amazon and other stuff).
If you want to make it "global" for all your devices you set the DNS in the router and it is done.
For torrents and other stuff, I believe the DNS proxy won't help as the premise is that you only will be proxyed as needed.
So, if you want to stream easily in all your devices a DNS proxy will be the route.
If you want to download, stream and what not, a VPN will be better.
And depending on what you have network wise, you may use a VPN in your PC and dual connect to the LAN and setup a DNS or proxy (or both...) to "share" the VPN with the other devices (more involved and depending on how they tie the VPN client, maybe not doable...). Also it might be too CPU intensive on your PC...

[thekorvers]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

Thanks for that very useful reply. That combination ( PIA and KAT/Utorrent) is exactly what I'm considering.
Couple questions - Can you choose which sites you use the VPN on or does it blanket your whole bandwidth when turned on? In order to be a whole house combo (ie, pc,laptop,smart tv) I assume I need a compatible router. If so, what feature am I looking for when choosing said router?

David

The VPN is either on or off and cannot be set for individual sites. I have PIA installed on one computer only (my main desk top), which is hardwired directly to the router. I do all my important stuff on this computer and also my downloads. I use Firefox and uTorrent as well.

I have never investigated the ability to provide VPN service for all the devices in my household using a router, but I think that you have to install it on each computer. I am not sure if there is another solution available for this. I have no need for that as I do all my banking and security sensitive stuff on the one computer. Why do you need it on all your devices and why would you not just leave it on for all your browsing? I seldom turn mine off.

You should be able to get more info on this from PIA, if that is the company you are considering. They seemed to offer what I wanted at the time and had a good rep. I am unfamiliar with others out there.

Good luck.

[blue934]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

Thanks for that very useful reply. That combination ( PIA and KAT/Utorrent) is exactly what I'm considering.
Couple questions - Can you choose which sites you use the VPN on or does it blanket your whole bandwidth when turned on? In order to be a whole house combo (ie, pc,laptop,smart tv) I assume I need a compatible router. If so, what feature am I looking for when choosing said router?

David

[thekorvers]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

Thanks Silver, will look into them although I have seen good and bad reviews for Unblock us. I like that it will work on smart tv's. don't know if that's the norm or not.
So far VPN4ALL and Privateinternetaccess appear to be viable options maybe.

I had to run off, but I am back now. I never answered your original question, but will do so now:

I have been using a VPN for about 1.5 - 2 years now. The VPN I use is Private Internet Access (PIA). I wanted to increase my privacy and security and enjoy the advantages mentioned by the O.P. in his first post. I also download a lot using torrents (KAT).

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It looks like a private network to the outside world. Data is enveloped when sent. They use the analogy of sending the data through a tube to a server elsewhere unseen by the outside world. There it is resent with a different IP address.

There are some advantages and disadvantages:

There is a cost. If I recall correctly (It has been almost a year since I renewed), PIA charges $39.95/year. I don't find this charge excessive.

Download and install is small and easy. There is a ghostlike looking small icon in my tray which shows whether I am connected through the VPN or not (red or green). It is easy to connect and disconnect. I can choose where my ISP seems to originate, different areas of the US or different countries in the world.



There is a small reduction in speed, but it is not bad. I have a much larger speed fluctuation from my cable provider at different times of the day. I have not encountered it going down. It has thrown me off a few times in the past, but it is obvious when that occurs as the icon is red. Reconnection was quick.

You get content and information for a different area as everyone thinks you are in a different area. A minor inconvenience. You also have to enter passwords and fill out security questions somewhat more often. Again, a minor inconvenience.

All in all, I like it and will keep on renewing my license.

I hope this helps.

[blue934]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

As per Silver's suggestion, I looked up dns providers and that looks like a great option for the out of region websites. Not sure how it works for P2P though.

[blue934]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

Thanks Silver, will look into them although I have seen good and bad reviews for Unblock us. I like that it will work on smart tv's. don't know if that's the norm or not.
So far VPN4ALL and Privateinternetaccess appear to be viable options maybe.

[Silver1omo]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

http://www.unblock-us.com not exactly cheap, but it works.

[Silver1omo]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

I'm not sure I'm understanding how a VPN is going to accomplish this task. Do you have a computer/server/firewall you're VPN-ing into in the USA? Are we talking about proxies?

At this point in life you can use a proxy, a VPN or a dns provider. The faster is a dns, since you only are "redirected" and do not depend that much on their bw. Also, some proxy providers described their services as VPN.

[blue934]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

the OP is primarily looking to have his PC appear to be connected to a US IP address, so he can access American streaming services ...

correct.
Paul, these services provide an alternate ID for your computer so out of country websites can be viewed. Common use for traveling abroad.

[Silver1omo]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

Look for unlock us or any other dns "masking" provider. Alternatively search free us proxy.
Unlock us is not free, but works really well.

[Paul Carmody]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

I'm not sure I'm understanding how a VPN is going to accomplish this task. Do you have a computer/server/firewall you're VPN-ing into in the USA? Are we talking about proxies?

[KevinN]

Re: Any VPN users out there? Help me choose.

XP is not supported anymore or will not be soon. So no security updates in the future. If you are concerned about security, which you seem to be as you are investigating the use of a VPN, you want to switch to Windows 7 or 8. A VPN will accomplish what you are looking for, but it's primary purpose is increased security.

Agree with you - but I believe the OP is primarily looking to have his PC appear to be connected to a US IP address, so he can access American streaming services (not so much for the potential security/privacy benefits of a VPN service)...