VPN services recommendations
- Thread starter lepa71
- Start date
IronSchramm
Occasional Visitor
I've been using WindScribe Pro for several months now, i'm very happy with it. Although some tunnel countries can be quite slow, but if that's the price of privacy, i'll take it.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
TheManFromUncle
Regular Contributor
I am testing ProtonVPN at the moment. Very satisfied with the speeds I'm getting and the security it seems to offer.
joegreat
Very Senior Member
I always recommend Perfect Privacy: not cheap but best in class due to no logging and other advantages.
psychopomp1
Senior Member
I strongly recommend you stay away from NordVPN - unless you're happy with 3mb/s vpn speeds to any server in the world. Otherwise I would highly recommend vpn.ac or airvpn.org both of whom are top quality VPNs with top class support.
joegreat
Very Senior Member
Really? I would say that the Dedicated VPN IP Feature is the opposite of a save and private VPN service!?
Good that TorGuard explains: What is the difference between Shared and Dedicated IP VPN Service?
Xentrk
Part of the Furniture
I recall reading that awhile back. I concur, for safe and private, a shared connection is best.Really? I would say that the Dedicated VPN IP Feature is the opposite of a save and private VPN service!?
Good that TorGuard explains: What is the difference between Shared and Dedicated IP VPN Service?
My use case is to stream media from USA. Two large streaming media services block VPN users. The dedicated IP service is able to circumvent the VPN blocks.
Privacy even more important for American citizens since congress voted last week to allow ISP to use and sell a users internet usage.
http://fortune.com/2017/03/28/congress-internet-privacy-rules-vpns/
https://www.wired.com/2017/03/vpns-wont-save-congress-internet-privacy-giveaway/
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-29/how-protect-your-online-privacy-now-congress-sold-you-out
CaptainSTX
Part of the Furniture
Astrill VPN has several servers that Netflix doesn't block . Sitting in Greece now watching Netflix on my US account.
CaptainSTX
Part of the Furniture
Denver1 is the one I am using. There are a couple of others but I don't have my list with me
Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
testing123
Regular Contributor
Not a frequent flyer here. I read here enough to recognize some of the regulars, and have had a few conversations in a thread or two and garnered some good info. One such thread helped me to understand that VPNs aren't what most of us hope.
This thread reinforces that conclusion. A lot of what you IT-Pro type 'regulars' post in some of these threads is way over my head. I do try to cover whatever bases I can, and currently am trying out vpn services, in spite of the info gleaned in the above linked to thread. I'm doing so in the attempt to do what I can to protect privacy, data mining, etc. The more I read, the more I understand what a daunting task this is. Use of a vpn is also said to attract attention that may offset the advantages of a properly chosen vpn service.
But lately, the proportion of privacy concerns that, by all appearances, grow by the day, seem to outweigh the unwanted attention.
All this is to say that I've been on the hunt, and have learned more than I ever wanted to know (still not enough...).
So what to do? I guess a "real" vpn service that doesn't sell or leak data is a start to one layer of security. On that front, I was surprised to see in this thread several mentions of vpns that are on a 'don't use' list found here. I landed there from a link to an excellent article provided by Thiggens. From there, I clicked through to EFF.org's pantoclick and onward.
The vpn service I am trying at the moment is AirVPN. They have good speeds, and if specifically asked, tell you they don't log IP Addresses, Bandwidth, Time stamps or DNS Requests, but their Privacy Policy does not mention that. It only states that they do not log 'Traffic'.
Their PP does say:
Air servers and software procedures acquire only personal data which are strictly necessary for the technical functioning of the service, for example IP address. These data are not collected to identify, through elaboration or any other technique, users' personal identities. These data are not transmitted to third parties.
Pressure from private actors to obtain any data (including but not limited to IP address of users) is an illegal act and Air, in order to protect its business and the users' privacy, reserves the right to inform the competent authorities and prosecute the private entities responsible for such illegal acts.
Which, of course, is an admission that they do indeed log and retain IP Addresses and likely all else that is not explicitly stated as not logged or immediately deleted.
I haven't seen any suggestions as of yet (including in this thread) of a truly reliable vpn that checks all the boxes. Mullvad <-- seems to be the closest privacy-wise so far (although they are located in Sweden, a 'Fourteen Eyes Country'). I tried them at the beginning of my search, but found their speeds too slow on the router vpn. But I was at the beginning of my learning curve and may be able to coax more speed out of them. What I like about them is that their PP explicitly states that they do not log anything mentioned above. Plus they don't ask for any personal info and allow anonymous payment.
But beyond that, the govt, marketers, etc. have more ways to keep up with us than we have ways (or funds) to stop them.
So, the bottom-line question: Are there economical and practical ways to protect oneself as much as is possible? I think (hope) an actually real vpn is a good start, along with a good browser such as firefox with security addons (yet even FF is "fingerprinted" and can be tracked using my addons and a few other things...see here). The real vpn is still to be found, I guess. Any suggestions not covered?
OK, this is entirely too long, and I actually came to check out what router might help increase vpn speeds for the devices I put through the router vpn. I'm thinking the RT-AC68U, maybe in a dual router setup (vpn/normal traffic) with my RT-N66U, if anyone cares to comment.
This thread reinforces that conclusion. A lot of what you IT-Pro type 'regulars' post in some of these threads is way over my head. I do try to cover whatever bases I can, and currently am trying out vpn services, in spite of the info gleaned in the above linked to thread. I'm doing so in the attempt to do what I can to protect privacy, data mining, etc. The more I read, the more I understand what a daunting task this is. Use of a vpn is also said to attract attention that may offset the advantages of a properly chosen vpn service.
But lately, the proportion of privacy concerns that, by all appearances, grow by the day, seem to outweigh the unwanted attention.
All this is to say that I've been on the hunt, and have learned more than I ever wanted to know (still not enough...).
So what to do? I guess a "real" vpn service that doesn't sell or leak data is a start to one layer of security. On that front, I was surprised to see in this thread several mentions of vpns that are on a 'don't use' list found here. I landed there from a link to an excellent article provided by Thiggens. From there, I clicked through to EFF.org's pantoclick and onward.
The vpn service I am trying at the moment is AirVPN. They have good speeds, and if specifically asked, tell you they don't log IP Addresses, Bandwidth, Time stamps or DNS Requests, but their Privacy Policy does not mention that. It only states that they do not log 'Traffic'.
Their PP does say:
Air servers and software procedures acquire only personal data which are strictly necessary for the technical functioning of the service, for example IP address. These data are not collected to identify, through elaboration or any other technique, users' personal identities. These data are not transmitted to third parties.
Pressure from private actors to obtain any data (including but not limited to IP address of users) is an illegal act and Air, in order to protect its business and the users' privacy, reserves the right to inform the competent authorities and prosecute the private entities responsible for such illegal acts.
Which, of course, is an admission that they do indeed log and retain IP Addresses and likely all else that is not explicitly stated as not logged or immediately deleted.
I haven't seen any suggestions as of yet (including in this thread) of a truly reliable vpn that checks all the boxes. Mullvad <-- seems to be the closest privacy-wise so far (although they are located in Sweden, a 'Fourteen Eyes Country'). I tried them at the beginning of my search, but found their speeds too slow on the router vpn. But I was at the beginning of my learning curve and may be able to coax more speed out of them. What I like about them is that their PP explicitly states that they do not log anything mentioned above. Plus they don't ask for any personal info and allow anonymous payment.
But beyond that, the govt, marketers, etc. have more ways to keep up with us than we have ways (or funds) to stop them.
So, the bottom-line question: Are there economical and practical ways to protect oneself as much as is possible? I think (hope) an actually real vpn is a good start, along with a good browser such as firefox with security addons (yet even FF is "fingerprinted" and can be tracked using my addons and a few other things...see here). The real vpn is still to be found, I guess. Any suggestions not covered?
OK, this is entirely too long, and I actually came to check out what router might help increase vpn speeds for the devices I put through the router vpn. I'm thinking the RT-AC68U, maybe in a dual router setup (vpn/normal traffic) with my RT-N66U, if anyone cares to comment.
testing123
Regular Contributor
CaptainSTX
Part of the Furniture
You need to know what a VPN can do and what your purpose is.
If my life and/or freedom depended on secure communications I certainly wouldn't depend on just a VPN for protection.
VPNs will provide somewhat secure communications on a point to point basis, but that isn't what a VPN service is. A VPN service only encrypts your communications from your device running the VPN to their VPN server. Then your transmission is out in the open for the rest of its journey on the WWW.
One thing seldom mentioned about VPNs is that they cripple your router's firewall as it can't inspect the contents of the packets received. Your VPN provider can restore the protection of your firewall by enabling a NAT firewall at their end. Astrill does offer this service for a price.
What I use my VPN for is protect my mobile devices from man in the middle attacks when away from home. This is effective protection but if your are communicating with sites using https.
Finally I use my VPN to geo block so my wife can watch European content in the USA and when we are in Europe I can watch USA content.
testing123
Regular Contributor
Secure communications aren't essential to my needs, but I am interested in as much privacy as is available. Not much, these days, it seems. I do understand that a vpn isn't the end all-be all. At the moment, just as a matter of privacy, I like that MY IP can't see & log every single search I make or page I land on (of course, the vpn can...).
Those searches, etc take place on a machine that is not using the router vpn, but rather on a system with the windows vpn client installed and selectively turned on.
The router vpn is used for streaming, an IP cam (no ports open to outside) and a few mobile devices that happen to be on those subnets.
My 'security & privacy' decisions (limited in knowledge...) are based on the assumption that the best to be hoped for requires 'Layers' of protection. I think a vpn is part of that.
I've not heard this. An obvious concern. How does this apply to:
- Devices behind an additional router (subnetted, firewall intact at default settings...wrt54g, if that helps)?
- PC using client (I assume this eliminates the risk, since the packets first pass as normal traffic through the router (not redirected to the vpn via OPVN whitelisting)?
Is that 'effectiveness' maintained in all instances if using the FF addon https everywhere?
I'm still learning what a vpn can and can't accomplish for my needs (and what those are, for that matter).
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Royi
New Around Here
I would follow That One Privacy Site.
It seems, according to his review, that AirVPN are decent.
Other mentioned here (Like PerfectPrivacy) are not recommended.
I'm waiting for his review on Mullvad.
It seems, according to his review, that AirVPN are decent.
Other mentioned here (Like PerfectPrivacy) are not recommended.
I'm waiting for his review on Mullvad.
joegreat
Very Senior Member
Reading the reviews on this site, I would not trust it at all, as it's to me only ONE biased opinion with no real long test or usage experience with the VPN providers listed!
I am missing any valuable evaluation of the VPN service in respect of
- Privacy (Ts&Cs, Setup and handling of requests for seizure, customer data, VPN company structure, etc.),
- value for money (servers vs. speeds vs. usage of multiple servers),
- and so on...
It evaluates only the setup, money back and a fake support case with some speed tests (but without any value as is does to cover thinks like time of the day nor the overall load/capacity of the servers).
I could write this kind of lousy review within a day or two for each of the VPNs - this does not say ANYTHING about the quality, privacy and value of the VPNs in the long run usage!!!
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While some of these providers (like PIA) do seem to have a good reputation with the community, if privacy was what I was after, I would never hand out the keys to any of these providers, and would rather roll my own VPN server with a reputable VPS provider. Sure, that provider could still be providing info (or be compromised), but at least they aren't as visible a target as a dedicated VPN provider, which specializes in gathering all those "suspicious" Internet users that other parties might be interested in. Just like Tor nodes are very juicy targets for government agencies.
If I were a malicious entity, I would try to compromise either those VPN providers, or their upstream providers. These are tempting honeypots for a malicious entity.
But ultimately, it's impossible to be 100% safe. You ALWAYS leave a trace somewhere once you're on the Internet. It's simply inherent to how the Internet works, as third parties will relay your traffic to the intended destination - you cannot control the whole transit between both endpoints, no matter how hard you tried.
Those VPN providers are great for hiding your traffic from your ISP, or from whatever public location you are (for instance when accessing the Internet at a public hotspot). They cannot guarantee privacy however against any governmental agencies.
Just understand what those providers can, and cannot do.
If I were a malicious entity, I would try to compromise either those VPN providers, or their upstream providers. These are tempting honeypots for a malicious entity.
But ultimately, it's impossible to be 100% safe. You ALWAYS leave a trace somewhere once you're on the Internet. It's simply inherent to how the Internet works, as third parties will relay your traffic to the intended destination - you cannot control the whole transit between both endpoints, no matter how hard you tried.
Those VPN providers are great for hiding your traffic from your ISP, or from whatever public location you are (for instance when accessing the Internet at a public hotspot). They cannot guarantee privacy however against any governmental agencies.
Just understand what those providers can, and cannot do.
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