May 24, 2019, 11:11 am
Last edit by: moondog
If you want to use sites like Google, FB, and Twitter in China, you need a means to bypass government imposed blocks.
Roaming on your home country's network works like a charm, but this can be slow and/or expensive.
Most of us use VPNs or Shadowsocks (the latter requires a bit more legwork because you need to find, and pay for, a good server on your own you want good results).
While this topic is not illegal, we have definitely noticed that over plugging solutions that work well often results in diminished performance (because this makes them targets).
As such, my hope is that we can refrain from using buzzwords or complete company names in this thread. By way of example, "E" is impossible to catch via search, while the company name is easy.
Roaming on your home country's network works like a charm, but this can be slow and/or expensive.
Most of us use VPNs or Shadowsocks (the latter requires a bit more legwork because you need to find, and pay for, a good server on your own you want good results).
While this topic is not illegal, we have definitely noticed that over plugging solutions that work well often results in diminished performance (because this makes them targets).
As such, my hope is that we can refrain from using buzzwords or complete company names in this thread. By way of example, "E" is impossible to catch via search, while the company name is easy.
Best and Fast VPN for China ?
Oct 21, 2019, 9:54 pm
#211
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Oct 21, 2019, 10:33 pm
#212
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With respect to other companies, I haven't found any that I like better than exp, but exp is expensive, and I have friends who claim to get better performance for a fraction of the cost. I don't mind paying a premium for the reliability/dependability of exp, and their performance is good enough for me (e.g. decent Netflix quality is one of my benchmarks).
Last edited by moondog; Oct 21, 2019 at 10:40 pm
Oct 22, 2019, 12:40 am
#213
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Finding Netflix blocked was one of the surprises of the trip given i) the amount of Chinese content on Netflix and ii) that Netflix can and does exercise tight control over what can and cannot be seen based on where you are actually connecting to Netflix from.
Oct 22, 2019, 1:01 am
#214
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The exp people tell me that Netflix frequently blocks specific IP addresses, so finding servers that work (and, are fast) is a bit of a cat and mouse game. This is one of my most frequent customer service requests:"I'm in Shanghai. Please tell me which servers work best on Netflix now". They always answer quickly, and ask me not to share with others [in forums like this] unless I fancy watching half of a movie.
Oct 22, 2019, 1:13 am
#215
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Netflix delivers different content to different regions.
The exp people tell me that Netflix frequently blocks specific IP addresses, so finding servers that work (and, are fast) is a bit of a cat and mouse game. This is one of my most frequent customer service requests:"I'm in Shanghai. Please tell me which servers work best on Netflix now". They always answer quickly, and ask me not to share with others [in forums like this] unless I fancy watching half of a movie.
The exp people tell me that Netflix frequently blocks specific IP addresses, so finding servers that work (and, are fast) is a bit of a cat and mouse game. This is one of my most frequent customer service requests:"I'm in Shanghai. Please tell me which servers work best on Netflix now". They always answer quickly, and ask me not to share with others [in forums like this] unless I fancy watching half of a movie.
Oct 22, 2019, 2:12 am
#216
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Oct 22, 2019, 8:14 am
#217
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A few times a year I've seen sales from ExpressVPN that drops the price down quite a bit. IIRC it's typically not an upfront discount but more like "get x months free" so you end up stuck with them for a while.
I paid for a year last Oct or Nov and it's not set to expire until next March.
I paid for a year last Oct or Nov and it's not set to expire until next March.
Oct 22, 2019, 8:45 am
#218
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Nord was on my list of VPNs that I maybe wanted to try as a backup to Exp. But now, I don't think I'd go with a company that got breached almost two years ago and took 19 months (?!?!?) to disclose it. https://arstechnica.com/information-...ar/?comments=1
Oct 22, 2019, 9:26 am
#219
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A few times a year I've seen sales from ExpressVPN that drops the price down quite a bit. IIRC it's typically not an upfront discount but more like "get x months free" so you end up stuck with them for a while.
I paid for a year last Oct or Nov and it's not set to expire until next March.
I paid for a year last Oct or Nov and it's not set to expire until next March.
Oct 22, 2019, 7:05 pm
#221
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Lucky you!
Oct 22, 2019, 7:10 pm
#223
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A few times a year I've seen sales from ExpressVPN that drops the price down quite a bit. IIRC it's typically not an upfront discount but more like "get x months free" so you end up stuck with them for a while.
I paid for a year last Oct or Nov and it's not set to expire until next March.
I paid for a year last Oct or Nov and it's not set to expire until next March.
My plan is to spend the rest of my stays at Marriott and Accor properties. I’m currently booking my stays one day at a time which means I’m most likely paying more, but I don’t care as this gives me max flexibility. I’ll test out the internet speed with Express. From memory, Ibis internet doesn’t work without a Chinese phone number, at least that was the case in Nanjing. Not sure how it’ll be like in Beijing. I thought being a western chain, there wouldn’t be such restrictions.
Oct 22, 2019, 7:37 pm
#224
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Doesn't matter if you are in a western chain, you are still in China and that chain will use an internet provider which will be restricted via GFW. When I first started coming to SZ (which is close to HK), the hotel I stay at (non-western) was using internet provided through HK, so google and other sites were accessible. They changed that after a while.
I've been paying for Express for 4 years now. Yes it's pricey but overall its reliable and gets the job done. As moondog mentioned, their customer service is very good. There have been times, for various reasons (mostly political) where service has been unreliable. Certain events might trigger Express being shut down for a week or so but at some point, service is restored. I've dabbled with Nord and Shadowsocks but I find both to be require a lot of configuration and maintenance for me. Express is very simple, pick one of the recommended servers and try to connect.
In addition to Express, I also use an HK SIM in the main phone I use in China, along with a Chinese SIM. HK SIM is the fastest and most reliable but also the most expensive option. Since I operate as a sub-contractor with my own corporation, I just take all these as business expenses and both Express and a HK SIM have been very worthwhile for me given the amount of time I spend in China.
I've been paying for Express for 4 years now. Yes it's pricey but overall its reliable and gets the job done. As moondog mentioned, their customer service is very good. There have been times, for various reasons (mostly political) where service has been unreliable. Certain events might trigger Express being shut down for a week or so but at some point, service is restored. I've dabbled with Nord and Shadowsocks but I find both to be require a lot of configuration and maintenance for me. Express is very simple, pick one of the recommended servers and try to connect.
In addition to Express, I also use an HK SIM in the main phone I use in China, along with a Chinese SIM. HK SIM is the fastest and most reliable but also the most expensive option. Since I operate as a sub-contractor with my own corporation, I just take all these as business expenses and both Express and a HK SIM have been very worthwhile for me given the amount of time I spend in China.
Oct 22, 2019, 7:41 pm
#225
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My plan is to spend the rest of my stays at Marriott and Accor properties. I’m currently booking my stays one day at a time which means I’m most likely paying more, but I don’t care as this gives me max flexibility. I’ll test out the internet speed with Express. From memory, Ibis internet doesn’t work without a Chinese phone number, at least that was the case in Nanjing. Not sure how it’ll be like in Beijing. I thought being a western chain, there wouldn’t be such restrictions.