[Consolidated] VPN Provider Recommendations
Feb 23, 2015, 6:57 am
#151
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BWI,IAD,DCA
Programs: UA gold, Hyatt Plat Marriott silver,Hilton Gold, PC Plat., SPG Gold.,Hertz Gold, Global Entry
Posts: 650
I've only tried a couple of free solutions.
First was Open VPN. But many of the servers listed on VPN gate don't work. Many you can't even ping.
Then tried VPNBook. I did connect and got HBO Go to work from Buenos Aires but it was slow and had long buffering pauses.
Have a 2 week trip coming up at the end of April so will have to figure out something else.
First was Open VPN. But many of the servers listed on VPN gate don't work. Many you can't even ping.
Then tried VPNBook. I did connect and got HBO Go to work from Buenos Aires but it was slow and had long buffering pauses.
Have a 2 week trip coming up at the end of April so will have to figure out something else.
Feb 23, 2015, 8:12 am
#153
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Found good reviews of Private Internet Access, which is $40 a year?
Actually, I was using VPN on my iMac at home last year and it worked well in Amsterdam.
But I had to upgrade to Yosemite 10.10 and it's not as stable. For some reason, I can't reach it at all now so it may be crashed.
Actually, I was using VPN on my iMac at home last year and it worked well in Amsterdam.
But I had to upgrade to Yosemite 10.10 and it's not as stable. For some reason, I can't reach it at all now so it may be crashed.
Feb 23, 2015, 8:19 am
#155
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: HaMerkaz/Exit 145
Programs: UA, LY, BA, AA
Posts: 13,167
Tech question - what do I need if I need to make changes to my router/modem? I need to access American sites via my Chromecast, so things that operate through my browser aren't enough.
Feb 23, 2015, 8:27 am
#156
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 3,537
I've only tried a couple of free solutions.
First was Open VPN. But many of the servers listed on VPN gate don't work. Many you can't even ping.
Then tried VPNBook. I did connect and got HBO Go to work from Buenos Aires but it was slow and had long buffering pauses.
Have a 2 week trip coming up at the end of April so will have to figure out something else.
First was Open VPN. But many of the servers listed on VPN gate don't work. Many you can't even ping.
Then tried VPNBook. I did connect and got HBO Go to work from Buenos Aires but it was slow and had long buffering pauses.
Have a 2 week trip coming up at the end of April so will have to figure out something else.
Free providers like VPNgate and VPNbook are rarely fast enough to stream and never stable enough.
You'll need to VPN on the router, which is it's own challenge as most consumer routers neither have the software nor the CPU to VPN in a stable manner. Setup a pfSense box? That'll be the fastest. Use OpenVPN UDP.
Feb 23, 2015, 9:22 am
#157
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA Silver, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 21,561
If you Google the make/model of your router plus "VPN", you should be able to see how easy it is to setup VPN on it.
Feb 23, 2015, 9:34 am
#158
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: HaMerkaz/Exit 145
Programs: UA, LY, BA, AA
Posts: 13,167
Feb 23, 2015, 11:02 am
#159
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: ORD
Posts: 14,231
You'd need a router whose firmware supports being a VPN client and tunneling everything through the VPN. I'm not sure which, if any, consumer routers support this out of the box. You could buy a commercial router (check out Cradlepoint stuff - usually feature filled and not too expensive). Or you could put a custom firmware on your router if it supports such things. As I've mentioned many times, I prefer Tomato but DD-WRT is also a popular choice.
Feb 23, 2015, 11:34 am
#160
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA Silver, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 21,561
You'd need a router whose firmware supports being a VPN client and tunneling everything through the VPN. I'm not sure which, if any, consumer routers support this out of the box. You could buy a commercial router (check out Cradlepoint stuff - usually feature filled and not too expensive). Or you could put a custom firmware on your router if it supports such things. As I've mentioned many times, I prefer Tomato but DD-WRT is also a popular choice.
You can also purchased pre-configured routers from places like TorGuard...
https://torguard.net/store/
Feb 23, 2015, 12:14 pm
#162
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Tri-State Area
Posts: 4,728
I had been using witopia.net exclusively for many years on all my apple devices but recently discovered they're not torrent friendly.
So I added PIA and have been using it for about one month. I do note they don't have as many servers, either stateside or overseas. And the wait for on-line chat is longer than witopia. But as you noted, they are only $40 per year. It's too early to come to any conclusions....haven't tested when overseas just yet.
YMMV, good luck!
So I added PIA and have been using it for about one month. I do note they don't have as many servers, either stateside or overseas. And the wait for on-line chat is longer than witopia. But as you noted, they are only $40 per year. It's too early to come to any conclusions....haven't tested when overseas just yet.
YMMV, good luck!
Feb 23, 2015, 3:06 pm
#163
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Presumably I could get one of the models shown at that torguard site for a lot less and flash it myself?
Edit: hmm this list indicates which ones can be flashed:
http://lifehacker.com/5920709/five-b...-wi-fi-routers
Feb 23, 2015, 11:27 pm
#165
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 38
For free VPN (client required), I use ProXPN. It does require a client install, however, it's also possible to configure it to work with OpenVPN instead. The free account is rather slow, but works pretty well.
For paid VPN, I like HMA as it allows 2 simultaneous connections. I use it on my phone/laptop and at home. At home, I'm using it with Shibby on my Asus RT-N66U.
For paid VPN, I like HMA as it allows 2 simultaneous connections. I use it on my phone/laptop and at home. At home, I'm using it with Shibby on my Asus RT-N66U.