VPN Service, recommendations?experience?

[bubba]

I have used Witopia VPN for years and have nothing but good words for them. I have heard a lot of good things said for StrongVPN, but Witopia are a bit cheaper (US$50/year for their basic VPN service against $55 for StrongVPN), and Witopia offer many more servers (65 cities in 40 different countries) from which you can choose, whilst StrongVPN give you servers in four countries (Europe and North America only). I have also found their tech support to be very good, with response to tickets usually returning in less than 30 minutes. If you are using OSX, Witopia provide a VPN app that will display a drop down menu in your menu bar that allows you to quickly connect to either their closest server (they have one in Bangkok), or else a server in any other country. If it's UK services you are interested in, they have servers in London and Manchester, both of which have always been fast for me from BKK.

Also, Witopia allows you unlimited switching between servers. StrongVPN allows you ten switches, and they you get charged an additional fee if you go post that.

Quote from their FAQ:

Do you support torrents and P2P services?

We’re a data security and privacy company first and foremost and although torrent technology certainly has many legitimate applications, it is often used in the trading and sharing of copyrighted files with 100,000 of your closest friends.

It is a fact that P2P sites are often riddled with viruses, law enforcement honeypots, identity thieves, as well as, of course, copyrighted material. We also hear regularly from customers that when they subscribed to proxy services that cater to P2P activity they were sometimes attacked through these sites.

Suffice it to say that, all arguments aside, we’d be remiss as a security company to encourage use of these sites so , like most every other VPN provider, we must say that if your goal is to download or upload files that contain copyrighted content without the owner’s permission, please do not do so over our network.

-----------------

So does that mean practically all VPN's discourage or ban the use of torrent sites, or is it just Witopia?

I should preface this by saying I would never EVER use torrent sites to search for movie torrents, and the idea of using something like Transmission to download torrent files is an absolutely repulsive idea. That said, I have "tested" access to torrent sites and downloading torrent files, and neither of those is banned or blocked by Witopia.

I think the statement in their FAQs is more of a 'CYA' than anything else. They didn't say they banned or blocked such sites and services...they just said that they do not encourage them and asked users not to use Witopia to access them.

Edited July 30, 2013 by bubba

[bubba]

No of course not, this is not about upholding the law, Witopia is not Judge Dredd reborn for the internet, the only reason is that you are squirming out of paying higher bandwidth charges for the popularity of P2P traffic. We would respect you for being honest rather than making up lies.

No worries, Cuban...and no need to get all morally outraged and stuff. And maybe you haven't tried Witopia to understand whether torrenting and other P2P services work with their VPN service.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, P2P has always worked with Witopia - they don't block or throttle them. I am sure the statement in their FAQ is CYA and also a semi-legal statement saying they don't encourage or approve of P2P, they warned you already, and their services are not meant to anonymise users to protect them from downloading pirated material. Maybe this would help protect them should the next bit torrent lawsuit name them as one of the defendants, since they could otherwise be considered as providing network services that facilitated the illegal downloader.

[mjef]

As far as I know (since I have setup my own VPN service), all these service providers rent servers and VPS's inside huge data centers in several countries. Now the problem with this is that all outgoing and incoming traffic to these data centers are being monitored for illegal copyrighted materials being transferred among other things. You may use Torrents and even download many copyrighted content for a long time, but finally they'll catch you (as it happened to me once!) and they'll warn you with the exact title you were downloading! Or even delete your account immediately! Because if they don't and you continue to what you were doing, they'll get fined and they'll have to pay the price themselves!

[justsumhelp]

If your going to be using the VPN on apple products you need to keep in mind the IOS only supports pptp l2pp and IPsec. Most Vpn providers use openvpn. You will have to use 3rd party software (tunnelblick) on OSX which may or may not be hard for you to setup.

[bubba]

At least two of the VPN services discussed here, StrongVPN and Witopia, provide a bundled VPN client that gets you configured and connected to OpenVPN without having to go through all the intricacies of setup with Tunnelblick. Both of those services also provide PPTP, L2TP, or IPSec alternatives if you wish to connect using an iOS device.

By the way, I noticed that StrongVPN are now paying $5 for anyone who wants to set up a Pinterest board, attach at least two StrongVPN logos to it and then post a review of their services. Presumably, that should be a glowing fair and balanced review.

http://strongvpn.com/info.shtml

[rogerdee123]

I've used Witopia for a few years and also recommend it. I use it on my MacPro, MacBooks and iMacs. Using OS 10.6, OS 10.7 & 10.8. No problems of any kind.

[Jayman]

I use www.hidemynet.com and paid like $25 for a year using the coupon code 50OFF2013 and that price is locked for life.

I have been very pleased with them and I'm happy to recommend them.

They have many servers around the world including UK and USA and they have multiple options that can be used like

L2TP/IPSec VPN

OpenVPN

HTTP Proxy

DNS Proxy

PPTP VPN

The setup is extremely simple and they have detailed instructions and info on their site.

[01322521959]

If you want to watch UK TV then download the program from http://www.uk-tv.asia/

It gives you free access to BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, ITV3, Film 4 and Sky News. You can watch live or record for up to 5 days.

I use it every day and it doesn't cost a penny.

Hope that helps.

Another VPN option is Expat Shield.

1) There is a big advert at top saying it costs 490b per month

2) Its not a VPN - its a Windows program

Out of interest, what made you think it was free since you mention that incorrect fact twice. Are you a shareholder?

How can you complain about this recommendation? I downloaded the trial in less than a minute. Maybe it is your good self that has shares/ interest in a competitor..

[Lammbock]

I can recomend HIDE.IO

https://www.hide.io/

Premium membership supports 5 devices and unlimited usage.

BBC iPlayer, Porn etc. All works wonderful.

Because under Network settings you can add many VPNs.

I use UK, Netherlands, Singapore. BUT 99% Netherlands.

Full speed 24/7

[watcharacters]

StrongVPN

Strong keeps logs and reports information about torrents.

[watcharacters]

StrongVPN

Strong keeps logs and reports information about torrents.

[jcnbkk]

If your going to be using the VPN on apple products you need to keep in mind the IOS only supports pptp l2pp and IPsec. Most Vpn providers use openvpn. You will have to use 3rd party software (tunnelblick) on OSX which may or may not be hard for you to setup.

Don't the VPN providers set you up with what you need, or at least give instructions for their network?

[bubba]

If your going to be using the VPN on apple products you need to keep in mind the IOS only supports pptp l2pp and IPsec. Most Vpn providers use openvpn. You will have to use 3rd party software (tunnelblick) on OSX which may or may not be hard for you to setup.

Don't the VPN providers set you up with what you need, or at least give instructions for their network?

I'm using Witopia, so I don't know about the other providers. Witopia provide an app for Windows or OSX that does all the setup for you. In OSX, you can allow it to show in your top menubar. When you want to connect, you drop down the menu and select the server you want (from which country), or you can just allow Witopia to connect every time when you start up.

As for OpenVPN, yes Witopia supports that on OSX with their app. You do not have to install and configure Tunnelblick or anything else.

Edited September 25, 2013 by bubba

[ricku]

I use privatvpn. Works great!

And thank (insert name of some holy person here) for VPN! The government can try to block favorite porn sites, but they fail!

[TheScribe]

If your going to be using the VPN on apple products you need to keep in mind the IOS only supports pptp l2pp and IPsec. Most Vpn providers use openvpn. You will have to use 3rd party software (tunnelblick) on OSX which may or may not be hard for you to setup.

Don't the VPN providers set you up with what you need, or at least give instructions for their network?

I'm using Witopia, so I don't know about the other providers. Witopia provide an app for Windows or OSX that does all the setup for you. In OSX, you can allow it to show in your top menubar. When you want to connect, you drop down the menu and select the server you want (from which country), or you can just allow Witopia to connect every time when you start up.

As for OpenVPN, yes Witopia supports that on OSX with their app. You do not have to install and configure Tunnelblick or anything else.

Witopia supports OpenVPN, L2TP, PPTP and IPSec on their servers and supplies setup instructions for iOS and OSX (and more). It works well for me. On OSX their client supports OpenVPN (default) plus L2TP and PPTP. OSX and iOS have native L2TP, PPTP and IPSec.

Unfortunately, none of this seems much help with the abysmal degradation of service from the Thai ISPs.

Edited September 30, 2013 by TheScribe

[TheScribe]

Agree with Cuban. I rent rackspace at a couple of locations, and run them as dedicated VPN endpoints. Cheaper than using a VPN service provider, you get dedicated IP addresses, use any choice of port ID, and OpenVPN is the software behind most of the commercial offerings and comes free. Absolutely rock solid and fool-proof, as far as I can tell.

This sounds great to me. Can you please post some info on how to set this up. Recommended server offerings in the UK and steps needed to get it up and running would be great, thanks.

[supashot]

If your going to be using the VPN on apple products you need to keep in mind the IOS only supports pptp l2pp and IPsec. Most Vpn providers use openvpn. You will have to use 3rd party software (tunnelblick) on OSX which may or may not be hard for you to setup.

wrong openvpn exist and free on IOS.

[justsumhelp]

If your going to be using the VPN on apple products you need to keep in mind the IOS only supports pptp l2pp and IPsec. Most Vpn providers use openvpn. You will have to use 3rd party software (tunnelblick) on OSX which may or may not be hard for you to setup.

wrong openvpn exist and free on IOS.

Guess they got it all worked out last time I tried the device needed to be jailbroken

[jameslaw]

I have been using hma to vpn service. I think it works well for me. Mainly because its cheap, lol and because the setup is very easy. Im the kind of guy who do not want to research a tonne of info just to watch shows and the likes..but thats just me..

Edited November 15, 2013 by Maestro
Removed commercial link

[EyesWideOpen]

Use Hola as a vpn. It is free and works perfectly. I have a feeling the companies

that are charging for a vpn service are losing some sleep now....   :-)

 

[Jayman]

Use Hola as a vpn. It is free and works perfectly. I have a feeling the companies

that are charging for a vpn service are losing some sleep now....   :-)

 

 

Hola is not a VPN service.  It is good for getting past the geo filters for "some"sites but it hardly serves all the purpose that a commercial VPN service provider does.

[Morakot]

Agree with Cuban. I rent rackspace at a couple of locations, and run them as dedicated VPN endpoints. Cheaper than using a VPN service provider, you get dedicated IP addresses, use any choice of port ID, and OpenVPN is the software behind most of the commercial offerings and comes free. Absolutely rock solid and fool-proof, as far as I can tell.

 

 

Hard to believe that the rent for rack space plus the bandwidth costs at the server are less than a vpn service, especially if you watch TV.

 

Any link to such a fantastic offer?

Edited March 3, 2014 by Morakot

[EyesWideOpen]

 

Use Hola as a vpn. It is free and works perfectly. I have a feeling the companies

that are charging for a vpn service are losing some sleep now....   :-)

 

 

Hola is not a VPN service.  It is good for getting past the geo filters for "some"sites but it hardly serves all the purpose that a commercial VPN service provider does.

 

 

Granted. But if you only want to watch Hulu from America, surf a bit of porn,

or perhaps look at web sites the government does not want you to, it works fine.

[Jayman]

 

 

Use Hola as a vpn. It is free and works perfectly. I have a feeling the companies

that are charging for a vpn service are losing some sleep now....   :-)

 

 

Hola is not a VPN service.  It is good for getting past the geo filters for "some"sites but it hardly serves all the purpose that a commercial VPN service provider does.

 

 

Granted. But if you only want to watch Hulu from America, surf a bit of porn,

or perhaps look at web sites the government does not want you to, it works fine.

 

 

 

Again, it's not a VPN.  I agree you can watch hulu with it as that is what it's original purpose was but not sure about  looking at porn or any old website the government might be blocking.  Unless they have added services that I am unaware of.

 

 

edit: just checked and the premium(vpn) features of hola are $5 a month

Edited March 4, 2014 by Jayman

[sfokevin]

I have the free version of HotspotShield on my laptop and it allows me to access all US content... It has a few other countries available too...

[dhream]

Agree with Cuban. I rent rackspace at a couple of locations, and run them as dedicated VPN endpoints. Cheaper than using a VPN service provider, you get dedicated IP addresses, use any choice of port ID, and OpenVPN is the software behind most of the commercial offerings and comes free. Absolutely rock solid and fool-proof, as far as I can tell.

 

I think this is trolling. 

 

1. No details, other than obviously bamboozling laypersons with pseudo-tech hubris.
2. Missing information, a lot of it. As it has been presented, this is simply too good to be true, whether you are web savvy or not. (For korkenzieher bulk data purposes it is possibly cheaper, but not for ours!)
3. Unlike korkenzieher, let me back up my 'mouth' and show you a snippet from a 'cheap' rackspace user I found by googling 'Is VPN cheaper than Rackspace?' QUOTE: Back in Feb 2009 we started out with a 256MB Slicehost instance for only $20 per month. By the end of August we had a 2GB Slicehost instance and an 8GB Rackspace Cloud instance, costing $130 and $345 respectively. We also had a 256MB Rackspace Cloud instance for a VPN we used to access the servers through at $10 per month. The total expenditure was therefore $485 per month. UNQUOTE.
4. So I googled 'rent cheap rackspace'.... QUOTE:   With Urack, you can lease one U in a colocation environment for $75 per month. You can set up your own dedicated server or we can set up the server for you for an additional charge. You can even ship your server (insured, of course) to us for setup. If you set up your own, we will only charge you for our time in the data center while opening the rack.
   If you previously thought that leasing 1U was impossible, think again.
5.  Apart from the above making him look like a condescending liar, this is the province of tech pros, not a few expats who want to watch a bit of TV.
6. Also there was no openly shared follow up, unless he has PM'd those who have already asked him for more details.
7. based on the above, i'm calling it attention seeking BS!

 

I will apologise to you publicly on this thread, 'mate' IF you can respond to all of the the above criticisms in public, and in doing so, back up your 'cheap' claims as well! We don't need tech trolls like you adding half-truths at best, and absolute crap at worst to a not particularly easy topic for most people to dive into.

Edited July 8, 2014 by dhream

[samuijimmy]

Over the last few weeks, I have tried several "free to try" VPN services.... all of them seem to be no better than Hola on Firefox .... whether that is a VPN or not, it works just as well for watching television.

 

It remembers the country of TV channels you last watched, so you do not have to remember to change the country.....

 

Just to add.... With these companies that require a credit card to "try for free" make sure you cancel before the trial period is over .... and uninstall the program ... as said I found them useless!

Edited August 6, 2014 by samuijimmy

[KarenBravo]

Another satisfied Witopia customer here.