Personal VPN (on VPS) alternative to UK TV and Netflix for $3.5 usd

[muratremix]

I'm using a singapore vps for vpn/proxy purposes to increase my surfing/streaming/voip speed. However, bw in singapore vps is limited (200 gb, half for streaming/proxying like 100G in + 100G out)

I bought an UK Vps at 3.5 usd per month, comes with 750Gb (in+out, so 375gb one way bw) bandwidth, which is more than enough for your personal needs. It is hosted in UK and has a direct peering with True and TOT's UK connection. Ping is like 200 to 220 ms for True, 220-240 ms for TOT.

I installed squid proxy for web browsing/netflix, pptp for VPN on ipad/iphone/windows 7 and installed l2tp vpn afterwards. I tested it yesterday evening in prime time, pptp vpn gave slow speeds like 1mbit/s. So I installed l2tp and I got 2.3 mbit/s which is better. My web proxy gave me over 2Mbit/s speeds and up to 7.5 mbit/s which is great!

I tested it again today at 11:30am. I got min. 1.6mbit/s using l2tp vpn and web proxy. Now Web proxy gives 3.94mbit/s which is even better. I also tested it with netflix yesterday and manual choosing of max bitrate 1750 kbit worked great. I'll be using this vps to connect my SIP provider in Turkey, which gets me a total of 300 ms instead of 365 ms (best case singapore - france - turkey routing) or 465 ms (worst case, sg - usa - london - amsterdam - turkey routing). Besides, True always uses its own connection to this UK location and not round robin to Cat Internet gateway which can cause jitter, which is great for voip applications too.

To set up vps, you have to know basic ssh commands, editing some files. If people are interested, I can provide a manual step by step to how to set up Proxy server and perhaps pptp vpn server. For people watching via web browser, installing proxy is very easy.

Traceroute from vps to my True Online:

[root@uk ~]# traceroute 171.99.134.***
traceroute to muratremix.myds.me (171.99.134.***), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets
1 185.17.150.129 (185.17.150.129) 0.759 ms 0.617 ms 0.538 ms
2 87.117.212.29 (87.117.212.29) 0.448 ms 0.474 ms 0.280 ms
3 610.core1.hex.as20860.net (62.233.127.181) 1.273 ms 1.332 ms 1.275 ms
4 195.66.237.88 (195.66.237.88) 1.576 ms 2.774 ms 2.842 ms
5 SG-ICR-GS1-241-205.trueintergateway.com (113.21.241.205) 205.008 ms 204.946 ms 204.881 ms
6 TIG-Net245-6.trueintergateway.com (113.21.245.6) 199.625 ms 199.826 ms 199.750 ms
7 TH-ICR-TT1-10GE.trueintergateway.com (113.21.241.161) 204.282 ms 204.234 ms 204.178 ms
8 TIG-Net241-243.trueintergateway.com (113.21.241.243) 202.763 ms 202.714 ms 202.529 ms
9 TIG-Net242-54.trueintergateway.com (113.21.242.54) 200.987 ms 201.089 ms 201.045 ms
10 61-91-210-6.static.asianet.co.th (61.91.210.6) 201.835 ms 201.927 ms 202.316 ms
11 61-91-213-38.static.asianet.co.th (61.91.213.38) 202.998 ms 61-91-213-37.static.asianet.co.th (61.91.213.37) 200.891 ms 207.777 ms
12 61-91-213-227.static.asianet.co.th (61.91.213.227) 200.713 ms 200.945 ms 200.759 ms
13 119-46-147-50.static.asianet.co.th (119.46.147.50) 201.513 ms 201.144 ms 119-46-147-54.static.asianet.co.th (119.46.147.54) 203.655 ms
14 * * *
15 * * *
16 wf-171-99-134-***.revip9.asianet.co.th (171.99.134.***) 208.038 ms 207.976 ms 207.916 ms
17 wf-171-99-134-***.revip9.asianet.co.th (171.99.134.***) 211.299 ms 211.244 ms 207.727 ms

And traceroute to TOT

[root@uk ~]# traceroute 101.51.191.***
traceroute to muratremix.dyndns.org (101.51.191.***), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets
1 185.17.150.129 (185.17.150.129) 0.650 ms 0.707 ms 0.630 ms
2 87.117.212.29 (87.117.212.29) 0.509 ms 0.409 ms 0.408 ms
3 610.core1.hex.as20860.net (62.233.127.181) 1.340 ms 1.271 ms 1.293 ms
4 202.core1.thn.as20860.net (62.233.127.11) 5.640 ms 5.591 ms 5.497 ms
5 40ge1-3.core1.lon2.he.net (195.66.224.21) 1.382 ms 1.375 ms 1.643 ms
6 linx-london-uk.totiig.net (195.66.226.1) 1.953 ms 1.890 ms 1.828 ms
7 PO-6-0-0.hyi-gw-02.totiig.net (180.180.255.241) 256.753 ms 256.708 ms 256.822 ms
8 ten-gi-0-0-0-3.hyi-core-01.totiig.net (180.180.255.106) 270.288 ms 270.361 ms 270.292 ms
9 ten-gi-0-3-0-0.kkm-core-01.totiig.net (180.180.255.93) 273.967 ms ten-gi-0-0-0-2.kkm-core-01.totiig.net (180.180.249.33) 269.753 ms ten-gi-0-0-0-1.kkm-core-01.totiig.net (180.180.249.21) 274.325 ms
10 in-addr.totiig.net (203.190.250.242) 271.149 ms 273.535 ms in-addr.totiig.net (203.190.250.238) 271.157 ms

rest is *** ping timeout so I cut it short.

TOT was getting 240 ms ping last evening, it seems TOT routers overloaded again.

I also did a traceroute to Netflix's UK server

[root@uk ~]# traceroute 185.2.223.158
traceroute to 185.2.223.158 (185.2.223.158), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets
1 185.17.150.129 (185.17.150.129) 0.716 ms 0.562 ms 0.483 ms
2 87.117.211.29 (87.117.211.29) 0.404 ms 0.347 ms 0.281 ms
3 593.core1.thn.as20860.net (62.233.127.173) 1.211 ms 1.326 ms 1.451 ms
4 202.core1.hex.as20860.net (62.233.127.1) 1.281 ms 1.203 ms 1.251 ms
5 195.66.237.16 (195.66.237.16) 2.164 ms 2.084 ms 1.959 ms
6 185.2.223.158 (185.2.223.158) 1.204 ms 1.265 ms 1.198 ms

No problems whatsoever

[muratremix]

I tested vps again on 14:40

Somehow testing against UK servers (some of them) give lower speed like 1Mbits - 2Mbits. I decided to test other servers aswell as New jersey and Istanbul destinations. I got 8 to 12Mbit down using proxy server on a single connection!

I used l2tp vpn on last server I tested (New jersey) and I got 3.34Mbit/s which is still good considering throttled vpn speed.

I haven't dealt with openvpn yet, using a non standart port on openvpn could help to increase speed.

Here is list of tests, over 3mbit speeds done with proxy server, slower ones are on vpn and on slower UK servers.

2/14/2014 7:49 AM GMT 217.147.84.*** 3.34 Mb/s 1.63 Mb/s 278 ms Secaucus, NJ ~ 3450 mi
2/14/2014 7:46 AM GMT 217.147.84.*** 8.28 Mb/s 2.33 Mb/s 288 ms Secaucus, NJ ~ 3450 mi
2/14/2014 7:44 AM GMT 217.147.84.*** 8.66 Mb/s 1.47 Mb/s 343 ms Istanbul ~ 1550 mi
2/14/2014 7:43 AM GMT 217.147.84.*** 11.53 Mb/s 2.24 Mb/s 306 ms London < 50 mi
2/14/2014 7:37 AM GMT 217.147.84.*** 2.31 Mb/s 2.26 Mb/s 211 ms London < 50 mi
2/14/2014 7:34 AM GMT 217.147.84.*** 10.89 Mb/s 2.37 Mb/s 305 ms London < 50 mi
2/14/2014 7:33 AM GMT 217.147.84.*** 0.85 Mb/s 2.14 Mb/s 211 ms Maidenhead ~ 50 mi
2/14/2014 7:32 AM GMT 217.147.84.*** 0.86 Mb/s 2.64 Mb/s 205 ms Maidenhead ~ 50 mi

[muratremix]

Now I am playing with softether vpn server/client.

Softether is openvpn + pptp + l2tp combined vpn server. When you use it, with some advanced settings, you can make it use multiple connections to server to increase throughtput just like using a download accelerator. When you use this, there will be 5+5 connections between you and your vps server and it will help to bypass isp troughtput of 2mbits/connection in Thailand.

Testmy.net Download :: 8.4 Mbps 1.1 MB/s

using 10 connections in half duplex mode (5 connections total)

I got 9.59 mbit to Turkey using speedtest via this UK VPN.

Netflix 3000 kbit stream is working fine.

[moradave]

Why go through all of that when all you need to do is to down load and install http://hola.org unblocker for free. Works everywhere for amost everything. No speed degradation as far as I can tell. Unblocks selected sights only and remembers them. You can remove the unblock for any site if needed.

[muratremix]

Hola only works with browser. DNS unblock / VPN works with all the devices.

Besides, I need a faster route to Europe, by using UK direct route I get lowest ping across the europe.

Btw I realized that multi connection soft-ether feature only works in multiple connections, it doesn't split packages into 5-10 connections and join them (which could be done in TCP I think?).

So speed tests of over 8-9mbit was some kind of glitch I think.

[muratremix]

It seems single connection to UK or US or wherever is always throttled by true online at 2-3Mbits, except Singapore.

I'm not netflix crazy here but trying to find a solution here. So I tried to use my singapore personal vpn @ personal vps (7 bucks a month) and use dns services from unotelly. At 3000 kbit bitrate, my connection downloads 400-500 kbyte/sec (more than enough). Too bad I can't try netflix super hd in laptop. I have windows 8 htpc but haven't installed netflix app yet.

Do anybody know which titles have super-hd option (1080p @ 5 - 7 mbits) so I can give a try?

[dondonomar]

The best VPN experience I had in a very long time https://www.iwasel.com/en/ to watch Netflix outside of US. There is also UK server and many other servers. all servers are encrypted, this one worked great for me.

[muratremix]

Personal vpn @ 3.5 usd is much reliable and cheaper compared to public vpns with lots of users per server.

However, I'm no longer recommending this UK VPN for netflix for some reasons.

1. Netflix UK is inferior to US netflix (less than half of the US content)

2. My ISP, True Online seems to removed throttling against San Jose, California location. I am getting max speed on a single connection to my proxy on Egihosting.com server. I did speedtests several times and I get over 20 Mbits. I watched several superhd movies last night with 5800 kbit bitrate under windows 8.1 netflix app. Speed was amazing.

[oTwoPies]

Personal vpn @ 3.5 usd is much reliable and cheaper compared to public vpns with lots of users per server.

Hi Muratremix

If I have read your posts correctly you have both True and ToT WiFi connection and also VPS's in Singapore and the UK.

Could you run a matrix of speed tests using:-

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html

and paste either the results or the associated speed test links into your reply. An example of a Think-broadband speed test result is given in the link below:-

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results.html?id=140257129902434961851

As you can see, my speed-test results are not very good.

The reason I am interested in the Thinkb... speed test results is due to their single thread streaming test which is the green graph and is ideal for assesing the likely performance of the beeb iPlayer.

cheers and many thanks in anticipation

[seb2015]

Wow very interesting thread Muratremix thanks.

Which plan do you have with True ? 15/5 with bursting ?

Also being with True - what I'd like to know eventually is a method that works consistently without having to play around in between set ups.

I was thinking about setting up two networks at home and configuring a VPS connection on one router to ensure limited throttling to US/EU connections while the other one would have a standard setup for TH hosted connections (yes I have a TH girlfriend who loves her local tv shows which I think are cached domestically). That way I figure I can always switch in between networks to always get a reliable speed.

So for US/EU connections, are you saying that your UK proxy + Softether VPN gave you the best results ?

Or did you revert back to SG proxy + Softether?

I'm not familiar with the openvpn / l2tp / pptp protocols but if I can achieve a significant higher speed, I'm eager to learn

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[muratremix]

I am back to sg proxy as uk netflix content is rather limited. To watch netflix i use an us proxy to bypass netflix. I explain it in my digitalocean vps thread.

I also stopped using soft ether, i use l2tp vpn when necessary but just http proxy does the trick and it is easier to install.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[rwdrwdrwd]

I used to use two different VPNs for US Netflix and UK iPlayer, got rid of all the VPN routers and now just use unotelly dynamic DNS set up on my router - only routes TV traffic and defers to Google DNS for everything else. Seems like you get better speeds and play quality with your setup but I'm happy, no buffering and far far less to manage when I just want to watch telly.

[seb2015]

Ok that's interesting.

So with unotelly do you get to choose the server location you want?

If you're setting it up in US to allow netflix content then your route does not necessarily pass by Singapore

That being said you might not be on True ..

I will check up digitalocean this weekend then - very interesting thread also thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[oTwoPies]

I am back to sg proxy as uk netflix content is rather limited. To watch netflix i use an us proxy to bypass netflix. I explain it in my digitalocean vps thread.

I also stopped using soft ether, i use l2tp vpn when necessary but just http proxy does the trick and it is easier to install.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Muratremix:

Maybe you missed my post #9 or maybe I just asked too much so I will try again:-

Can you run a couple of speed tests using your True DOCSIS 15/1.5 Internet; one with a straight connection to the Thinkb... link and one through your SG VPS connection using:-

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html

many thanks in anticipation...

[rwdrwdrwd]

Ok that's interesting.

So with unotelly do you get to choose the server location you want?

If you're setting it up in US to allow netflix content then your route does not necessarily pass by Singapore

That being said you might not be on True ..

I will check up digitalocean this weekend then - very interesting thread also thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

These aren't VPNs - just DNS settings, but yes the closest two DNS servers are Singapore and Hong Kong. You can find out more here - https://www2.unotelly.com/home - there's a free trial if you want to test it out for your needs. If you want more than one device to be able to view international TV I recommend you set the DNS on your router. Nope not with True - TOT is the only option for me unfortunately.. fibre but not very good, around 1.5 - 2Mbps international I think

[muratremix]

Personal vpn @ 3.5 usd is much reliable and cheaper compared to public vpns with lots of users per server.

Hi Muratremix

If I have read your posts correctly you have both True and ToT WiFi connection and also VPS's in Singapore and the UK.

Could you run a matrix of speed tests using:-

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html

and paste either the results or the associated speed test links into your reply. An example of a Think-broadband speed test result is given in the link below:-

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results.html?id=140257129902434961851

As you can see, my speed-test results are not very good.

The reason I am interested in the Thinkb... speed test results is due to their single thread streaming test which is the green graph and is ideal for assesing the likely performance of the beeb iPlayer.

cheers and many thanks in anticipation

I used to have 20/2 true docsis, now I have 35/3.5 which is in fact 40/4 mbits (They throw an extra %10-12 percent always).

Using digitalocean singapore proxy server:

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results.html?id=140374791412246898946

Using UK (VPS) proxy server:

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results.html?id=140374803032338025058

Keep in mind these tests were done in 8 am in the morning so they are far from real speeds you'll get at evening, especially after 8pm.

Same test done withour proxy:

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results.html?id=140374818339299217219

Edited June 26, 2014 by muratremix

[oTwoPies]

#16

Many thanks for your test results.

I will collate the results from yourself and tests I have done on CAT, True and 3BB and reply in full when I have my own VPS.