Good/Excellent VPN

[Pib]

My experience has been fine using Pure for Windows and Android "manual dedicated IP VPN connections." But when using there App (which I rarely use...only when playoff around) and depending on the location you are connecting to your experience may be less than satisfactory. For me and how I use VPN Pure is fine...you can also have 5 concurrent connections. Your results may vary.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

What Pib chose not to say above is that he too discovered that Pure's VPN system, at least for U.S. connections using their Windows app and even when using their list of named servers, is set up so that you won't necessarily get an IP address for the city/server you've requested. Just as one example, you click to connect to L.A., but at various random times, you get a Houston IP instead. Things like that.

 

That might not matter for some people. But it does matter if you're using the VPN service with a need to connect to a particular city you want as opposed to just anywhere in the U.S. And likewise, it matters for things like online banking where the banks' systems get used to a customer logging in from a certain area, like Los Angeles for example, and then suddenly if their system sees a log-in from a different state, it can trigger account security issues.

 

And of course, if you call or chat to Pure customer service about that kind of problem, instead of fessing up to what their system is doing, they'll insist that it must be some problem with your PC or your configurations, and send you on a long journey of uninstalling and reinstalling, changing settings, using different versions of their software, etc etc. -- none of which does anything to solve the underlying issue.

 

Pib also chose not to mention that Pure's one Singapore server has been regularly difficult or impossible to connect to using the normal Windows app or even Pure provided named server address. I've mentioned that above, as have other Pure customers. And that problem seems ongoing. That's an issue because for someone in Thailand who just wants a faster internet connection without it needing to be from the U.S. or U.K. for example, Singapore is one of the best VPN locations to connect to. And with Pure, Singapore has been a problem.

 

Likewise, Pib also chose not to mention that the method he's using to connect to Pure's network is not one that's really documented anywhere on Pure's website, so most Pure customers would be unlikely to use it or even know about it. It's not using any of Pure's own VPN apps, and it's not even using the list of named servers that Pure provides to its customers to use when setting up manual VPN connections on their PCs, names like usla1.pointtoserver.com.

 

But, I will say one thing for their service. After I canceled my account with them the other day, and it took three rounds of emails back and forth where they kept trying to persuade me to un-cancel my account, they did actually process the refund of my subscription fee within 24 hours. So I'll give them credit for that.

 

[Pib]

 

I have no problem connecting to Singapore using the Dedicated IP mode in their App or using a manual Windows/Android connection where you use one of several IP address "numbers" of their Singapore server name.   A little bit of testing will soon tell you what numbers are best to use....then it pretty much forget and use.  You look up their server name in an IP host name to IP address like in Arul's Host Name to IP address (which PureVPN recommended) and use one of several IP addresses/numbers.   That is, enter the actual IP address versus the layman's/host name.    See below image 

 

There are a couple of webpages on their web talking Dedicated IP mode as it one of the five modes of operation they offer in their App.  And the concept carries over if "not" using their app which I rarely do.  Instead I just setup Windows/Android manual connections to which the PureVPN websites shows you how to do just like other VPN provides will also show...it easy....and then I have zero need for use of the App.

 

I did play with the app today for about an hour since they upgraded it a little about a month ago....just used the city selection in the app to connect to Singapore, LA, SF, and London....must have done two dozen PPTP connections.....around 6 connections to each location....each and every location connected on the first try.   But yea, using the app to select Singapore I to experienced problems in getting a connection during heavy use time until I learned how to use Dedicated IP mode "with the app or without the app."  There example on one of their webpage will show you just entering the server host name which you can do but the better way is to use the actual IP address (number) of the server host name.

 

Where TG talk selecting one city to connect to like say LA but you end up getting connected to their Houston server....what happened there is their LA server was full of connections and Pure automatically handed you off to their Houston connection.  You still got a U.S. IP address, but if absolutely needing LA like for TV programming purposes or something then that can be an issue for a person.   But probably for most peopling  wanting to connect to their home country (which is probably going to be a lot smaller than the 4 time zone size of the mainland US) I doubt that would be an issue.  In fact, in the app you can just select the country to connect to (say the US) and it will connect you to one of their servers in that country.   However, if absolutely wanting a certain city such as it just has to be LA, then use of the Dedicated IP Mode using the IP address number will fix that issue.

 

PureVPN gets high ratings among VPN providers...a person can see that over and over in the rankings/reviews at various websites, their prices are low, and they provide 5 concurrent connections versus maybe 1 or 2 that many other more expensive VPN services allow.   But depending on where you are connecting to you may need to learn about Dedicated IP mode to overcome connection issues...Singapore appears to be one of those places....lot of farangs in this part of the world/Southeast Asia needing to get a VPN connection outside of SE Asia. 

 

But a person can always play it safe an go with something like ExpressVPN which is going to cost you around $8/month for something you may not use that often especially if just needing it for an occasional VPN connection.   If going with any VPN service, especially if it cost more than a few dollars per month is to signup with one which offers 3 to 7 days money back guarantee...and be prepared to actually use the VPN service a lot for a few days to stress test it....if it fails the stress test, they take advantage of the money back guarantee.  

 

Heck, 6 months or so ago when I was testing a variety of VPN service providers because I wanted to switch from current providers (StrongVPN which was a little pricey and not giving me the speeds it should) I even signed up with PureVPN for  a couple of days and then cancelled...got my money back just as they advertised although they did send me a few emails trying to get me not to cancel...they wanted to work out whatever issues I was having...all understandable in my opinion.  I said no and they refund the money through PayPal...got the money back within 24 hours.  And then while continuing to review varies VPN providers in terms of quality and cost and signed up with PureVPN again...and have been happy since as I figured out how to use Dedicated IP mode in their App and/or with Windows/Android manual connections on those occasions to certain locations when getting a connection was somewhat hard.  Dedicated IP mode just fixed my issues....been happy with PureVPN since at the $2.08/month I'm paying for a 2 year plan.   Your results may vary.   

 

So there you have it TG a more thorough review of PureVPN from me...probably went over many peoples heads with the Dedicate IP mode talk.  Cheers.

 

 

http://aruljohn.com/hostname2ip.html

 

Singapore Host Name to IP Address (the different IP addresses represents different internet companies PureVPN uses for it VPN connections to Signapore.   Yes, PureVPN as a Hong Kong based company contracts with other companies in other countries to provide the PureVPN connection.  Almost all VPN service provides do the same thing as VPN service provides don't hired their own people and put their own servers in countries around the world....they contract those services.   Like of the 7 IP addresses below for Pure's Singapore VPN connection, they are actually servers of two or three different internet companies

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

This is mainly what Pure refers to as their Dedicated IP mode, which they illustrate as using what I called the named servers on the list, such as the one they're showing in the box below, that they provide to users for manual VPN set-ups. It's using those named servers that does NOT solve the problem of getting wrong city connections.

 

 

What Pib is doing is a variation of that, as far as I understand it, and that's taking that kind of named server address from Pure and Pure's list, and then,  by going to a 3rd party website, hunting down various numbered IP addresses (44.35.17.XXX, etc.) that relate to that named server. That's not exactly something most average Pure users are going to be doing or want to be doing.

 

The point is, they should be making it easy for their users, such as, open their app, click and connect. And instead, because their system is flawed, they're forcing people to resort to the above kind of workarounds just to get a satisfactory result, whether that be being able to connect to Singapore, or actually get connected to the U.S. city/server that you want.

 

BTW, they're system doesn't just divert people to the wrong city assignments when those servers are busy or overloaded, as I was doing my own testing at various and off-hours (both in Thailand and mainly in the U.S.), and that didn't improve things any.

 

 

 

Edited November 26, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[JoePai]

There are some good recommendations here :  https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/

[JSixpack]

19 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

What Pib is doing is a variation of that, as far as I understand it, and that's taking that kind of named server address from Pure and Pure's list, and then,  by going to a 3rd party website, hunting down various numbered IP addresses (44.35.17.XXX, etc.) that relate to that named server. That's not exactly something most average Pure users are going to be doing or want to be doing.

 

Oh, for the price they might well, esp. considering PureVPN's promotions. :) Now we do have quite a few impecunious members here frequently complaining about prices and trying to find cheaper. Lots of TEFLers. Pib's been quite helpful.

 

Quote

The point is, they should be making it easy for their users, such as, open their app, click and connect.

 

Yes, ma'am.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, JoePai said:

There are some good recommendations here :  https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/

 

I always read TF's list of VPN ratings as part of anytime I'm considering to buy or renew a VPN service. But understandably, what their evaluations and VPN provider questionnaires tend to focus on most is anonymity (for an audience that presumably is largely interested in often copyright-infringing file torrenting/sharing).

 

But speaking personally, I don't really do anything with my internet that makes me overly concerned about hiding my identity. Instead, what I'm focused on is the SPEED of a VPN connection, and as a subpart of that, the extent to which any particular VPN helps avoid Thai ISP throttling or intl connection limitations.

 

And, TF's evaluations don't really deal with those issues as all, especially for one particular country in SE Asia. But I do also understand, there are other users here who have reasons to be more concerned with their online anonymity than I am. It all depends on for what purposed one is using their VPN.

 

It's also kind of interesting that their list of questionnaire responders does not include most of the most commented on VPN providers here on ThaiVisa.

 

Edited November 27, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[guzzi850m2]

I tend to agree on TG's statement, I also want speed over anonymity despite I often uses Bittorrent.

 

My current VPN is in the US so when I open Goggle, it's in English and also YouTube open the US location now when using my new VPN.

 

Yes I know I can change them but now I don't have to change them manually anymore, it's all English per default which is nice.

 

Regarding Torrents, I am not too concerned that the police will come knocking on my door because of that, I haven't heard of anybody in Thailand having problems but you never know, so good to be off the radar now.

 

So far my Astrill VPN have been very good (had it since last Friday), I am getting download speeds very close to what I pay for using TestMy.net as reference.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

37 minutes ago, guzzi850m2 said:

So far my Astrill VPN have been very good (had it since last Friday), I am getting download speeds very close to what I pay for using TestMy.net as reference.

 

Glad to hear that. They always did wonders for me in unlocking an otherwise horribly throttled True Online connection when it came to international browsing.

 

In my experience, for U.S. content, connecting to either their Los Angeles or Seattle servers tended to give the best speeds, along with choosing PPTP as the connection protocol.

 

BTW, on their downloads page, this is the very lightweight dialer software that I had mentioned above. If you don't need an Open VPN connection via their normal full-purpose Windows app, then this is a very easy and quick to use solution for either PPTP or L2TP.

 

Edited November 27, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[SooKee]

I've been looking at Pure and Express.  I'm always a bit dubious with companies that have lifetime subscriptions and these 'grab it while you can' sales (that never actually end - their 2 for 1 year promo + a further 10% off is still running).  Quite a few issues mentioned above that put me off Pure.  I'd rather pay more for a VPN that delivers.

 

On that front, Express doesn't either.  Just tried their app on an iPad with the 7 day free trial, tried to see what would happen if I opened Amazon Prime  with Express running a USA location.  No go.  Same with a UK location.  It seems Amazon are locking down VPN access just the same as Netflix.  

 

As it stands the services are only worth paying for if they deliver what I want.  Currently they don't so I'll likely pass on both.  Not impressed with Express that's for sure.  And with regard to VPN blocking I can see the situation only getting worse.  For the rare times I need the increased international speeds (and it seem even that may be no better than merely using AIS 100/10 fibre in BKK) the VPN just isn't worth it at $100 per year.

[SooKee]

Contacted Express and got this back from them:

"We can only guarantee US shows with Amazon Prime. You may connect to our San Francisco or New Jersey 1 server or try East London for UK shows.

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes."

Tried all. Didn't work. All sounds way too fragile to me and it sounds like the vpn blocking is catching up with them. Not worth it to me to pay for their services for the rare other times it'll come in useful. Problem with lots of products like this, all sounds great on their sites, promise the Earth then fail to deliver in reality. I'll pass.


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[Pib]

No matter what the VPN providers advertise about using their service to connect to paid video streaming services like Netflix,  some video streaming services are slowly securing their doors and windows from letting a VPN connection somehow get into their service.   Now other streaming video services could care less about a VPN connection (although they many not say so).

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

As I've said before in other threads, it's really not a problem, provided the customer does a bit of investigation first, talks with the providers about what they can and can't provide, and to be on the safe side, never subscribe to a paid service until you're sure it's going to meet your needs. There's still plenty of viable opportunities out there.

 

[SooKee]

Maybe. I don't really need it enough to expend that much time on it though and certainly talking to Express so far has produced no results. There may be others. It does seem though that the services I'M interested in are getting more vigilant which tends to make me think it's only a matter of time, especially following some 'investigation' with folks across numerous forums talking about accessing Amazon Prime (and Netflix) via VPNs.

I guess that maybe the VPN might help with some other services like torrents etc but here in LOS I just don't feel the need to go down that route unless there's other benefits too. For me, those benefits aren't there.


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[Adrian Hunt3r]

I have personally faced this problem when I had a paid subscription of HMA. It almost cost me some of my paid accounts to region-locked streaming websites. I then switched to Ivacy VPN and have never had to worry about such connection issues since.

[Adrian Hunt3r]

Learning from my own experiences after trying 5 of the best VPN brands out there, I can easily say that the brand with the highest price will not necessarily give you the best experience. I recently got a 1-year subscription to Ivacy VPN for $39.95 with 1 additional year's subscription absolutely free. for free. Compared to other VPNs that I have used thus far, I must say that Ivacy's performance is of the charts. It's fast and eay to use with a ton of features to rival that of any pricier VPN.

[Adrian Hunt3r]

I use Ivacy VPN which has a 5 Multi-login feature so you can connect to 5 different devices with Ivacy at the same time. I have been using Ivacy for  the last 8 months so I can confirm that any device that you connect with it is protected and secured. That means you can log on to your accounts from any device and securely stream your favorite content. And since you will also be anonymous online, you can download torrents and other P2P files without having to worry about notices.

[maxpower]

41 minutes ago, Adrian Hunt3r said:

I use Ivacy VPN which has a 5 Multi-login feature so you can connect to 5 different devices with Ivacy at the same time. I have been using Ivacy for  the last 8 months so I can confirm that any device that you connect with it is protected and secured. That means you can log on to your accounts from any device and securely stream your favorite content. And since you will also be anonymous online, you can download torrents and other P2P files without having to worry about notices.

And ......

 

[Crossy]

40 minutes ago, maxpower said:

And ......

 

But you have to admit, 50 Bucks for 2 years is pretty good value.

 

[maxpower]

36 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

But you have to admit, 50 Bucks for 2 years is pretty good value.

 

Maybe he should ask TV for a banner quote.