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Auto Connect to IPVanish VPN

August 17, 2013 by VPN

IPVanish recently rolled out a new version of their popular Windows VPN client software. The update includes enhancements to the auto-connectivity feature. IPVanish members can connect to any VPN server automatically when the client launches. With the option to choose between OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP protocols. You can even set the client to launch when Windows starts up. New to IPVanish? Save 10% off unlimited access.

IPVanish auto-connect

Not to confuse anyone. You can always just open up the VPN client and connect to any server location you want. This is a more advanced option that helps you connect to a specific location each time the software launches. To set up auto-connect simply click on preferences. That will bring up a box like the screen shown above.

To enable the feature check the box next to “Connect automatically when IPVanish starts“. Then you have some options. You can choose to connect to the last server used, closest server by network latency, or select a specific server. Right below that you can also select which protocol to use. We’ll dive into each option.

Last server used – connects to the last server you previously used
Closest server by network latency – good option for peak performance.
This server – select between 100+ servers in 44 countries.
Protocol – choose OpenVPN (TPC or UDP), PPTP or L2TP

That’s all there is to configuring the auto connect feature. Visit IPVanish.com to download the latest release.

Visit VPNSP.com to learn more about online privacy. Follow us @VPNSP for the latest VPN news and deals.

Filed Under: Guides, VPN Clients

VPN Servers : Quality vs Quantity

June 24, 2013 by VPN

This year has been interesting for VPN providers. We’ve seen the growth and addition of several services. That isn’t all that surprising given the increased need for online privacy. We also anticipated the growth of mobile apps and smart DNS features. What we didn’t see coming was the explosive growth in the number of VPN servers. With some well known providers going from a few servers to several hundred in a short period of time.

In the past quarter we’ve seen a few popular companies massively grow the number of VPN servers they offer almost overnight. While providers like Hide My Ass and IPVanish continue to grow at a natural pace. Adding new server locations around the world. Why are some seemingly expanding at a faster pace than the rest?

The providers with rapid server growth are easy to spot. We’ll show you what to look for when comparing server locations. Sometimes you can find the info on the provider’s site. While other times you need to test the service to see the full picture. Either way pay close attention to server locations vs the number of servers advertised.

Number of VPN Servers vs. Serer Locations

If you go to a provider’s site and they claim to have hundreds of VPN servers around the world keep looking. You want to know exactly where those servers are located. You might find a page on their site that shows the details. If not that’s a hint that the number is likely hype. The next step is to either test the service or read our review for the details. Either way you’re looking for the actual server locations vs. number of servers.

What do we mean by server locations? We’re talking about all the cities in which a company manages VPN servers. For example Hide My Ass advertises over 400 VPN servers in 58 countries. Does that mean they have 400+ server locations? Nope. We counted and they support servers in over 100 cities around the world. HMA is a good example of a company that makes their server locations fully visible for everyone to view.

Let’s take a look at a couple leading VPN services that clearly show the locations of their servers.

IPVanish VPN Servers

IPVanish members have access to their control panel which includes a server list. The list includes the address of every VPN server on their network. With over 100 servers in 43 countries. Covering nearly 60 server locations around the world. IPVanish is transparent. They give the server address for each location so users can use their client or connect manually. They also show the percentage of capacity being used for each server.

Hide My Ass VPN Servers

Hide My Ass has a VPN server locations page on their site. You can easily view every server on their network. That currently includes 423 servers in 58 countries. We counted more than 100 different server locations around the world. HMA is completely transparent when it comes to their servers. They show exactly how many servers they have in each location along with number of IP addresses and supported protocols.

Getting Past the Hype

If you visit a site that advertises hundreds of VPN servers always look for the locations. Just because they have customers around the world doesn’t mean they actually host servers everywhere. If you can’t find the server locations then perhaps that’s a sign in itself. We prefer providers that are clear with their users as well as perspective customers. There’s no need to over hype a service. Doing so risks losing the users trust.

How can companies advertise hundreds of servers if their network only spans a few countries and server locations? They can do it by spinning up a lot of virtual servers. The quality isn’t the same and many aren’t even being used. Just advertised. That isn’t the same as actually having hardware in place. For that reason we focus our attention on the server locations rather than a number that doesn’t really mean anything.

In addition to actually showing where the servers are located we run a speed test on each location. In doing so you can see the performance for each city without wondering whether or not the server actually exists. Take a look at our IPVanish and Hide My Ass speed test pages to see some examples. We go through the same steps for all our top providers. It takes a lot of time but the effort is necessary to find the best VPN services.

Filed Under: Guides, VPN Services Tagged With: VPN server locations, VPN servers

Enabling OpenVPN on Windows 8

April 11, 2013 by VPN

We recently had a guest ask how to enable OpenVPN on windows 8. They had just upgraded from Windows 7 and their VPN client was no longer supporting OpenVPN connections. We suggested they try the IPVanish software which gives you the option to enable OpenVPN for Win 8. The client is available for Windows and Mac users. You can download the latest version free and enjoy unlimited VPN access from $6.49 a month.

Using OpenVPN on Windows 8

To enable the OpenVPN protocol launch the IPVanish client and click on preferences at the top of the user interface. From there you will be presented with a screen like the one to the right of our screenshot. As you can see they clearly have an option marked “Windows 8 Enable OpenVPN”. Simply check the box and click Save. You will now see options at the bottom of the client for OpenVPN (TCP) and OpenVPN (UDP).

The main difference between using a TCP and UDP connection is error checking versus speed. OpenVPN (TCP) includes error checking while OpenVPN (UDP) provides maximum performance. We use UDP most the time and enjoy the boost in speed. It allows us to nearly max our Internet connection on some U. S. servers. We have also successfully tested OpenVPN with Hide My Ass (TCP-only in the client), ExpressVPN and ibVPN.

Filed Under: Guides, VPN Clients

Unblock Online Game Restrictions

April 3, 2013 by VPN

So far in our “unblock” series we’ve covered Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and HBO GO. Today we’d like to talk about video games. Specifically online games. Whether you want to enjoy the latest MMORPG or play some ball with friends in another country you can run into challenges. The first is geographic restrictions. Many gamers aren’t able to play with friends in other countries. A good VPN with servers around the world can solve that problem.

The other roadblock is lag. Especially for MMORPG players. The last thing you want to do is camp a mob and have it scooped up by the competition due to lag. In this case a fast VPN service can help you improve game performance and reduce lag. We’ll show you how to improve both scenarios and enjoy your online games.

Avoid Geographic Restrictions for Online Games

As you probably already know they put region codes in video games just like they do with movies. If you want to play with friends in the United States you may very well need a US version of the game. Assuming you have that taken care of the next piece of the puzzle is obtaining an IP address in the United States. That’s where a VPN comes into play. For network size we recommend Hide My Ass. They have about 200 VPN servers throughout the United States. Allowing you to choose a location that works best for your needs and switch between servers.

As you can see HMA offers VPN client software and let’s you choose between multiple server locations.

Improve Gaming Performance and Reduce Lag

A fast connection is key for online gaming. You don’t want to wait forever for scenes to load. Nor do you want to miss out on an exciting moment due to lag. Having played Final Fantasy for years I can remember all too well the frustration of disconnecting in the middle of an important battle. Leaving my friends in a bind and missing out on the experience. A fast, reliable VPN provider can help you fix that problem. We recommend IPVanish. They have a very fast network of VPN servers in North America and throughout Europe.

As you can see the response “ping” times in the IPVanish client are very low. Giving you great performance.

Additional Tip for Console Gamers

If you want to play games with friends around the world on your Xbox 360, PS3, Wii or any other console then you might have an additional challenge. Most gaming consoles do not natively support VPN. There’s an easy way around that limitation though. You can use a custom DD-WRT or Tomato router to send all your network traffic through the encrypted VPN connection. While you can flash your own router we only recommend that for tech savvy users. Otherwise companies like FlashRouters and Sabai Technology can take care of it all for you.

Visit VPNSP.com for more recommendations. There we review hundreds of VPN services and router options.

Filed Under: Guides Tagged With: online games

Unblock YouTube Outside the US

March 19, 2013 by VPN

We enjoy watching videos on YouTube. Whether you’re laughing at the screen, watching a how-to guide or joining in the discussion, YouTube is recognized as one of the most popular sites on the web. In the United States and many other areas of the world YouTube is freely accessible. While countries like China, Iran and Pakistan completely block YouTube. Fortunately you can use a VPN to avoid geographic restrictions.

Unblock YouTube

How using a VPN can help you unblock YouTube?

Let’s see how a personal VPN service can help you access YouTube from anywhere in the world:

A virtual private network (VPN) gives to access to IP addresses in the United States.
Your web traffic is routed through a secure tunnel to help ensure your privacy.
Since speed is critical for streaming, a VPN can help you achieve better performance.

As you can see a good privacy service will help secure your connection with a US IP address. Giving you access to YouTube no matter where you might be physically located at the time.

Connecting to YouTube through a VPN

We’ll guide you through signing up for a VPN service and connecting to YouTube from outside the US. We recommend a fast VPN connection for streaming videos. There are lots of VPN providers that can’t support the bandwidth necessary for YouTube. Two of our favorites for speed and reliability are IPVanish and Hide My Ass.

We’ll be using IPVanish in our tutorial since they have very fast VPN servers in the United States. The first thing you’ll want to do is get an account. You can sign up for unlimited VPN access from $6.49 a month.

After you sign up watch for the welcome email. Once received you can either follow the link in the email or go to Ipvanish.com and download their client software. IPVanish offers a free VPN client for Windows and Mac. Along with set up guides for iPhone, iPad and Android mobile devices.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the IPVanish client go ahead and launch it. You’ll see this screen:

IPVanish Client

From here you can choose a server location in the U.S. that provides the best speed. The “Response” column is a good indicator of the best servers to choose from. When you first open the client the “Response” column will be blank for a few seconds while the software pings the server locations. A low ping “Response” time means low latency between your system and the server. Allowing for the best possible performance.

We won’t make things too technical. Feel free to connect to any IPVanish server. They offer locations throughout the United States. If you ever want an IP from elsewhere they offer servers in 41 countries. As a member you can switch between locations anytime. With up to two simultaneous connections.

You’ll notice some options at the bottom of the client for OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP. These are the protocols used to secure your connection. You can test them to see which one works best from your location. For streaming content like YouTube we recommend OpenVPN (UDP) for the best performance.

That’s all there is to it. The VPN will also help you gain access to Netflix, Hulu, Skype, Twitter, Facebook and other sites. Follow us @VPNSP for more how-to guides along with VPN reviews and discount offers.

Filed Under: Guides Tagged With: YouTube

Unblock Hulu Outside the US with a VPN

March 5, 2013 by VPN

Are you a fan of Hulu’s free video streaming service or Hulu Plus premium access? If so you’ll be glad to know that you can access Hulu from anywhere in the world using VPN. A fast personal VPN service will let you connect to servers in the United States and obtain a US IP address. Regardless of where you might be located at the time. Giving you the flexibility to access Hulu from anywhere in the world.

How will VPN help you unblock Hulu?

Here’s a quick summary of how a VPN service can help you stream Hulu content from outside the United States:

VPN allows you to assume an IP address in the United States.
All traffic is routed through a secure tunnel to help ensure your privacy.
Speed is essential for streaming. VPN can help you achieve the best performance.

As you can see a good privacy service will allow you to tunnel to a server in the US and enjoy Hulu while abroad.

Connecting to Hulu through a VPN service

We’ll show you exactly how to sign up for a VPN service and connect to Hulu from outside the US. Remember that you’ll need a fast connection. For this reason there are a lot of VPN providers that don’t have the bandwidth to support Hulu. Two of our favorites for speed and reliability are IPVanish and Hide My Ass.

We’ll be using IPVanish for our guide since they have the fastest VPN connections to their US servers. The first thing you’ll need to do is sign up for IPVanish. Sign up for unlimited VPN access from just $6.49 a month.

After signing up for IPVanish you will receive a welcome email. From there you can either follow the link in the email or go to their site and download the VPN software. IPVanish offers a free VPN client for Windows and Mac. They also support iPhone, iPad and Android mobile devices.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the IPVanish client go ahead and open it. You’ll see this screen:

From here you can choose the US server location that provides the best performance. The “Response” column in the client is a good indicator of the best servers to choose from. When you first open the software the “Response” column will be blank for a few seconds while it pings the server locations. A low ping “Response” time means low latency between your system and the server. Allowing for the fastest possible connection.

Not to make things too technical. You can connect to any IPVanish server. They offer locations throughout the United States. If you ever want an IP from elsewhere they have VPN servers located in 41 different countries. As a member you can switch between them anytime. With up to two simultaneous connections.

You’ll notice some options at the bottom for OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP. These have to do with the protocol used to access the IPVanish servers. You can test each to see which one works best from your location. For streaming content like Hulu we recommend you use OpenVPN (UDP) for the best performance.

That’s all there is to it. A US IP also gives you access to Netflix, Pandora, Skype, Facebook and many more sites. Follow us on Twitter @VPNSP for more how-to guides along with VPN reviews and special offers.

Filed Under: Guides Tagged With: Hulu