Best Alternatives To A VPN
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We use VPNs to safeguard our data and our privacy and obscure or hide as much personal information about ourselves and what we do online as possible.
But you don’t have to use a VPN to do this.
There are alternatives to using a VPN. None of them are easy, and all of them have their drawbacks, but here we explore what you can do if you want VPN-like services without paying for a VPN.
SmartDNS
A DNS is a Domain Name Server. Your DNS allows you to connect to the internet and send and receive the appropriate IP address. Internet Protocols is a unique string of numbers which are specifically designated to one website. Most people will use the DNS supplied by their ISP (Internet Service Provider
An IP address gives a fixed location to your connection. So, a website receiving a request from your DNS will see that you are connecting from Tokyo, Japan. If you wanted to access Netflix, their DNS would then automatically refer your request to the Japanese version.
Major media providers alter the content that can be seen based upon the country that your IP is located in.
A SmartDNS works by replacing your ISP-designated DNS, with its own DNS. Making it look like your request could be coming from another country.
So, using a SmartDNS is a great way to work around Geographical IP locking. You can happily watch Netflix USA in Japan using a SmartDNS.
Prices range but can expect to pay about $5 a month for a SmartDNS.
How Is It Different To VPNs?
If you just want to watch media in another country, a SmartDNS is a good choice. But that’s about it.
A SmartDNS won’t provide you with any security or encryption, it simply re-routes your IP’s server requests through its own server and changes your location. It won’t hold up under an IP Leak test. A SmartDNS does not hide your original IP, nor will it allow you to bypass any firewalls.
Also, a SmartDNS is pretty much doing what any VPN provider would do. Most VPN providers like Surfshark will host their own DNS servers across the world, which allow you to mask or change your IP address.
Also, unlike a VPN, you are likely to get throttled (your speed slowed) by your ISP. As your connection to your SmartDNS is not encrypted, your ISP will see an uptick in data flow and may actively narrow the bandwidth that you can use. With a VPN your data will pass undetected as an encrypted package.
Basically, a SmartDNS will offer a very small part of the service a VPN can give you for the same price or even be more expensive.
Seedboxes
Unless you love to torrent, you have probably never heard of a seedbox.
A seedbox gives you access to a remote server that is placed in a high-speed data center. Seedboxes are fast. Really fast. You will get faster speeds than a VPN. Their bandwidths go as high as 10GBps. Yeah. We said Gigabytes. Though you are more likely to see speeds of 100MBps and up.
What this means is that if you are spending a lot of your time downloading and uploading big files which may be many gigabytes a seedbox is perfect. Because you can download the torrent much faster than just using your current broadband or even a VPN.
Seedboxes are popular with people who love P2P file sharing and the BitTorrent Communities.
They maintain your privacy and allow you to evade copyright law as all the actions happen on their third-party servers. When your computers access the file, which lives in the Seedbox it is done using HTTP and FTP, and therefore undetectable from normal internet traffic.
How Is It Different from a VPN?
Just like a SmartDNS, a Seedbox is a highly specialized tool for a singular task. So, if you only want to download and upload a torrent, then get a seedbox. But you won’t get any other additional functionality.
A lot of Seedboxes have the option to use the open-source OpenVPN protocol. This means that your connection with the high-speed server is secure. The encryption tends to be the same to VPN’s. Unbreakable 256-bit AES.
But, that’s it.
You can’t access multiple servers, you won’t be able to browse anonymously, nor will your connecting IP be obscured. Also, it wouldn’t be able to circumvent Geo-IP locked content.
A Seedbox helps you download and upload content well. But you won’t get any added functionality.
Also, they are expensive. Those high-speed servers cost money. You can expect a basic monthly plan to start at $20 per month and go up steeply depending on your data usage. We are talking about a service where you plan on uploading and storing terabytes of data.
Proxys
In the early days of internet anonymity, proxies were all the rage. Suddenly you could re-route your traffic to thousands of free proxies all around the world. Meaning you were able to change your IP and remain anonymous in theory. As the proxy hides your public IP address assigned by your ISP.
A proxy is simply a middle connection between two computers. Proxies can be used to relay data, censor what someone sees, filter data, or act as a means of bypassing some form of content lock or censorship.
The next question is who is running the proxy. There have been many stories of people being hacked, having their information hijacked, and even getting malware from using unknown proxies. Always use a trusted company that provides proxies. Avoid free proxy lists online. They are a hotbed for hackers and malicious third parties who want to at best steal your data.
A VPN is not a proxy, as a proxy only works for the browser and the actions within that browser. Whereas a VPN secures all your traffic. Even when your devices aren’t being actively used, they are transmitting and receiving data. Also, a VPN will connect automatically and may even have an inbuilt kill switch that stops you from connecting to the internet if the VPN isn’t active. Without knowing how to code you will need to manually connect to the proxy each time.
Free proxies are also commonly used by VPN providers who give you a free service alongside their premium product.
People use proxies because they are free, and generally, they are misinformed about the dangers you face using a proxy.
How Is It Different from a VPN?
Proxies can be great for carrying out the same function as a SmartDNS, allowing you to unblock content based in other countries. But that’s about it.
Your connection is not secure or encrypted, and if you risk using a free proxy, the person running the server can monitor your traffic and see what you are doing. You don’t get any form of security using a proxy.
Plus, unlike a paid VPN like Surfshark, you don’t get an automatic connection through an easy-to-use application. Nor will you get stable servers that you can connect to every time. Free proxies are notorious for appearing and disappearing as well as needing to be constantly monitored to see if they have been compromised.
A VPN will give you security, safety, anonymity, and a host of added functionality at a small cost as opposed to a free proxy that may be used by hackers to access your computer and data.
YOUR INTERNET ACTIVITY IS BEING WATCHED
ReviewVPN cannot attest to the legality, security and privacy of the applications discussed on this site. It is highly recommended that you use a VPN service while streaming or using Kodi.
Currently, your IP 18.97.14.83 is visible to everyone and your Browser is being tracked by Advertisers & ISP Provider.
Here are the main reasons why you must use a VPN:
- Your activities are hidden from your ISP, the government, and from the apps you are using.
- You can access additional movies and TV streams.
- ISP attempts to throttle are thrwarted thus reducing buffering issues.
- Geographically restricted content like Netflix and Hulu can be unblocked.
A VPN works be replacing your ISP-assigned IP address and creating an encrypted tunnel. We recommend the no log service offered by IPVanish. It works well on a Firestick and offers the fastest possible speeds.
Set Up Your Own VPN
A VPN is essentially an encrypted tunnel. From your computer, you set up encryption which can then be received by a DNS host and then receives a response that is encrypted back to your computer.
So why not just set up your own VPN?
Well, you can. You can use an open-source set of scripts from OpenVPN or Algo VPN. Set up a digital server. Use an SSH Proxy on a Raspberry Pi and hey presto! You have a VPN.
Sounds simple right?
No. Not really. The truth is the internet is littered with guides on setting up your own VPN server, but it just pushes the problem down the line. For example, does your virtual server keep logs of your traffic?
Running your own VPN, even if you get it set up, doesn’t make you more secure, as your data must come out at a server somewhere. Third parties have no loyalty to you and your little pet project. Plus, your broadband provider will still be able to see all your traffic and still choose to throttle your bandwidth. A self-made VPN does not help you to switch around countries either. Unless you want to sign up for multiple servers.
Setting up your VPN is good fun, but it’s not going to give you anywhere near the functionality you would get from a paid provider.
After all, you are paying them to do the hard work for you.
Why Pay For A VPN?
You can get a decent VPN provider like Surfshark for less than 7 dollars a month. Is it worth all that time setting up your own VPN which is only going to encrypt your traffic and obscure your IP if you have multiple instances set up?
The bottom line is that when we look at setting up a SmartDNS and subscribing for a Seedbox, they are great products. But they are tailored to a highly specific use. All of which you can use a VPN provider. With Surfshark you can torrent, just not at 1GBps. But do you really need to torrent a movie in 2 minutes?
Surfshark will allow you to unlock all major media providers, like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer, it will allow you to access geographically restricted content anywhere in the world. All at the click of a button.
You can access 1,400+ servers around the world. I mean sure, you can trawl through thousands of free proxies every time you want to anonymize your IP. But do you know who is running that proxy? How can you be certain that your connection is secure, and that someone isn’t using that proxy to carry out a man-in-the-middle attack on your computer, or piggy-backing on your data to hack someone else?
Free proxies were great in 2005, but the world has moved on and got significantly more sophisticated. Surfshark will give you military-grade 256-bit AES encryption on up to 5 devices. I mean do you really want to try setting up proxies on your phone every day.
Why not just set up your own VPN server?
I mean who can trust these big providers anyway. I’m better off doing it myself. For the same reason that I don’t build my own car. Sounds like a nice idea but I’ve got a busy life.
Also, how long would it take me to build a car like a Tesla? Longer than I must give, if ever at all.
Let alone the fact that I am going to need to set up a server, or use a third party, who may be recording all my data to sell onto a third-party advertiser.
Using a provider like Surfshark is the simple solution to all my problems. For less than $7 a month I can simply sign up, download the mobile application, and have all my devices secured in less than 5 minutes.
Better than spending the next 3 hours setting up your own VPN server, only to discover that you won’t be able to change your IP easily and access that film on Netflix you wanted to watch in the first place.
The short story is that it just makes more sense to pay for one VPN provider like Surfshark which is going to provide a one-stop solution for all your problems. Access content all around the world, do it safely, anonymize your IP and hop around hundreds of servers around the world. Safe in the knowledge that Surfshark’s no-log policy will keep you safe whatever you do.
Best VPN Provider
Surfshark
With 3200+ servers in 65 countries, you will never be far away from a blazing-fast connection with Surfshark. As a rule of thumb, the more servers a VPN provider has, the faster speeds, as you get a bigger distribution for all their user’s traffic.
You can enjoy whopping and unlimited simultaneous connections with unlimited bandwidth. They even offer unlimited P2P traffic which means that your connection will never be slowed down wherever you are.
You can switch between their servers to find the fastest speed. Surfshark consistently rates as one of the fastest VPN providers around. Also, you can remove any geographic IP blocks on the latest games and play anonymously at high speeds almost anywhere in the world.
Oh, and it’s secure. Really secure. Protect yourself when login onto a public Wi-Fi with military-grade 256-bit AES encryption. The most secure cryptography in the world used by the US Military.
Plus in between games you can watch Netflix anywhere, always browse anonymously and maintain your privacy with prices starting as low as $6.50 per month.
Note: For more information about Surfshark, please read our Surfshark Review.
How to Install Surfshark VPN on Firestick
If your Firestick still has the older interface, read this article to learn how to update it: Update Firestick Interface.
Follow our screenshots below to install the SurfShark VPN app on your Fire TV stick.
1. Go to the Home screen of your Firestick.
2. Navigate towards the Find tab. Press the Search button from the resulting dropdown.
3. Type in the keyword of SurfShark and select from the suggestions that will appear.
4. Click the official SurfShark icon from your search results.
5. Press the Download (You own it) button.
6. The SurfShark VPN installer will download on your device.
7. SurfShark VPN’s app will automatically install itself on your Fire TV stick.
8. Press the Open button after completing SurfShark VPN’s installation process.
9. Please wait for the SurfShark VPN to load its user interface.
10. You can now log in with your SurfShark VPN account credentials.
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