Step to set up PPTP VPN in Windows Vista:

Note: It is assumed you already have a Wi-Fi Internet Connection set in Windows Vista before proceeding with the steps. If not, set up a Wi-Fi Internet connection before proceeding.

• Click on Start
• Go to “Connect To”
• A window “Connect to a Network” opens
• Locate and click on “Set up a connection or Network”
• In the Choose a connection window, select “Connect to a workplace”, click on Next.
• In the next Window, select “Use my Internet Connection(VPN)”

(Note: If you are prompted, “Do you want to use a connection you already have?” select “No” create a new connection and click on Next)

• Type the Internet address and Destination name in the respective fields(Note: These details are generally provided by your VPN service provider or your Network Administrator)
• In the same window, check the box “Don’t connect now; just set it up so I can use it later, click on Next
• Type in the Username and Password, click on Create
• Your PPTP VPN is now created and ready for use.
• Click on Connect to test the connection.

Steps to setup OpenVPN VPN on your Android phone:

1. 1.       Go to Home Screen on your Android phone
2. 2.       Navigate to Settings
3. Tap on Settings icon
4. Tap on Wireless & Networks option
5. Scroll down to VPN settings.
6. Tap on “Add VPN” option on the screen
7. Tap on “Add OpenVPN VPN” option

Configuring your OpenVPN VPN connection

You will see six different fields on the screen listed on the screen such as

• VPN Name
• Set VPN Server
• User Authentication
• Set User Certificate
• Set CA Certificate
• DNS search domains

Enter appropriate information in all fields required for configuring your VPN account. Read the instructions below before proceeding with the configuration task.

Important things to remember:

• You will be required to sign up for a VPN service to use OpenVPN VPN on your Android phone. You will need to have all information required before configuring your VPN account.

VPN Name:

• You can set any Name for the OpenVPN VPN connection. (The name entered in this field is not your username for OpenVPN VPN connection but name for VPN connection)

VPN Server:

• The VPN server address will be provided by the VPN service provider. You need to enter actual address in Set VPN Server field while configuring your OpenVPN VPN account.

User Authentication:

• If you want added protection, you can enable User Authentication for connecting to VPN.  The User authentication needs to set on the VPN server you would be using. Refer to the instructions provided by your VPN service provider regarding User Authentication for your OpenVPN VPN connection.

Set User Certificate:

• You will need to download and install User Certificate for your Android device before configuring OpenVPN VPN connection. Your VPN service provider will provide you with a user certificate. Download and install the User Certificate before beginning the VPN setup process. All User certificates installed on your Android phone will be listed when you select the “Set User certificate” option during configuration process.  Select the User Certificate provided by your VPN service provider.

Set CA Certificate:

• Similarly you will also need to download and install CA certificate provided by your VPN service provider.      
• If you don’t have certificates installed on your phone, you should know the name of the certificates (User certificate name and CA certificate name) for your VPN service provider.

Note: The certificates (User and CA) required for authentication of your VPN connection should be stored in root folder of your SD card. If they are stored in other places in your phone, they won’t be listed or available to use while setting your OpenVPN VPN connection

DNS search domains:

•  You can leave the DNS search domain option untouched, or you can use internal domain server address or Google DNS servers such as 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4.

Once you have entered all required information, tap on Back button on your Android phone. Your OpenVPN VPN connection is set and ready for use. You can now see VPN service listed below the “Add VPN” option on the screen. Click on “Connect” to connect to VPN.

• After saving your VPN configuration, you may be asked to setup a password for credentials storage for your device. You need to know that this password in applicable to your phone only. It is not in any way related to your VPN connection.
• Some Android OS versions may offer a “Save” option to save all information entered in VPN configuration screen. If you are prompted with a Save option at the end of configuration, Tap on Save to save configuration details and setup a VPN connection.
• You will be prompted for Username and Password to connect to VPN service. Enter the username and password provided by your VPN service provider and connect to VPN server.

→ Top Rated VPN Services for Android

Steps to setup PPTP VPN on your Android phone:

1. 1.       Go to Home Screen on your Android phone
2. 2.       Press Menu Button
3. 3.       Navigate to Settings
4. Tap on Settings icon
5. Tap on Wireless & Networks option
6. Scroll down to VPN settings
7. Tap on “Add VPN” option on the screen
8. Tap on “Add PPTP VPN” option

Configuring your PPTP VPN connection:

You will see four different fields listed on the screen such as

• VPN Name
• Set VPN Server
• Enable Encryption
• DNS search domains

Enter appropriate information in all fields required for configuring your PPTP VPN account. Read the instructions below before proceeding with the configuration task.

Important things to remember:

• You will be required to sign up for a VPN service to use PPTP VPN on your Android phone. You will need to have all information with you before configuring your VPN account.

VPN Name:

• You can set any Name for the PPTP VPN connection. (The name entered in this field is not your username for PPTP VPN connection but name for the VPN connection)

VPN Server:

• The VPN server address will be provided by the VPN service provider. You need to enter actual address in “Set VPN Server” field while configuring your PPTP VPN account.

Enable Encryption:

• You can keep the PPTP encryption enabled or disable it. Some VPN services might require you to disable the encryption. Refer to instructions provided by your VPN service provider.

DNS search domains:

•  You can leave the DNS search domain option untouched, or you can use internal domain server address or Google DNS servers such as 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4.

Once you have entered all required information, tap on Back button on your Android phone. Your PPTP VPN connection is set and ready for use. You can now see VPN service listed below the “Add VPN” option on the screen. Click on “Connect” to connect to VPN.

• After saving your VPN configuration, you may be asked to setup a password for credentials storage for your device. You need to know that this password in applicable to your phone only. It is not in any way related to your VPN connection.
• Some Android OS versions may offer a “Save” option to save all information entered in VPN configuration screen. If you are prompted with a Save option at the end of configuration, Tap on Save to save configuration details and setup a VPN connection.
• You will be prompted for Username and Password to connect to VPN service. Enter the username and password provided by your VPN service provider and connect to VPN server.

→ Top Rated VPN Services for Android

Steps to setup L2TP VPN on your Android phone:

1. Go to Home Screen on your Android phone
2. Navigate to Settings
3. Tap on Settings icon
4. Tap on Wireless & Networks option
5. Scroll down to VPN settings
6. Tap on “Add VPN” option on the screen
7. Tap on “Add L2TP VPN” option

Configuring your L2TP VPN connection

You will see five different fields on the screen listed on the screen such as

• VPN Name
• Set VPN Server
• Enable L2TP Secret
• Set L2TP Secret
• DNS search domains

Enter appropriate information in all fields required for configuring of your L2TP VPN account. Read the instructions below before proceeding with the configuration task.

Important things to remember:

• You will be required to sign up for a VPN service to use L2TP VPN on your Android phone. You will need to have all information with you before configuring your VPN account.

VPN Name:

• You can set any Name for the L2TP VPN connection. (The name entered in this field is not your username for L2TP VPN connection but name for VPN connection)

VPN Server:

• The VPN server address will be provided by the VPN service provider. You need to enter actual address in Set VPN Server field while configuring your L2TP VPN account.

Enable L2TP Secret:

• You can keep the “L2TP Secret” feature enabled or keep it disabled. L2TP secret is a password used for Layer 2 Tunnel authentication. Some VPN services might require you to disable the L2TP Secret option. Refer to instructions provided by your VPN service provider. The L2TP Secret password is different from your VPN account password. Memorize or write the password down somewhere, so you don’t have problems connecting to L2TP account due to wrong L2TP Secret password.

Set L2TP Secret:

• If you have chosen to use L2TP Secret feature, enter any password of your choice when prompted for password during configuration at L2TP Secret stage.

DNS search domains:

• You can leave the DNS search domain option untouched, or you can use internal domain server address or Google DNS servers such as 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4.

Once you have entered all required information, tap on Back button on your Android phone. Your L2TP VPN connection is set and ready for use. You can now see VPN service listed under “Add VPN” option on the screen. Click on “Connect” to connect to VPN.

• After saving your VPN configuration, you may be asked to setup a password for credentials storage for your device. You need to know that this password in applicable to your phone only. It is not in any way related to your VPN connection.
• Some Android OS versions may offer a “Save” option to save all information entered in VPN configuration screen. If you are prompted with a Save option at the end of configuration, Tap on Save to save configuration details and setup a VPN connection.

You will be prompted for Username and Password to connect to VPN. Enter the username and password provided by your VPN service provider and connect to VPN.

→ Top Rated VPN Services for Android

Game of thrones is no doubt one of the most popular TV series in recent years. Actually, I avoided watching it for quite a while just because I’m a hipster at heart and do no enjoy anything that’s ‘popular’, but the buzz around Game of Thrones finally drew me into it and I’ve started watching a few episodes.

One major issue with the series however is that it’s hard to find outside the USA. It is actually available in many countries, but it’s often late to broadcast (6 months difference between the US and Australia), and it’s not available online in all countries. If you can’t afford the HBO subscription, or simply don’t watch TV on an actual television, getting HBO Go and watching Game of Thrones through the internet is a possible solution.

The issue there is that HBO Go isn’t available outside the USA. Well, it might be available in some countries (the UK for example) – I read that they are supposedly making the series available outside the US on HBO Go, but that doesn’t really make sense because most countries are unable to access the site due to IP restrictions.

I only mention that because it’s worth trying to get on and sign up before you try this next trick.

If you are unable to get on HBO Go from your current location, then you need to change your IP. This is easy. It’s done with a VPN, and well, welcome to Mr. VPN!

VPNs are like a virtual tunnel that transports your computer to another location. Not actually. Just virtually. By ‘locking’ your current IP (aka online identity), and signing into secure servers in the USA (provided by the VPN service), you can essentially change your identity online.

Never mind the privacy implications of that (it’s super effective for online privacy), we’re here for entertainment.

Actually, lots of websites lock their content to US-Only IP addresses, HBO included.

So, using a VPN to access Game of Thrones from anywhere in the world, on any HBO Go compatible device is as simple as

1) Choose a VPN service and sign up

2) Install and sign into VPN (Get a US IP)

3) Sign up for HBO Go

4) Start watching Game of Thrones!

Though I’m living back in the US now, I previously lived abroad and was able to access HBO’s website as well as Netflix, Hulu, and other similar ones using a US VPN connection. It’ll cost you somewhere between 5 and 10 dollars per month, including tech support, free server switching, and a money back guarantee.

Here’s my list of top rated VPN services world wide, or you can browse by country on the right hand side bar. There are full reviews of each service you can read or skip all the reading and just go with my #1 rated VPN service.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below. I’m not sure if I really want to get involved and power through 3 seasons before 2014 when the new season starts, but the first couple episodes are pretty good!

The internet has become very popular in the modern environment, and for many people it is an essential part of everyday life. Using the internet allows people to communicate with each other across large distances, to share information rapidly, and to find out things that they want to know much more easily than they would be able to without being online.

The concept of using a VPN for a dedicated IP address is still relatively new, but despite this, the approach is becoming very popular. So, what exactly would make it so that you need a dedicated IP address? Firstly, there is the way that your IP address acts as an identifier. On many occasions, your IP address will be the same each time you connect to the internet. This is called a static IP address and it is particularly common for people who use the internet from their own home.

Having a static IP address can be a problem. Because your IP address is the same each time, if someone was to record the websites that you visited, it would be possible to build up a substantial profile about you, without you ever being aware of it. This is exactly what happens while you are online. IP addresses are not legally considered to be personal information, so there is little you can do about this. Technically, you can opt out of this behavior.

However, this is actually very difficult to do, and something that you need to do every single time there is a new company that records this information. Why go to all this hassle? Through a VPN you can alter your IP address and protect yourself from this, without the need for constant monitoring. There are other benefits to doing this also. One of these is if you are using a VPN from a location that is not at the home, such as through public Wifi networks.

These networks have a very low level of security, and all users who are on the network at a given time have the same IP address. This means that each time you switch locations, you are given a new IP address.

This is good for stopping you from being tracked online, but it can also make it very difficult to access websites that have high security, because they will lock your account if you try to access it too many times from different IP addresses.  Using a VPN for a dedicated IP address gives you the option of keeping your IP address constant when you need it to be, and allowing you to change it when you want to.

The iPhone 5 is one of the newest additions to Apple’s line up, but just like other versions of the Apple iPhone it is simply not safe to browse the internet on the phone without taking some precautions. It is essential that you find the best iPhone 5 VPN before you start using the internet on your iPhone 5, and certainly before you transfer any information that is personal in nature.

Despite how new the iPhone 5 is, there are already VPNs that work effectively on an iPhone 5 and these can be obtained from most VPN providers. There are a number of benefits to using a VPN on an iPhone. While you are using a VPN service you are completely anonymous online, and your IP address is hidden from anyone who is trying to eavesdrop on your conversations, or who wants to steal your information.

When you are using a VPN, you are able to get through firewalls that would normally restrict what you could do online. This is especially true in the case of geo-restriction. Websites are frequently geo-restricted because of copyright limitations. This means that you cannot access these sites from some parts of the world. Using a VPN gets you around these types of restrictions. This means that through the VPN, you will have the ability to visit many different websites that you wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise.

Another reason that you might be interested in using a VPN is that it provides you with a way of bypassing firewalls and filters. These are very prominent when you are using the internet in places like businesses or schools, where the owners of the network often restrict what content you are able to access.

The good thing about Apple products is that they are set up for using a VPN, so this makes it very easy to use a VPN while you are using a iPhone 5. There are a lot of online tutorials for using a VPN, and these show you step-by-step how you can set up a VPN on your iPhone 5.

You might find it a little difficult to work out exactly what the best iPhone 5 VPN is, and I can’t help you make that decision. The truth is, what is best is different for every individual, and this is based on your own needs and what the VPN offers. However, with a little shopping around, I’m sure you will find exactly what you are looking for.

People use the internet for a wide range of things and as a consequence, governments and companies have tried to develop more effective ways to control the flow of information and to prevent the internet being used as a method of promoting violence and hate.

Because of some of these precautions, there have been associations made between people’s IP addresses and the things they do online, like what they post on blog websites or what they download. However, many times these associations are not true and they are part of the reason to look for software to change your IP address.

Most homes have a static IP address, which means that your IP address is exactly the same when you connect to the internet now as it was two weeks ago. As well as this, your IP address provides some information about you, including what country you are in. Although it only gives an approximation of your physical location, sometimes the approximation is surprisingly accurate.

The static nature of most IP address has a number of implications. Firstly, it creates an online profile for you. This means that it doesn’t matter what you say your name or location is, the websites that you visit can work out your actual area. One example of this is online forums. While you can generally create multiple accounts on forums without a problem, if you are banned from the forum for any reason, even a misunderstanding, many will not let you create a new account using the same IP address.

Another thing about having a static IP address is companies that record your IP address as you go online. Google is one of the most prominent companies that does this, although there are a number of smaller marketing companies that also use the same approach.

In the case of Google, what happens is that any time you do a search that uses Google’s search engine, the company records your searches and the IP address that was used. While many people believe that IP addresses, and the storage of such information is personal information, Google does not feel that this is the case.

However, you could find out a lot about someone from their browsing history, including their personality and thins that they might not want known. This is what makes software to change your IP address so appealing, such as a VPN. With this in place, the IP address that is being linked to your activity isn’t even your own, and you can change the IP address as well.

The online environment is often perceived to be a safe environment, where people are able to conduct their business online without be worried about anyone watching their online activities. Most people think that there isn’t any risk of their data being intercepted. This isn’t actually the case, and the online environment presents a lot of risks for users that they often are not aware of. Offshore VPN services provide you with a way of protecting your activity while you are online.

VPN services are particularly important because of the way that they alter your online activity. When you browse the internet through a personal network, such as at your own house, you have a relatively low level of security. Although there is a low level of protection present on this network, it is not sufficient to fully protect you.

If you are using a network in a public area, like an airport, or many types of coffee shops and restaurants, then your risk is further increased. Wifi networks have different protocols for security than home networks or networks that are used in businesses. In particular, Wifi networks have much lower levels of security than other networks.

When you are using a Wifi network, you are sharing the same IP address as many other people. There are much fewer barriers between you and other people on this type of network. Because of this, it is possible for people to be on the same Wifi network as you and intercept some of the information that you are sending and receiving. In fact, there are even programs available that allow users to do this entirely passively, and give them the potential not only to obtain data, but also to intercept usernames and passwords that you input into websites.

When you use offshore VPN services, you can also increase the number of websites you can visit. Normally, your access to websites is related to your physical location. This is due to your IP address, because it tells websites where you are. A VPN provides you with an opportunity to change this.

It does this by hiding your IP address behind one that is associated with the VPN server. This is effective because it is your IP address that influences what websites you can visit. Through the VPN, you can change your apparent location, which changes the websites that you can access. The websites that you can access become related to the IP address that you get through the VPN, rather than your own.

Throughout the world, censorship has developed as a significant factor that limits the amount of internet content that users can access.

Although censorship was once only prevalent in countries that experienced large amounts of political repression, it has since began to be important even in Western democracies.

This is why many users have turned to software to unblock sites, because this approach provides a way for people to entirely get around any censorship, and gain access to websites that were previously blocked.

One of the most significant examples of proposed censorship in developed democracies is the proposals for copyright law that have been proposed in many countries, including the United States.

These laws differ between countries, but have focused on approaches to protect the assets of people who hold copyrights. One of the main focuses of these laws are on peer-to-peer download sites and torrent programs, which are commonly used to share illegal files.

While this might not sound concerning, the problem with these laws is that they suggest that sites should be censored if they allow users to download illegal files. This has the potential not only to include torrent websites, like The Pirate Bay, but also sites that offer the ability for users to share files, but do not focus on allowing illegal downloads.

The development of these laws have been strongly critiqued by advocates of freedom of speech. Many people argue that the beginning of censorship, any form of censorship, is the start of a slippery slope, which can lead to the government censoring things just because it feels like it.

Another country where censorship has been increasing has been Australia, so much so that the group Reporters without Borders has placed Australia on its Under Surveillance list. The censorship in Australia has been focused around the concept of protecting children from things on the internet that may be harmful to them, such as violent or sexual content.  The problem is, censorship is not an effective method of protecting children, especially as the younger generation is much more adept with technology than their older counterparts.

If you live in a part of the world where censorship is prevalent, or even where there are just a few examples of censorship, you can use software to unblock sites. A VPN gives you the ability to access websites that would normally be restricted to you through censorship, which gives you a lot more freedom.

>>> My Picks For the Top 10 VPN Services