Have you every been traveling overseas and had trouble connecting to Netflix, Amazon, Skype, Facebook or other video streaming and social media sites? That’s because the websites you are trying to get to are often restricted by (or to) the country you are traveling in. But there is an easy way to get around the restriction. And it has the added benefits of increased security and privacy. It’s called Virtual Private Network (VPN). To learn how VPN works, and how to get it, see below.
I was traveling in Europe when the Super Bowl was on TV. NBC was streaming it, but when I tried to access the NBC Super Bowl streaming web page and click on the “stream video” button, it just sat there doing nothing. I figured the country I was in was blocking me, so I set up a VPN connection using StrongVPN, a VPN service that I have used for years, and like. They are very fast and very secure. (Check it out here: www.strongVPN.com). Within seconds, I was streaming the Super Bowl. I could have just as easily used StrongVPN to stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Skype, and any of the other websites, often blocked by foreign countries.
How Does VPN Work?
Traveling Overseas
When you are traveling outside your home country, but want to access websites in your home country as if you were there, and with additional benefits of improved security and privacy, use VPN. The way it works is you subscribe to StrongVPN, and download a simple client app into your computer. With one click, it connects you to your home country via StrongVPN servers in the country you are traveling in. From that server, StrongVPN creates a virtual private network back to their server in your home country. It usually takes just a couple seconds. Once connected, you browse the internet just like you normally would.
The connection is very secure. And there’s an important added advantage when you are connecting to the internet through a wi-fi connection (e.g. in your hotel, cafe, hotspot, etc.). Wi-fi is insecure and hackers can lurk as you type passwords and such and intercept them. StrongVPN encrypts your internet traffic before it goes over wi-fi, so it can’t be intercepted.
Your home country can be the US, UK, China, and many more. Visit StrongVPN’s website for a complete list.
Traveling in China
China has very restrictive internet access policies. If you are in China right now, it is possible they are blocking access to VPN websites. If so, try this link: StrongVPN China.
If you are traveling in China, and want to do some online banking or eCommerce, you will need the IP address of your home country to safely conduct your private business on the Internet while you are in another country. StrongVPN gives you that.
In addition, China often limits access to social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and streaming video websites. StrongVPN makes it appear that you are accessing those websites from the US. So it just works.
How to get VPN
To learn more about VPN and try it out, go here, or, if you are in China, go here.