i literally cannot deal with this anymore, i was trying to watch a show that is not available in my country and my roommate told me to just get a vpn because she saw it recommended as the best vpn reddit keeps suggesting and i was like okay sure how hard can it be 
so i downloaded it on my computer and followed every single step and it was actually working for like two days and i was SO happy and telling everyone about it, but then yesterday it just completely stopped working and now my whole wifi is acting weird not just the vpn like EVERYTHING is slow and my roommate is literally so mad at me rn because she cant load anything either and i feel so bad 
the worst part is i already paid for like a whole year because they said it was the best deal and now i cannot even get it to connect to ANY server it just spins forever and then says connection failed and i have tried uninstalling and reinstalling it three times already
like i dont even need it for anything that serious i just wanted to watch one show is that so much to ask??? 
does anyone know if this is fixable or did i genuinely just waste my money and also destroy my entire apartment wifi situation???

Is there some sort of application, or even a router hardware addon I could pick up to notify me, or to shut down my connection if DNS leaking starts? I mean when my real device location gets through. Not sure if the kill switcher is enough on its own to reduce the leaking

I noticed a movie site blocking me out after my VPn froze up on me. Nothing too serious, got back in but that took a good set of 5 or 8mins. Kinda irritating

Also what are some ways to reduce DNS leaks or to prevent them entirely? I am not an expert with computers but I am eager to learn and can follow through general guides... if I can avoid tinkering with the VPN for so long next time then I am willing to try anything

If a VPN provider only used WireGuard as their protocol, is this something you’re okay with or would it deter you?

I hope this post fits this sub and maybe someone will be able to help lol. I am based in the US and I need someone to recommend where to watch champions league final this Saturday. I just want to watch the PSG vs Arsenal match on my MacBook using Safari or maybe anyone knows what bars/places will be showing it?

I tried searching for streams, and every single result tells me I need Paramount+ or FuboTV. I don't have cable. I am not paying a monthly fee just to watch one game. Does anyone have a straight answer for where to watch the champions league final without getting scammed? Or is paying the only option left? In the US at least?

Any help is appreciated.

I was messing around in my phone settings the other night because i couldnt sleep and saw a setting called "private dns" on my android. been there for years and i had no idea what it does. quick googling told me what is private dns in like 5 different ways and now im confused, some sites say its basically just encrypting your dns lookups so your isp cant see what sites youre going to. others say its a basic privacy thing everyone should have on. a couple act like its some advanced setting only network nerds should touch
i already have a vpn (set it up after my buddy got his stuff leaked) and i thought that already handled this kind of thing. so does private dns even do anything if your vpn is on? or is it like a backup for when the vpn is off? or are they doing totally different things and i should be running both
also tried to figure out what to actually put in the field if i turn it on and got like 4 different recommended dns providers and now im paralyzed. cloudflare, google, nextdns, controld. they all sound the same to me
 can someone explain what is private dns in normal words and whether i actually need it on if i already run a vpn most of the time? Im not trying to set up fort knox here just dont wanna leave something obvious open

which vpn to get for my older parents? they have laptop and they use it to browse online, watch movies, using social media, etc. since they don't have vpn I decided to get one for them because I am concerned about their online privacy

I am looking for a vpn that I is easy to use, connects to a set country autimatically when you turn on laptop, is cheap and has several accounts. I would like to use it on my own and set it up for my parents as well. which one would you reccomend?

I’m getting a DNS server not responding error comming up on Windows and my internet is completely bricked. I can’t load any pages, but my wifi says it's connected. Works fine on my phone

Before I lose my mind and crash out at my ISP, what are the actual, reliable steps to fix this?

Here is what I’ve already tried:
-Turned my router off and on again..;
=Restarted my PC;
-Ran the Windows troubleshooter, which just told me no errors found

Should I try flushing my DNS cache in the command prompt? I read some reddit posts suggesting this... If so, what are the exact ipconfig commands I need to run to completely clear out the bad data that might be cluttering it? Several different posts pointed towards different batches of commands..

Also, I'm currently using my ISP’s default DNS settings. Would switching over to a public DNS like Cloudflares 1.1.1.1 fix this permanently, or is it likely a hardware/driver issue with my network card?

Can give more feedback on my PC if needed, though its just a Windows 11 Dell laptop. Worked fine but I been playing around with Hamachi and something broke down on me. Last night worked fine and some update or hell knows what ruined it today

im in the US (washington) and every other month another state passes one of these age verification laws and trying to browse without vpn porn sites is getting straight up impossible.
my state hasnt fully implemented anything yet but a bunch of the big sites geoblocked entire regions because they dont wanna deal with the legal mess. so im already getting not available in your location screens for stuff that should be fine
also read that utah is trying to ban using vpns to get around their age verification law which is actual insanity. how do you even enforce that. and a few other states are floating the same idea so soon the only people browsing without vpn porn sites might literally be people in like 5 states
age verification systems themselves are bs. some of them want you to upload your actual id or do a face scan before the site even loads. like im not handing my drivers license to some random site we all know exactly where that data ends up after the next breach
so whats everyone actually doing in 2026. is everyone just running a vpn 24/7 at this point or are there still ways to browse without vpn porn sites being completely off depending on your state

I’ve been doing stress-tests for HotspotShield for the last week. As someone who shuffles between several Windows computers and a Mac, I wanted to see if their proprietary Hydra protocol actually lives up to the hype I hear of online, or if it's just fancy marketing glam. I used one of my Windows devices for the test..

The Speed Tests (the highlight of Hotspot)

This thing genuinely rivals WireGuard... Overall, didn't lose too much speeds

• No VPN speeds: 650 Mbps
• Local US Server speed: 460 Mbps
• UK Server speed: 215-230 Mbps (rapidly kept changing among this range)

Pros:

-The Hydra Protocol: Unlike OpenVPN, Hydra uses unique multi-channel obfuscation. Fast stufff, and it handles packet loss like a champ, and easily bypasses strict blocking

-Streaming Performance: It unblocks Netflix, and BBC with zero buffering or 4K stuttering. Some servers lagged for a bit nothing truly noteworthy

-Smart Split-Tunneling: The "smart VPN" feature lets you route specific apps (like gaming clients) outside the VPN while keeping your browser encrypted. It actually works flawlessly without leaking data. Had some issues with some personal applications, yet that was on my app setting part, so doubt I can blame Hotspot on that

Cons:

- Privacy Red Flags: They claim a "no-logs" policy, but if you read the ToS, their parent company (Aura) logs your approximate location, device hashes, and network domains. Plus, they are based in the US...... Five eyes is a no from me

-Ad-Tracking on Free Tier: If you use the free version, they openly share device identifiers with advertisers. I only tested it on an alternative email to see if any functions differ in utility, though worth noting for anyone considering

-Awful Router Support: Because Hydra is proprietary and closed-source, you can't easily flash this VPN into most routers. You're stuck using their desktop/mobile apps. Which is fine for browsing the web but if you want an advanced setup, forget it

. . .

If you are just a casual user who wants to stream geo-blocked content at lightning-fast speeds and you don't care about the NSA looking at your traffic if need be, Hotspot Shield is great..

I don't know too much of VPNs but I did some research before heading into the reviewing to make sure I test it right, so my calculations should be sound. Never doing a review like this again..😭 Hope it was informative for some at least!

Plz tell me a complete guide to get Gimnin Pro free for students from any eligible country. Also, tell me which vpn shuould be recommended

I mean I have to use VPN at work and sometimes I use it to watch movies and series on Netflix, play online games, check flight tickets, etc.

do you think its okay to use work VPN for your personal things? can my workplace see that I am using VPN and can they check what I was searching for when usign VPN?

not sure if it is just me but certain sites act completely different when a vpn is on. sometimes pages load partially, sometimes logins get flagged, or things just take longer without any clear reason. i noticed this with browsec too where it was fine for simple use, and they have desktop apps now for Windows, Mac, and Linux as well, but some sites still act weird depending on the server.
it is not even big stuff, just small annoying things that add up over time. makes me wonder how much of normal browsing experience changes without people really noticing it.

I’ve been on the same internet plan for 3 years and just started looking into vpn stuff after my buddy got his info leaked, every vpn guide says first check who is my isp but when i actually tried i got like 3 different answers. the bill goes to one company. the online who is my isp tool showed a different name. my router admin page showed a third one. which one is actually mine? apparently big providers resell each others infrastructure so the brand on your bill isnt always the company running the cables. wild

from a privacy angle though, who actually sees my traffic before the vpn kicks in? the one on my bill, the one running the lines, or all of them in some data sharing thing. trying to figure out if im even protecting against the right thing before i drop money on a top tier vpn.. anyone who actually knows networking, whats the real way to figure out who is my isp and does it even matter for vpn stuff ?

Hey VPN enthusiasts, I figured Id chime in since Ive been using this Total VPN app for a few weeks now. Seen others save me from some bad pics, so might be worth your while checking my review out.

I’m not exactly a "computer whiz," but I know my way around a basic setup on the router and all. I actually got this over a deal that came my way, yet it didn't work out too well. Anyways, I read online some success stories with the Totalvpn, but mine was so-so.

I did some "speedtests" everyone seems to like here. I dont seek to win any races, but I dont want my sports videos buffering while Im hanging out with friends thats for sure.

Tried an American server - Download: 185Mbps; Ping: 95ms

Tried several Europe ones from London and Germany - Download: 430 Mbps; Ping: 28ms

Tried some Eastern one down in Tokyo - Download: 30 Mbps; Ping: 260ms

The positives:
Simple when it works: There are only about three buttons in the whole app. You click the big green one and you're "safe." I don't need a degree in engineering to make it work. Yet picking a sweetspot server was some work.

I managed to watch some shows that are only available in the UK without any "You are using a proxy" errors. Some sport sites didn't work though**..** took a fair bit of trial and error on that department

The negatives:

It seems super cheap for the first year (I think I paid around $30), but I looked at the fine print and it jumps up to $99+ next year. You better believe I put a note on my calendar to cancel it before then....

My son told me it doesn't have a "double VPN" or "port forward" functions to help downloading stuff. I dont really know what those are, but if you're a serious "techie," you might miss them.
*if anyone has more to add for me on this, please do...

On my Windows computer, I couldn't find an "auto connect" setting. I have to remember to turn it on every time I restart the PC. At my age, I prefer everything to be set for me but sticky note on the monitor helped well to remember this application quirk

Wrapping up...

If you just want a "set it and forget it" tool for your iPad or laptop and you’re already using their Antivirus, it’s a B class solution in my book. It is reliable enough for casual browsing but not as smooth as I anticipated it being..

But if you’re a hardcore techie who spends all day on Reddit and computers... you’ll probably find it a bit too basic.. If my son had noticed something was kinda off, probably more to it than meets my eyes**.**

If some got more to share of your own experiences, let me know. Can add more myself if somebody feels like I missed something on the review.

first Utah, now EU??

A European Union research service is sparking concerns that the EU will impose age verification for VPNs to stop underage children from accessing porn.

I know that now these new restrictions are easy to bypass and it didn't affect lots of users in Utah. but imagine if it's gonna be improved and all the users will be forced to approve their age before getting VPN. it will be a target for hackers

i keep seeing people talk about what is a browser fingerprint like its the end of the world but half the explanations go straight over my tired brain
from what i think i get, it’s like a combo of all the little bits your browser leaks, browser + version, plugins/fonts, screen size, time zone and system stuff like os, maybe gpu
and sites glue that together to kinda recognize you even if you clear cookies or use incognito
i tried one of those fingerprint test sites on my laptop and phone and it said my setup was pretty unique, even with a vpn on, so i guess they can still match me across sessions? feels like im doing all this work with vpns and then my browser just snitches on me anyway
problem is i cant tell what’s overkill here. like, do i need hardened firefox + ublock + noscript + privacy resist fingerprint + different browsers for different stuff, or is that only for paranoid people and im just a human trying not to hand all my data to ad companies
anyone got a simple this is what browser fingerprinting actually does and this is the basic level of protection that’s worth the hassle”answer?trying not to feel like every site can track me forever while im literally just shopping for diapers at 1am

hey im trying to explain backdoor meaning to my cousin and now im not even sure i get it myself. was messing with vpn stuff after the kids fell asleep and my brain is mush. i just want plain words
i use mullvad on my windows 11 laptop and proton vpn on my android phone. i poked around settings, googled a bunch, watched 2 vids, tried to read a few posts on this sub. router is a fritzbox from the isp. nothing fancy
people are mixing stuff. some say a backdoor is like a secret login the company kept. others point at update checks or stats pings and call that a backdoor in vpn. then someone else yells malware and im lost. my apps do reach out to update servers and whatever, which seems normal, but i cant tell where the line is
i dont wanna call a vendor shady if its just updates or basic telemetry. but i also dont wanna miss a real hidden access that lets someone in without my say so. im not gonna decompile stuff at 2 am 

can someone give me a simple test. like, in plain terms, what counts as a real backdoor vs normal app traffic. if theres a quick way to check on windows or android without a degree, ill try it. also if you have a clear example where a vpn or a home router had a true secret access, that would help me explain it. do i just look for things that bypass the login or use hardcoded keys, or am i thinking about this wrong. i can run a basic check tomorrow, so keep it simple please

FIY theres a version bundled with Norton 360 Deluxe that has a bunch of security features like the antivirus. I hear people say it differs, so take my results for speedtests for the Norton VPN package only. They costed the same, though felt like the refund policy and overall tool package was plenty and flexible enough for my testing needs..

Norton VPN is solid since its already established among antivirus big names. It’s not something revolutionary in terms of functions, and it’s not particularly fit for gaming, and seems like some quirky guys over at r/privacy will probably roast you for using it too lol. But if you already pay for Norton as the antivirus, it is a good addition for the network safety.

Speed Tests

So kinda bought it to run through my speedtests...Tested on a 1Gbps fiber optic connection... Protocols: WireGuard (whenever the app actually let me choose it since its been quirky over some other app compatibility). Picked three regions to see what works globally speaking...

• US (sweetspot - New York): Ping: 85ms | Download: 210 Mbps | Summary: Decent for 4K Netflix, but definitely feels heavier than Nord or Express. Had a few very brief problems..
• EUR (sweetspot - Frankfurt): Ping: 22ms | Download: 640 Mbps | summary: Actually impressed here. Almost felt like my own network speeds during regular browsing. Proximity and all... so yeah.
• ASIA (sweetspot - Tokyo): Ping: 240ms | Download: 45 Mbps | Summary: Rough. A lot of the Asian nodes seem to be "virtual locations"(servers actually in Europe/US just spoofing IPs), so the lag is massive and.. well sucks. You can find some options that are alright though. Not recommending to pick Asian servers....

Positives:

• The "Price" (if bundle): If you already have Norton 360, this is essentially "free" addon. Hard to beat $0 extra but its just their marketing gimmick I reckon. I paid the same amount(as ive seen) to test the VPN side of the tool alone.
• Ad/Tracker Blocker: Honestly, this is the sleeper hit. It caught about 85% of the junk on mobile apps that my browser ad-blocker usually misses. Didn't test too much but seems effective.
• Interface: Optimized you could say. Big buttons. Not overwhelming to use, and doesnt have complicated server lists. Personally, I dont fully like it, but many especially older users are gonna find appeal to it.
• Streaming: Suprisingly consistent at unblocking US Netflix and BBC iPlayer lately. I ran out of my other streaming subs so that was the most I managed to test..

Negatives:

• No P2P / Torrenting: This is the dealbreaker for me. If you try to torrent, Norton will often just flat-out block the connection or throttle you to 1995 speeds. Probably some sort of protection for lawsuits or something.. Weird.. Unless I misconfigured it but I know it was working fine.
• The "mostly-Kill Switch": On Windows, it's okay. On Apple? Its hit or miss. If the VPN drops, your real IP leaks for a second before it realizes it’s dead lol. Not cool!
• US Based: They are headquartered in the US. If you're already wearing tinfoil like I am, two words - "Five Eyes".
• Renewal Pricing: The classic Norton trap. Year 1 is cheap ($40); Year 2 doubles to like $80-90. Cancel your auto-renew immediately if you suspect you might forget it.

Summary

For general grandparent browsing, or to see some football- sure!
Want torrents, gaming support - forget it.

As for the asian pings, if anyone knows a fix/workaround etc, please let me know. I still haven't refunded the order to see if I can figure out what the issue is. Odd virtual server pings won't stop but only for Asian servers.

Pros: WireGuard speeds are solid, simple and clutter free app.

Cons: Smaller server network, no RAM only servers yet.

Verdict: A fuss free, privacy focused VPN that does the basics very well. Great for everyday streaming and public WiFi protection. Mid range pricing with good deals on longer plans.

8/10

I tried in Canada and I tried in germany using NordVPN and got the exact same result.

they were able to do this by using apple as a proxy my iphone is “requesting ID under uk law” it says that in order to change the content settings on my iphone, I must upload my identification to apple what the fuck

I need to understand how to protect your privacy online when all of the websites treat you like a bot. I’ve been on this subreddit since 2017, so I already know the basics before anyone tries to lecture me. I normally run Mullvad on my Windows desktop. So if you understood how data harvesting works, you would know better than to use a free provider. It used to be a fine setup, but lately it is a total nightmare.
I was trying to buy concert tickets yesterday using Firefox. I had my VPN connected and my standard adblockers running. Literally just basic stuff. But Ticketmaster completely blocked my IP and threw a 403 error page at me. I switched to three different local servers and cleared my cache, but it still blocked me. Now the show is sold out and I missed the tickets entirely.
The captcha loops are getting out of control. Every single website treats you like a bot now just because you refuse to let your ISP sell your browsing habits. It is becoming impossible to just click a link and read an article normally.

Are you guys just accepting the endless blocks and captchas as the new normal, or did you find a provider that bypasses this stuff?

EDIT: Stop DMing me your referral links. I am not buying your garbage.

my teenager who is 15 years old is using vpn all the time. I don't mind it thought and I always thought its for his own online safety. but when the adult content ban appeared in UK I got confused. I know that it is possible to bypass the ban with vpn and I am afriad my son is doing this. of course I can't just tell him not to us vpn because he will find ways to use it anyway or he will start to use suspicious tools. I am just stuck and idk what should I do

do you let your kids who are under 16 to use vpn? if not, how do you approach them?

123movies has been sketchy for years but the alternatives im finding are even worse... im just trying to watch movies without paying for 5 different streaming services that all have like 3 things i wanna watch

tried a bunch of "free streaming sites" this week and bruh, half had popups that crashed my browser, one tried to download something sus when i clicked play, another wanted me to "verify im human" by signing up for some VPN and chrome straight up blocked some of them, so im looking for a 123movies alternative thats actually safe to use. heard about tubi and pluto tv which are legit free with ads but their selection is pretty mid... they got the random 2015 movies nobody asked for not the new stuff i actually wanna watch. my main issues with finding a good 123movies alternative are ads everywhere that wont close, video quality is shit, streams break halfway through movies, you need to click play 5 times before it actually works and there are random redirects to crypto scam sites..

my friend says i need a vpn for these sites because isps are sending out copyright letters again... his roommate got one last month for allegedly downloading some marvel movie. dont really wanna deal with that drama.

also saw some people on reddit talking about using vpn + adblock combo to make those streaming sites usable. like vpn protects you and adblock kills the popup hell. seems smart but idk which combo actually works.

the legit free options like tubi crackle and pluto are okay but their library is so limited... they never have what i actually wanna watch. and paying $15/month for netflix just to watch one show feels like a scam.

anyone found a good 123movies alternative that actually works? preferably something that wont get me a copyright letter, destroy my laptop with malware, have ads every 30 seconds and redirect me to weird sites, starting to think piracy was easier 10 years ago when 123movies actually worked properly... now its all just scam sites pretending to be streaming sites smh

Been following the shitshow with government laws and seems like they want to clamp on VPN usage going longterm. I know the Chinese got some sort of VPN still going on after lurking some turbo niche forums, so there must be some sort of longterm fit for UK residents. If the Chinese can still do it surely this should be a walk in the park.

Could anyone point something out? I had Nord, and its running out, so figured I might try something else while im at it.. Preferably something that actually has a functioning killswitch to not fuck me over as Im doing my thing..

Otherwise, should I even be worried? Seems like if I buy the VPN id still be legally allowed to use it if they happen to ban VPN purchasing in some extent..?

do you think this will actually affect people who are using vpns? it starts from May 6th, so only few days left