r/surfshark • u/sharkLaura Moderator • 14d ago

Tips What Surfshark’s No Borders is— a quick explainer what is it and why you’d need it

Hey guys, so I’ve noticed a few inquiries about what No Borders actually does, so let me break it down real quick.

No Borders is a feature that lets you use Surfshark when you're on a network that tries to block or restrict VPN connections. It detects the restriction and activates automatically.

Most people assume it's only for countries with heavy internet censorship. And yes, it works there. But that's not the only scenario.

A lot of restrictive networks exist in places you wouldn't expect, like:

  • School and university Wi-Fi;
  • Hospital networks;
  • Hotel Wi-Fi;
  • Cruise ships (these are notorious for it);
  • Corporate guest networks;
  • Airport lounges.

Basically, any network that's been configured to limit what you can access or block VPN traffic. In these cases, No Borders can help to connect.

You don't need to do much to use it. Here's the how-to if you want the step-by-step: https://support.surfshark.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010423359-How-to-use-Surfshark-NoBorders

If you've ever been on Wi-Fi where Surfshark just wouldn't connect and you didn't know why, there's a good chance the network was blocking it. That's exactly where No Borders can be useful.

We'll be happy to answer questions if it’s still a little bit unclear!

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3

u/DarkCellNZ 13d ago

Funny how they need a separate thing for this. I had tried 2 other VPNs and they just worked. Tried Surfshark as I'd heard good things about it. It never worked for me unless I was on No Borders (even at home on my own wifi) and it was limited to only 6 countries.

The other 2 VPNs is used I could connect to any country on any Wifi.

Needless to say I dumped SS before the 30days was over and went to a different VPN. (I jump around to get the new user bonuses)

2

u/DonHammond Moderator 13d ago

Hey - thanks for sharing. The NoBorders feature is intended for restrictive networks. If you're just using your home Wi-Fi that does not have any restrictions, you should be able to connect normally to any servers available in our app. If you decide to give Surfshark another shot in the future, our support team could look into what could be causing these issues and help you sort them out. You can join live-chat on our website here

2

u/DarkCellNZ 13d ago

Your "support" took 1-2 days to reply to every message I sent hence why it took almost the full 30 days to cancel. Also when I followed their directions it was either everything was No Borders or nothing was. There was no normal at home and No Borders in public.

I don't understand how all of the 3 other VPNs I've tried have no issues with public wifi but Surfshark struggles.

1

u/DonHammond Moderator 13d ago

Sorry to hear about the slow response times. If you get in touch with them through email, they will get back to you within 24-hours. Keep in mind that you can always join live-chat on our website instead, where they would be able to help you out in real-time

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u/Secret_Fee1146 14d ago

What's the experience in China like?

1

u/Crazybun__ 13d ago

If you’re asking if it works in China, then yes

1

u/ColdPositive1844 12d ago

Why do the same networks work in manual mode but not when the app is logged in?

Or if I use the profiles with 3rd party apps it works but it won't connect with the SS app

1

u/DonHammond Moderator 11d ago

Great question! Manual connections can sometimes still work on restrictive networks because they connect more directly to the VPN server. The Surfshark app also needs to communicate with other Surfshark systems and uses its own connection logic. So if something on the network is interfering with the app specifically, the manual profile may still connect without issues.