Unblock Facebook in China

Tunneling Through The Great Firewall

PandaPow VPN Review – Did it stand up to the China Challenge?

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PandaPowI discovered PandaPow a few weeks ago when I was doing some research for the site.  It’s not often that you just “come across” a new VPN provider, and especially one that’s professionally designed, as well as available in China.

Their logo caught my eye, as you can obviously see, and was able to convince them to give me a free trial, seeing as I get quite a few visitors the site here.  This is my review of PandaPow VPN.

All in all, PandaPow is a very strong choice for users in China.  First of all, they’re not blocked.  As you’ll see when you open up their site, their main domain is not blocked.  Even if it were, their VPN pricing page use https, which is a private connection, meaning that China won’t be able to block it, regardless.

Aug 2018: It Still Works! Get PandaPow Here

 

You’ll notice that most VPN services I now feature on the site have this same feature – called SSL encryption. It’s like when you’re shopping online, and you see that small lock appear next to the URL, and http changes to https.

 

vpn for mac and windowsVPNs with Main Domain Blocked

  • StrongVPN
  • 12VPN
  • SwitchVPN
  • BananaVPN
  • HideMyAss

VPNs with alternate Domains Available (Updated Aug 2018)

VPNs without any blocking

 

The point is that it’s not likely that PandaPow will encounter any troubles in the near future, especially because it’s pretty low key, and is flying under the radar for the moment.

usa vpn server uk vpn serverSetup of PandaPow is super simple.  I wouldn’t say it’s “one click” setup like in their advert, but setup is limited to clicking a few buttons. There’s no unzipping of files, no moving of this or that. Just find the “OK” button and it’s pretty much automatic from there.  Simplicity seems to be part of their niche, and their site is easy to navigate, and doesn’t confuse you with bits about 128 bit encryption SSTP vs OpenVPN and all that other internet stuff no one understands anyway.

Signing in to Panda Pow has also been simplified to a desktop icon double click, and they’ve removed the default “choose a server” step.  You’ll still be able to choose, and switch for free, but upon startup, you don’t have to deal with it if you don’t want to.

The hit the main server hot spots – US/UK/Europe.  While they don’t have a million IP’s in  hundreds of countries like some services offer, do you really need an IP in Uganda or Russia? No. With PandaPow, you’ll be able to watch Hulu, Netflix, and BBC iPlayer with US and UK IP addresses.

 

They are also decently priced. I know it’s easy to look at other services that offer slightly cheaper prices ($74-$80) per year, but if you count it month by month, there really is not difference.  12VPN offers a US Only Package for $79 USD per year, and Panda Pow’s year package is $84.   Broken down to a monthly basis, it looks like this.

  • 12VPN – $6.50 per month
  • Panda Pow $7.00 per month

a 50 cents difference – big deal.  You can of course sign up for 1 month, or 3 months, but you’ll pay a bit more, which is standard for any VPN subscription.

  • 1 month – $9 per month
  • 3 months – $24 = $8 per month

 

I tried their VPN for ten days, and was 100% satisfied with it’s performance.  No connection problems, super fast speed, and with the addition of the 30 seconds it saves me (ie not having to reach out and type in my login credentials), it became my default VPN for 10 days.


Their customer support team is very friendly and  helpful, and their VPN comes with a money back guarantee. They stood up to the challenge of China and The GFW without a problem, and I think with a bit more advertising, they’ll become one of the stronger VPN services in China.  There’s not much else to say about Panda Pow, except to provide a link to their main site.  Check them out for yourself.

https://www.pandapow.co

PandaPow

 

12VPN Review and Discount Code

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12VPN

The 12VPN discount has been discontinued, but it’s still available for the great price of $79 per year. Or, you can compare it with other VPN services here.

 

12VPN is one of my all time favorite VPN services, and I still use it, even though I’ve tried over ten different VPN services over the years.  Below, I’ve written a bit about how VPNs work, and specifics about the 12VPN service.  If you want to skip to the good stuff and get the discount, here’s the link for a 10% discount on all products.  It will take you right to the shopping cart.  That means if you want  to explore the site, you can go to http://12vpn.com to check things out, and then get the 10% DISCOUNT by clicking the discount link and going to the checkout area.

12vpn discount coupon

US Only VPN service $79 USD – 10% =

  • $71 USD / Year
  • SAVE $8 USD
  • $6 / month

World VPN service $119 USD – 10% =

  • $107 USD / Year
  • SAVE $12 USD
  • $ 9 / month

***The Windows, Mac and Linux packages all include support for iPhone, iPad, Android and Symbian.

Virtual Private Networks

VPNs do two things.  1. They hide your IP address and allow you to access websites with an IP address different from your own. 2. They protect this connection from outsiders.  When you surf the Internet, an IP address unique to your computer is attached to all your traffic.  This means that if they want to, any site you surf can see where you are in the world.

Along with cookies and other data associated with your computer, they can learn a lot about what sites you surf, and how you spend your time on the Internet.  Some people consider this an invasion of privacy.  Changing your IP address can prevent this by making you anonymous on the Internet.

When you type a URL into your browser, your IP is making a request to visit their IP.  When firewalls get involved, a couple things can happen.  1. The best case scenario is that the request is accepted and you go to the website.  2. Your firewall doesn’t allow you to surf the site. This may happen when you try to get on Facebook at work, or Youtube from your school computer. 

It happens all the time  in China because of The Great Firewall. 3. The site you request blocks you because of your IP. Maybe you’re coming from a region where a lot of spam originates. Or maybe you’re trying to access Hulu / Netflix from outside The USA.  Either way, sites can block you based on your IP address.  Of course, changing your IP with a VPN can get around this.

firewall vpn

 

→ Compare 12VPN with StrongVPN Here

 

When you connect to a VPN, your data is first encrypted and tunneled to the VPN server.  The VPN server then acts as a middle man, erasing any traces of your IP address from the request, assigning you a new IP address (from the region of the VPN server), and then connecting you to the site.  It’s like sending an anonymous package to someone.  Instead of your address on the box, its the address of the delivery company.  No one knows who you really are.  You are essentially “going around” the firewall.

So what’s encryption and tunneling?  Ok, I’ll be the first to admit that details of just how my Internet traffic and IP address are “encrypted” and “tunneled” is a bit cryptic to me.  But someone once explained it to me like this, and I think it makes sense.

If you imagine the sending a package scenario for a moment.  Now lets say you’re worried about who might see you sending this anonymous package.  Maybe they see you putting the package in your mailbox or the catch the delivery truck en route.  There’s potential that they might see the original package, learn where you live, and be able to find you and steal your stuff.  So a VPN wraps the pack securely, and puts it is an armored car to make the delivery.  This way, if anyone does see the armored car, they can’t get inside.  If the were some how able to see inside the car, they still wouldn’t know what’s in the package.

Cool right?

security box key

12VPN Review

 

Like I said above, 12VPN is a pretty cool service. It’s already very cheap, and with the discount, it’s even cheaper. You simply can’t find a quality VPN service for a better price out there. Remember that I’ve tried many over the years – I know what I’m talking about.  For SSL/OpenVPN needed in China, some companies are charging upwards of 10 USD a month  for limited server locations and bandwidth caps.  For PPTP or L2TP (if you’re not in China, the price is pretty standard)

In a nutshell, these are the standard things that 12VPN has to offer

  • Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android Supported
  • Email Support Team
  • 7 day money back guarantee
  • PPTP, L2TP, SSL/OpenVPN protocols
  • Multiple Server Locations in The US and The UK, and around the world
  • Free Updates

social iconsMore importantly through, these things make 12VPN BETTER

Cool stuff

  • Super easy installation (no previous experience needed)
  • Free Viscosity License for Mac and Windows users ($9 USD value)
  • Free Server Switching
  • Friendly Support Team
  • Unlimited Bandwidth
  • US Only Plan is only $6 / month (with discount)


***Stuff for the nerds

  • Allows P2P
  • Support for lesser known platforms including Symbian S60, DD-WRT, pfSense, Tomato and others
  • Military grade encryption (see site for details)
  • L2TP with IPSec, Cisco, IKEv2 VPN protocols available

Easy installation (under two minutes) and a friendly support team make 12VPN a great choice for newbies.  High-tech badass encryption and fast connection speeds make it suitable for an anonymous surfer on a mission.  It might not seem like much, but I think the thing that seals the deal for me with 12VPN is the attitude of the support team.  No matter what service you choose, you’re likely to run into some sort of issue, and will need to contact the support team. 

A friendly and “ready to help” attitude makes a world of difference when you’re frustrated and ready to throw your computer out the window.  Everyone likes to write “quick and friendly support team” on their site, and hope people just believe it.  12VPN actually puts it into practice.

 

Check out their site to for more details

12VPN official site http://12vpn.com

 

SwitchVPN in China Review

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switchvpn in china

SwitchVPN is a lesser known VPN, but still worth checking out. I recently tried their service and was happy with the results.

  • Easy to navigate website +1

Their website is simple and easy to navigate. Lots of sites like to have EVERYTHING available which is a lot to take in for new users. Considering users in China can’t use PPTP or L2TP this makes things much easier. You can ignore pretty much all of their plans but the SSL plan which is 12 dollars a month.

  • 2. Live Support +1
  • 3. Unlimited Bandwidth +1
  • 3. Downloading Torrents OK +1 (some sites don’t allow this)
  • 4. Windows/Mac/Linux/mobile devices +1
  • 5. 7 Day money back guarantee +1
  • 6. Site Design +1

I used to Knock their site for bad design and presentation. They’ve recently improved it, and it looks much better – more like a service I can trust. Update 2013: They have updated their site again. It looks even better than before.

  • 7. Price: Super cheap for a basic package. Other packages are reasonable +2
  • 8. Not Affected by March 2011 VPN crisis in China +2
  • 9. Still Not Blocked in China +2
  • 10, Connection speed +1
  • 11. Servers in Multiple Locations +1 (US, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Malaysia + More)
  • 12. Free Server Switching +1

Update 2013: Main domain was blocked at some point in 2012. Mirror site for China was immediately set up.

SwitchVPN is a good VPN service. If I had to choose one for myself, I would pick PandaPow or VyprVPN, but SwitchVPN offers some very competitive prices and a VPN that simply works.

→ Sign Up for SwitchVPN Here

Or check out my PureVPN in China Review

PureVPN in China: Review

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purevpn in china reviewThis is an update of a previous post I made reviewing PureVPN in China. To be honest, it wasn’t a great review.  However, since then, some things have been brought to my attention, and I’ve changed a lot of my views about PureVPN, and whether or not their a good choice for users in China.

Errors from my previous post

  1. SSTP is not blocked in China
  2. PPTP and L2TP only blocked in some areas of China
  3. PureVPN does not have options for OpenVPN

 

firewall vpn

I guess it kind of depends on where you are. The truth is that this year, many users in China have experienced issues with PPTP and L2TP VPN protocols, and there was a time (March 2011) when pretty much all of China was unable to connect to the internet using these two protocols.  I wouldn’t recommend them for someone who has other options – ie SSTP or OpenVPN.  For users on iPhone and Android, a web based proxy is always an option as well. However, for smartphone users who want to use PPTP or L2TP, it is possible, and PureVPN does currently offer these services.

SSTP is was created by Microsoft, so you can imagine that it has a limited range of compatibility – Windows Vista and Windows 7.  However, for Vista and Win 7 users, it’s a great option because with SSTP VPN clients already installed in these operating systems, you don’t have to install any 3rd party software, ie OpenVPN.

→ Sign Up for PureVPN Here

Mac, Win XP (plus anything outside Vista/7), and Linux users get a kind of Chinese special “cocktail” VPN. These tech guys know what they’re doing, and basically, they can get you hooked up and surfing any site you want – but I don’t know what kind of VPN is it.  Unfortunately, you’ll have to contact their support team for details.

Though they do but a bandwidth limit on two of their VPN plans, don’t let the 30G cap scare you – i’ts pretty hard to even get close to that unless you’re doing some serious downloading and streaming.  Back when 12VPN offered limited plans, I also signed up for a 30G monthly limit, and for day to day surfing and video streaming, I rarely topped 10G for an entire month.

Considering that StrongVPN and SwitchVPN have had their main domains blocked, iVPN’s live support team is never actually online, and Astrill’s live support is rude and unhelpful, for someone who’s looking for a reliable and friendly live support option, PureVPN is a good choice. Also, their service has continued uninterrupted throughout all the craziness of the last few months.  This makes PureVPN a very solid option for users in China.

Yearly Plans

$75 / $145 / $160

www.purevpn.com