How To Avoid VPN Blocks

There a lot of risks that’ve been cropping up in the online world lately, and with the increasing level of government surveillance, there’s not much that users who are especially concerned about their privacy can do. This is why we’ve had a lot of Virtual Private Network providers coming up with more enhanced ways of protecting users privacy. 

This has in turn been met with a response by various governments in blocking user’s access to such services. It continues to be a constant fight between governments and service providers to the extent that many VPN providers have gone ahead and established their headquarters in countries where there’s virtually no resistance towards them. If you happen to be staying in a country where VPN blocks are always frustrating your access to content, then you’re going to need to pay a lot attention to this help guide since we’re going to be looking at some of the methods that you can apply to work around VPN censorship and use the Internet without limitation.

Forms of VPN Blocking

Before we have a look at what you’ll have to do to steer clear of VPN restrictions, we’ll need to first understand the methods through which these restrictions get applied. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Blacklisting VPN IPs: This perhaps is one of the most common and easiest ways to block a VPN. Streaming channels like Netflix, BBC, and Hulu have a list of IP addresses that belong to VPN servers. In case you try to spoof your location using these VPN servers, and subsequently watch geoblocked content, you will get an error message. While the geoblocked site or app isn’t able to pinpoint your true location, they can detect that you’re using VPN and hence block you nonetheless.
2. Blocking VPN websites: Restricting access to a VPN website means users aren’t able to download the VPN client or even subscribe to the VPN service. Such forms of Internet censorship can be seen in countries like China and UAE.
3. Deep Packet Inspection: This is really one of the most advanced forms of VPN blocking since there’s a lot of inspection that goes into the packets of information that’s sent from each source. In doing so, ISPs are able to know if the data being transmitted was encrypted through VPN, and therefore go on to block the service.
4. IP Blocks: Your ISP has the capacity to place a limit on the number of IPs that are assigned to your device whenever you connect to the Internet. This means that if they figure out you happen to continuously change your IP addresses, then you could be barred from using your VPNs service.
5. Port blocking: Port blocking is one other way through which ISPs are able to restrict internet access to any of its users who happen to be using a VPN. An ISP is capable of doing this through blocking port 80, which happens to be the standard port for web traffic. Credible VPN providers are actually able to allow users to configure protocols and ports, so this isn’t something you should worry so much about.

Working Around VPN Blocks

There are a variety of methods that you can implement to get around any form of VPN blocking that may have been set up to work against your connection, though the problem is, you might have to go through all of these solutions one by one to see which one works for you. It’ll probably take a while to do so, but in the long run, it’ll all be worth it.

1. Create an SSH Tunnel: Secure Shell tunnels are a smart way of wrapping data packets inside an extra layer of encryption so that it’s easier for them to get through VPN blocks without detection.
2. Change VPN Traffic Ports: Changing some of the VPN traffic ports that you’re using could do a lot of good since your ISP could have actually put a block on your standard port for connection. Some more favorable choices could be TCP port 80 or TCP port 443
3. Use an SSL/TLS Tunnel: Secure Socket Layer (SSL) tunnels can be used to include an extra layer of encryption onto your VPN connection, and this ends up masking the fact that you’re using a VPN.
4. Using Shadowsocks: Popular in Russia, Iran, China, and the Middle East, SOCKS5 Proxy is another method through which data gets sent through a tunnel that’s protected by a firewall.

5. Using Tor: Once you’ve downloaded the Tor browser, you’ll be able to turn your traffic into well-encrypted data, that’s transmitted through a large network of servers, leading to an Internet connection that works around most VPN blocks and still ensures you remain anonymous.

Best VPNs To Work Around VPN Blocks

In addition to the many solutions we’ve reviewed above, you’ll need to subscribe to a pretty decent VPN network if you’re hoping to get away from any tactics that your ISP may use against you. Below we have a brief summary of the kind of service you should expect from some of the best VPN providers in the industry:

1. ExpressVPN – Our Top Recommendation

ExpressVPN has been widely known as one of the most reliable providers to subscribe to, mainly because of its caliber of quality in service, as well as its reliable team of customer service representatives. Their security is also military grade, providing 256-bit AES encryption to all its customers. There’s also protection against any DNS leaks, zero traffic logging, and 24/7 customer support. There’s software available for Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux users, as well as no bandwidth restrictions for users.

2. IPVanish

With an established network of about 850 servers in more than 60 different countries, IPVanish is well able to ensure access to a variety of restricted websites & channels. Their 256-bit AES security protocol also ensures optimum security. There’s also DNS leak protection, and automated kill switch and a zero tolerance no-logging policy.

3. NordVPN

NordVPN has a lot of features going for the service that makes it stand out compared to a lot of the other services in the market. Its capacity for up to 6 simultaneous users is among the highest, and being based in Panama means it’s not subject to any data retention laws through jurisdiction. Their servers allow for Double VPN encryption, and their dedicated IP service towards P2P file sharing and torrent downloads make it one of the best VPN services in the market.

4. VyprVPN

VyprVPN is especially well known for owning all its 700 servers, and this makes it really easy to maintain control over whatever’s happening within that network. Their Chameleon protocol is also well known for blocking any deep packet inspection practices, allowing users to gain access to even the toughest firewalls in China. This is the perfect option if you’d want to work around any forms of ISP throttling and prevent any interference with your connection.

How To Work Around VPN Blocks – Conclusion

Getting around VPN blocks shouldn’t really worry you as much if you’ve gone on to apply the tips we’ve reviewed in this guide, and also sought out a credible VPN service. If you have any questions you’d like to put to us regarding this guide, you’re welcome to place them in the comment section below. We’ll be sure to get back to you.