Unblock Sites – Page 6

How to Watch Netflix and Hulu in the Middle East

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Without a doubt, Netflix and Hulu are two of the best streaming giant services the world can offer. Both of them offers great features such as user friendly interface and affordable membership fees. But while you are wondering which of the two platforms is better than the other, you should also understand that Netflix and Hulu are blocked in the Middle East.

As of posting, Netflix is available North and South America, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and some parts of Europe, while Hulu is only available in the US. In October

2015, there were reports that Netflix has plans to extend their services to the Middle East. For the meantime, here are some tips on how to watch Netflix and Hulu if you are or will go to the Middle East.

Proxy servers

A proxy server is a free application or computer system that acts as your middleman while browsing the web. Once you are connected to the system, it then sends a request to the web page you want to visit using its IP address. But although proxies are very to use and your real IP address and location are hidden, traffic is not encrypted which means you are not totally safe. In addition, connection is very slow and is not suitable for gaming and video streaming.

Hola

Hola, being a web browser extension or addon, is very popular among Netflix and Hulu users. It is readily available for download for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, and works well on Android and iOs devices. Although the current subscription fee is $5 a month, you can also choose its free service. But in May 2015, Hola was heavily criticized after free users realized that their bandwidth was being sold to other users via its sister company, Luminati.

Tor

Tor, which has an original project name of The Onion Router, is also famous for being an effective anonymization service. Just like its competitors, Tor allows you to browse the web anonymously by providing you a new IP address, and therefore hiding your real IP address and geolocation. However, many Tor users outside the US complain its speed and audio quality when they use the service for video streaming, especially for Netflix and Hulu.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

VPN runs using with almost on the same principle as the ones mentioned above, but definitely in a more secured manner. Once you are connection on a VPN server, your web traffic is highly encrypted that any third party can hardly intercept. VPN services are also proven very effective in video streaming because of its fast connection. There are also free services, but paid VPNs are much better, especially in terms of security and customer service.

Conclusion

Internet censorship in the Arab nations is very strict, with most of its countries belong to the so called “Enemies of the Internet.” So if you want to fully enjoy Netflix and Hulu during your stay in Middle East, using a VPN is so far the best option. Just make sure you choose a reliable VPN service provider, and you don’t do illegal activities online.

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How to Watch US TV Using VPN While You Are Abroad

How to Watch Netflix in Israel

SSTP VPN: Pros and Cons

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There are several types of vpn available today. We have discussed different types of vpn recently and offered you some tips how to select the best vpn for your needs.

Today we would like to describe SSTP VPN, its main features, advantages and disadvantages.

Without a doubt, VPN (Virtual Private Network) is the best way to browse the web anonymously no matter where you are. Besides being affordable and offers fast Internet connection, VPN traffic is highly encrypted thus protecting you from unwanted third parties even if you are in Wi-Fi zone. There are many types of VPN, and SSTP VPN is only one of them.

By simple definition, SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol) VPN is a proprietary Microsoft protocol and was introduced in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and therefore best suited for computers and gadgets running on Windows operating system. This application-layer protocol employs a synchronous data flow between two programs in a back and forth process.

As the client is connected to the Internet, connectivity is being established via common ports such as TCP 443 or 80. As the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) negotiation takes place, the client gets the server certificate and will be validated. The client will also send a HTTPS request, where S means Secure. This makes it better than most VPN types for Windows users.

During the PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) negotiation at both ends, the client is being authenticated to the server. Once this PPP has been completed, an IP interface shall be established on both the client and the server, and both ends can already to send IP packets to each other. With all of these processes, SSTP VPN addresses many VPN connection problems.

Another great feature of SSTP VPN include having an integrated support for Network Access Protection (NAP). In addition, it establishes a single HTTP over SSL session from the client to the server, instead of two. Therefore, it offers better load balancing third-party SSL-based VPN solutions that use two HTTP over SSL session, thus providing lower network utilization.

Pros and Cons of SSTP VPN

Generally speaking, SSTP VPN is not only an application tunnel for one application and is virtually better against a very restrictive firewall as compared to other VPNs. Nevertheless, you should still understand its advantages and disadvantages so you know if it is compatible to your devices, and will satisfy your needs. Below are some of its major pros and cons:

Pros:

➢ Best VPN for Windows users, when compared to OpenVPN and PPTP, and L2TP/IPsec
➢ Fully integrated into the VPN client components
➢ You are not required to install any third-party software, making it applicable independent
➢ Well-secured Internet connection, and can bypass most firewalls
➢ SSTP has stronger forced authentication than IPSec. and has support for non IP protocols
➢ SSTP can be configured to use AES encryption, making it more trustworthy than L2TP/IPsec

Cons:

➢ Compatible only on Windows-based devices, since it is exclusively designed for Microsoft
➢ Being a proprietary protocol, it is not subject to the independent audits, as compared to OpenVPN
➢ Very poor or totally no support on non-Microsoft platforms, such as Apple
➢ Does not support site-to-site VPN tunnels, unlike the PPTP and L2TP/IPsec protocols
➢ Prone to the TCP meltdown problem, where performance depends on the sufficient excess bandwidth

From Sahrzad’s Blog

How to open sites in restricted countries in mobile phone

Mixed race man using cell phone

Internet censorship is a serious problem for Internet users in many countries. Middle East and China are one of the most affected regions is the world. Lots of most popular websites are blocked here due to many reasons.

Pornography and gambling websites are banned. Skype, whatsApp, Viber and VOIP services are restricted too. Also there are many different blocks and limits.

So how to see all these blocked sites?

There are many possible solutions to resolve this problem, such as:

DNS
proxy
translations services
Google cache
wayback machine
VPN

The most reliable and secure solution is using VPN service.

5 reasons to use VPN for unblocking sites

This is completely safe and private
100% encryption of your traffic guaranteed
Absolutely anonymity
No supervision
No monitoring

A great advantage of VPN service is that it can be used on mobile devices and gadgets. Once you created vpn tunnel on your device you can unblock sites.

Why VPN works for accessing blocked sites?

Most restrictions in countries with government supervision are based on geo location and your IP address. As soon as you can change your IP address you can avoid these restrictions.

How to change IP address:

Move to another country where there are no limits.
Use VPN service to mask IP address.

VPN tunnels hides your real IP address making you secure, safe and anonymous on-line.

At the same time you can access any blocked site you want.

How to use VPN in mobile Phone?

There are two main methods to use VPN mobile device:

Use application
Setup vpn connection manually

The fist way (mobile pplication) looks simpler but you need to be very careful! You cannot be sure what exactly the application performs on your device besides making a vpn tunnel. Remember great words:

While you are not paying for the service – you are a product, not customer!

Very often free applications collect your data and show you lots of advertising. If you do not want to be a victim you can consider the next solution:

Setup VPN manually.

This is fast and easy to do. Using step by step setup guides you will need only a few minutes to make a vpn tunnel from your gadget.

How to setup vpn on Android

To create new vpn tunnel

Click Settings icon

how to setup VPN in android
2. Select Wireless & Networks and tap on VPN

3.Tap Add VPN Network
how to setup VPN in android

4. Input connection name (Sahrzad VPN), select the type of your VPN connection – PPTP VPN, input VPN server address from your account data.
Please be carefully – don’t use any additional symbols like spaces, http://, www, / …etc in the server address.

how to setup VPN in android

5. Input your Username and password that you received from VPN account service in e-mail.
Save it and tap Connect
how to setup VPN in android
For connection to vpn server:

Select Home > Menu > Settings
Tap Wireless & networks
Tap VPN settings
The VPN connections you have added are present in the list
Tap the VPN you wish to connect to (Sahrzad VPN)
A dialog box will open asking for your credentials, enter them and click connect

When you are connected to VPN, you will see an ongoing notification in the Status bar on your Android device. If you are disconnected, you will receive a notification and an option to go back to the VPN settings section.

Once you have created vpn connection you can switch it on and off on the main settings screen.

How to setup vpn on iOS

To make a new vpn connection in your iOS device you need to do the next:

1. Go to Settings > General > VPN
setup vpn in iPhone/iPad 1

2. Click Add VPN Configuration

setup vpn in iPhone/iPad 2

3. Choose PPTP VPN and enter you VPN account data. You will receive your VPN server, username and password in the e-mail

Server address must be exactly as in your account data (without http://, www or any other symbols)

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4. Save your VPN configuration. Once you have created VPN connection you can switch it ON and OFF on the main settings screen

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Once you have created vpn connection you can switch it on and off on the main settings screen.

Watch Hulu and Netflix in Israel

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Want to get an access to Netflix in Israel?

This is simple! All you need is fast and reliable vpn connection with USA IP Address.

Many thousands of Americans are living in Israel. Working or having fun in this amazing country most of them miss America.

Hulu, Netflix and others USA services can help you to feel like at home wherever you are.

But you might be disappointed: Hulu and Netflix are not available from Israel.

Luckily, we have a great solution for this problem!

You can access your favorite TV shows, series and episodes, films and lots of others great videos just changing your IP address to American.

And the best solution to do that is using VPN service.

VPN is a virtual private network. It changes your IP address.

Getting USA IP you can easily access Hulu and Netflix from Israel.

Does VPN automatically connect me to Netflix?

No. A VPN is a secured tunnel that lets to avoid content blocks. Once you’re connected to vpn, you just sign into your Netflix account like you normally would (only now, you actually have access).

Can I watch American Netflix on my tablet?

Yes! You can watch Netflix and Hulu or different devices, like your tablet, Smartphone, laptop, and desktop computer.

Which server should I connect to?

To get an access to Netflix you need to connect to USA vpn server. In any case it is better to test service before ordering.

What else can I do with a VPN?

VPN is the best solution to unblock Netflix and Hulu, but also you can access any blocked content.

In addition, vpn tunnel protects the privacy of your data from government surveillance organizations and hackers.

Since your connection is fully encrypted, you never have to worry about having your information stolen or your connection hacked on unsecured, public networks.

Why use Spider vpn for Netflix and Hulu in Israel:

Fast speed: we guarantee you fast speed from our side
device compatibility: Sahrzad VPN supports various devices like tablets, PC, Mac Book, iPad and others

unlimited bandwidth for your binge-watching pleasure
stable and reliable connection
customer support
free trial
a money back guarantee (refund policy)

Is WhatsApp secure?

It is impossible to imagine modern life without communications. Internet messengers are extremely popular now. And one of the most popular today is WhatsApp.

Many people ask question :

Are WhatsApp messages secure?

WhatsApp support team answer:

“WhatsApp communication between your phone and our server is encrypted.

Even though data sent through our app is encrypted, please remember that if your phone or your friend’s phone is being used by someone else, it may be possible for them to read your WhatsApp messages. Please be aware of who has physical access to your phone.”

However, if you are posting some messages to public groups, you have to be very accurate because in some countries you can be arrested for posting inappropriate content.

If you want to be 100% safe and secure it is better to use vpn.

Where VoIP is blocked

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Communication is a significant part of our life today. We use Internet and mobile phones, computers and even watches to stay in touch with our friends and family.

It is hard to imagine our travels without calls and messages to our friends and relativeis.

Have you ever tried Skype, WhatsApp, Viber or other VoIP services?

They are very convenient and much cheaper than usual international calls. And now please look and the map below!

In all these countries Skype, Viber, WhatsApp and VoIP services are blocked!

Where VoIP is blocked?

voip blocked

Among them we can see most of Caribbean countries, Mexico, Middle East, China, North and South Korea and many others.

How to unblock VoIP?

Are there any solutions how to avoid these blocks?

Luckily, such kind of restrictions usually based on geolocation (your IP address) and can be easily bypassed with VPN solution. Virtual private network (VPN) masks your IP and encrypts all traffic inside vpn tunnel. This gives you a great opportunity to use Skype, WhatsApp, Viber and others VoIP service even if they were originally blocked!

So if you are going to United Arab Emirates or other places where VoIP is blocked get your VPN account and enjoy communications with your friends!

VPN Service is easy in use and very simple to setup.

American Expatriates in the Middle East

Why Americans move to the Middle East?

Low taxes?

cheaper cost of living ?

“A Western expat in Saudi Arabia is paid on average six per cent more than an Arab expat and almost 30 per cent more than an Asian one. Westerners sit top of the tree in all Gulf countries, while Asian expats are the lowest paid across the region.”

Today there are more than 100,000 American expats living and working in the Gulf Countries. American workers are at a premium at this job market. The economic climate is perfect for young professionals who want to see the world and make enough money to pay back student loan debts.

Where do American Expats live in the Middle East?

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The most popular destination is Israel with about 80,000 of expats.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE are also very popular destinations.

What do expats do in the Middle East?

83% of American expats work in the private sector (most in the energy industry)

The most popular job for expats include: accountant, manager, engineer, executive, coordinator, and civil engineer.

98% of expats in Saudi Arabia claim to have more disposable income than they did working in their country of origin.

92% of expats in Qatar say they have more money left over at the end of the month than they did working in their home country.

94% of expats in the UAE say they pay less in taxes than they did in their country of origin.

And of course, mostly all of them are missing their native America.

Hulu, Netflix and others favorite things are not available in the Middle East.

The only reasonable solution is using VPN for Expats!

It lets to access blocked sites and services and feel like at home!

Which VPN Protocol is the best? PPTP vs. OpenVPN vs. L2TP/IPsec vs. SSTP

PPTP VPN Protocol

Point-to-point tunneling protocol is common and easy to set up. PPTP clients are built into many platforms, including Windows. It is said that this type of vpn protocol is not very secure.

Open VPN vs PPTP VPN

SSL or OpenVPN

OpenVPN uses open-source technologies like the OpenSSL encryption library and SSL v3/TLS v1 protocols. It can be configured to run on any port, so you could configure a server to work over TCP port 443. The OpenSSL VPN traffic would then be practically indistinguishable from standard HTTPS traffic that occurs when you connect to a secure website. This makes it difficult to block completely.

It’s very configurable, and will be most secure if it’s set to use AES encryption instead of the weaker Blowfish encryption. OpenVPN has become a popular standard. We’ve seen no serious concerns that anyone (including the NSA) has compromised OpenVPN connections.

OpenVPN support isn’t integrated into popular desktop or mobile operating systems. Connecting to an OpenVPN network requires a a third-party application — either a desktop application or a mobile app. Yes, you can even use mobile apps to connect to OpenVPN networks on Apple’s iOS.

OpenVPN is new and secure, although you will need to install a third-party application.

L2TP/IPsec

Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol is a VPN protocol that doesn’t offer any encryption. That’s why it’s usually implemented along with IPsec encryption. As it’s built into modern desktop operating systems and mobile devices, it’s fairly easy to implement. But it uses UDP port 500 — that means it can’t be disguised on another port, like OpenVPN can. It’s thus much easier to block and harder to get around firewalls with.

IPsec encryption should be secure, theoretically. There are some concerns that the NSA could have weakened the standard, but no one knows for sure. Either way, this is a slower solution than OpenVPN. The traffic must be converted into L2TP form, and then encryption added on top with IPsec. It’s a two-step process.

L2TP/IPsec is theoretically secure, but there are some concerns. It’s easy to set up, but has trouble getting around firewalls and isn’t as efficient as OpenVPN.

SSTP

Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol was introduced in Windows Vista Service Pack 1. It’s a proprietary Microsoft protocol, and is best supported on Windows. It may be more stable on Windows because it’s integrated into the operating system whereas OpenVPN isn’t — that’s the biggest potential advantage. Some support for it is available on other operating systems, but it’s nowhere near as widespread.

It can be configured to use very secure AES encryption, which is good. For Windows users, it’s certainly better than PPTP — but, as it’s a proprietary protocol, it isn’t subject to the independent audits OpenVPN is subject to. Because it uses SSL v3 like OpenVPN, it has similar abilities to bypass firewalls and should work better for this than L2TP/IPsec or PPTP.

It’s like OpenVPN, but mostly just for Windows and can’t be audited as fully.

Use Open vpn from Spider!

Internet censorship in China

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Internet censorship in China is one the most severe in the world. It is based on a big variety of laws and administrative regulations.

Internet limits in China are considered more extensive and more advanced than in any other country in the world. The governmental authorities not only block website content but also monitor the Internet access of individuals. This called The Great Firewall of China. Today there are about 30,000–50,000 internet police in China employed to enforce Chinese internet laws.

No unit or individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or transmit the following kinds of information:

Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations;
Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system;
Inciting division of the country, harming national unification;
Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities;
Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumors, destroying the order of society;
Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder;
Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people;
Injuring the reputation of state organizations;
Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations.

The most popular methods on Intenet blocking in China:

IP blocking. The access to a certain IP address is denied. If the target Web site is hosted in a shared hosting server, all Web sites on the same server will be blocked.
DNS filtering and redirection. The DNS doesn’t resolve domain names or returns incorrect IP addresses.
URL filtering.
Packet filtering

And several others methods.

Also it is known that China blocks many VPN service providers.

That is why it is better to test it before buying.

How to open blocked sites in UAE without any software?

Whether you are a techie guy or not, downloading a software program can sometimes be scary. Without your knowledge, it might contain viruses that can harm your device. But there are times that you feel you are obliged to, just like when you need to access blocked sites. But no, you can still open restricted sites without using any software. There are actually many effective techniques that you can try, including VPN(Virtual Private Network). However, you need to clearly understand them first as well as their pros and cons.

Using Proxy to Open Blocked sites

The first and most common way is by using a proxy site, which acts as the third party between your computer and restricted site. There are a lot of free and paid web proxies to choose from as you browse the Internet. With a proxy server, your IP address is hidden and no one can see you as you try to open blocked sites. Generally speaking, proxy servers are fast. However, some offices and schools block these proxy sites. But more importantly, traffic is not encrypted so the safety level is not really that high. What is the difference between proxy and VPN? Read here.

Access blocked sites by ip address

Another way to access blocked sites without any software is by using its IP address, instead of its web URL. On your computer, click on Start then CMD and press Enter. On the command prompt, type ‘ping sitename.com and press Enter. There, you will then see the site’s IP address which you can copy and paste on your browser. In some cases, the site is hosted in a VPS or Dedicated Server Environment (DSE), and is using an unverified SSL. You can still proceed but your security will be at high risk.

Use shortening URL tool to open blocked sites

Using a URL shortening tool such as tinyurl.com and bitly.com can also unblock restricted sites. Instead of using the site URL directly, convert it first to another URL, usually a shorter one, and then place it on your browser. But of course, this method is not always effective because your real IP address is still exposed. This is not advisable to use if you are in a country with strict Internet censorship policy.

Using translation service

You can also use a language translation tool such as Google Translate, which also acts like a proxy.

Using VPN to access blocked sites

There are other methods to have access on restricted sites without using software, such as by using mobile browsers as proxies, or by converting your IP into a decimal IP. However, the safest way is by using a VPN. Although some of them may require you to download software, there are others that allow you to use their service without downloading or installing anything. You can actually set up your VPN yourself on your computer at home. This procedure is not very complicated.

But why use VPN instead any of the ones mentioned above?
The quick answer is security.

Although VPNs work almost exactly like proxy sites, your data via VPN is highly encrypted. This means that you are absolutely safe, even if you are in Wi-Fi hotspot are in strict countries in the Middle East. Different VPNs also have different security protocols to choose from. And yes, there are also free VPNs. But for obvious reasons, paid VPNs are

Faster
more reliable
provide excellent customer service.