A virtual private network (VPN) is a secure, private communication tunnel between devices across a shared untrusted public network (like the Internet). These devices can be computers running some type of VPN software, or VPN-enabled routers. All of the VPN data is secure regardless of the fact it travels over a public network. This is done by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection between your device and the VPN server through the use of encryption and a dedicated connection.

IronSocket VPN is loaded with benefits. Our VPN service encrypts your connection and masks your IP address giving you the possibility to browse anonymously on the web and access geo-restricted sites. With our AES-256 RSA 4096-bit encryption, our VPN enables you to connect securely and privately to the Internet using public Wi-Fi hotspots found in cafes, hotels, airports, offices, schools... everywhere. Simply put, once connected to the IronSocket network, all of your Internet activity tunnels through our network protecting you like a shield. Your IP address and actual location are no longer revealed leaving you less vulnerable to snoops and hackers.

A VPN adds a new virtual network interface to your computer that forwards all traffic to a remote VPN server. When the connection is established, an IP address is assigned for the duration of the connection to your device which will become your new IP address on the Internet. When you access the Internet, data flows through the virtual network interface over the Internet to our servers and is then sent to its final destination, creating a secure and private tunnel.

Generally you won't notice any slowness. There will be some delay in loading websites, as the traffic has to route through one of our servers before traveling to your location. The typical increase in page load time (the first time you visit a website) is less than 200-500 milliseconds when the client is properly configured at your location. Subsequent visits will not suffer increased load times if you have not deleted your temporary browser cache. We do not restrict downloads in anyway, (with the exception that we allow peer-to-peer (P2P) and torrent use ONLY on specific servers - you can view our easy reference chart showing server locations and allowed usage, here).

You will be able to download through the VPN (raw bandwidth) as fast as your Internet allows. Download speeds are highly dependent upon your ISP, the service plan you purchased to access the Internet, and any third party connections between you and the server.

No. Subscribing to our services will not increase your existing connection with your ISP, although some users do report that P2P applications perform better on a VPN. Internet transmission speeds are highly dependent upon your ISP, the service plan you purchased to access the Internet, the number of connections and the traffic routing between you and the server(s) to which you link. In some cases, however, using a VPN can improve the latency between you and the sites you connect to, but not the actual speed that you can transfer data.

Yes, we allow P2P through selected servers only. Click here for the list of servers where P2P is allowed.

Yes, using our service you can watch your favorite channels. You have 3 options to use: DNS Proxy, VPN or HTTP Proxy. DNS Proxy provides the best speed for streaming movies followed by HTTP proxy and then VPN. If you are in a country where Internet is censored, we recommend the use of a VPN. Members can also access our Channel Guide to see what's available.

No. As long as you have an active subscription with us, you can maintain continuous connection to our servers and download/transmit as much data as you wish, subject to our Acceptable Use Guidelines.

No, we don't throttle your bandwidth or connection speed.

Yes and No.

One of the major advantages of using a VPN is that all data transferred across a VPN connection is encrypted. This prevents third parties (like hackers and service providers) from easily knowing what data is being transferred and limits a number of potential risks, including theft of your data.

The biggest drawback of using a VPN is the amount of memory space and CPU power needed to quickly encrypt, transfer, and decrypt data. If your computer has inadequate processing power or memory, you could experience slower response times.

With that said, all online gaming services are unique. IronSocket gives you the option of connecting to any server in our global network. You can then test latency to the game service on VPN servers that are close to your physical location, or you can connect to a VPN server closer to where the game service is hosted. Many of our customers have minimized latency by finding the best fit for their online gaming activities.

Once subscribed and logged in, you have access to our complete suite of VPN, HTTP Proxy, SOCKS5 Proxy and DNS Proxy services.

We define our basic service plan as '3 active logins' which means that you can have 3 "active" VPN connections to any of our VPN servers, in addition to the use of 3 authorized IP addresses to access our HTTP/SOCKS5 proxy services and DNS proxy services at the same time. This allows you to have multiple devices utilizing our services at once; 3 devices simultaneously connecting to our VPN services AND multiple other devices simultaneously utilizing our HTTP/SOCKS5 Proxy or SmartDNS services from 3 different locations.

By way of example, you can simultaneously connect your home PC, your PC at the office, and your child's laptop at school securely to the Internet via our encrypted VPN servers, AND have simultaneous, multiple other devices like Apple TV, Roku, smartphones, tablets and game consoles connect to proxy (SmartDNS, HTTP or SOCKS5) from 3 different places. Each location is authorized by IP address.

In general, if you are using encrypted connection through the use of VPN services, your ISP will never know what sites you visit.

IronSocket does not monitor or log any of its user's activities when using our services.
Please refer to our Privacy Policy for a complete explanation of what data we collect.

We do not log or track any of your activities while using any of our services.
Please refer to our Privacy Policy for a complete explanation of what data we collect.

We do not track your web activities while using any of our services.
We do not use your information for purposes other than those to which you have consented.
We do not sell or trade personal information for commercial purposes.

Please refer to our Privacy Policy for a complete explanation of our "Information Disclosure" policies.

DNS Proxy (also known as SmartDNS) is an innovative method to access geo-restricted websites like Hulu, HBO Go, and others. It is not uncommon for websites to have restricted access, either for reasons of censorship, to prevent potential fraud, etc. DNS Proxy servers automatically redirect your connection through our proxy network whenever you access any one of the websites/services which we support through our DNS Proxy Services. Members can view which services our DNS Proxy supports here.

Unlike VPN, DNS proxy does not encrypt your connection therefore; you experience the exact same connection speed that you get from your ISP.

Please refer to our Network Details page for the number of servers and where they are located.

To find your VPN Username and Password you can visit the VPN Login Details page in our member's area.

There are 3 VPN protocols that we offer; they are PPTP, L2TP and OpenVPN. Please refer to this table here for the encryptions used by each VPN type.

OpenVPN is an open source application that uses VPN techniques for creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections. Our service utilizes their professional Access Server software, runs on 1024 bit encryption for data communication over TCP Port 443. Excellent for iron-clad security and users connecting from countries with known Internet blocks.

L2TP is a tunneling protocol used to support VPNs. It is a popular alternative to PPTP as it provides a more stable, better encrypted, and lower latency connection. L2TP is supported on a wide variety of devices and runs with 256bit AES encryption over UDP port 500 or 4500.

PPTP (point-to-point tunneling protocol) is a method for implementing VPNs. PPTP can be a problematic VPN as it is easily blocked by firewalls and home routers. It is only recommended for use when you're unable to use L2TP/IPSec or OpenVPN. PPTP uses 128 bit encryption over 'GRE' Protocol #47.

VPN service offers secured connection by encrypting all traffic and routing all traffic through the VPN server, including all programs and application. VPN also offers anonymity as it changes the IP address of the user when accessing remote sites. If protecting your online privacy is important to you, then you should make use of a VPN.

HTTP proxy is an anonymous proxy that works on web browsers and some proxy-enabled applications. With an HTTP proxy, you have the option to proxy selected applications. However, unlike VPN, it offers no encryption. It does, however, offer IP masking. HTTP proxy is best used for streaming media and other non-critical applications as it has excellent speed. It's simple to set-up and easy to use.

SOCKS5 is another type of anonymous proxy that works for proxying all traffic including DNS request. However, unlike VPN, it also offers no encryption. It does, however, offer IP masking. Applications like video games, IRC clients or instant messenger clients support SOCKS5.

DNS proxy is used only to bypass geo-restriction when accessing sites like Hulu or BBC. Unlike VPN, it does not provide IP masking or any form of encryption. However, because there is no encryption, it provides relatively faster connection to websites than VPN.

None of these services log your activities.

SOCKS5 proxies are very similar to HTTP proxies. The practical difference to an HTTP proxy is that SOCKS5 proxies work not only for Web browsing, but also for other applications like video games, file transfer programs and instant messenger clients.

SOCKS5 proxies have a wide range of benefits but the most important is that they provide complete anonymity and they can protect all your traffic including DNS requests. Using a SOCKS5 proxy, you can setup your client to force DNS lookups to route through the proxy. This means that the remote server will only see the SOCKS5 server IP instead of the real IP you got from your Internet Service Provider.

OpenVPN is an open source application that uses VPN techniques for creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections. Our service utilizes RSA 4096-bit keys and AES-256 military grade encryption for secure data communication. Excellent for iron-clad security and users connecting from countries with known Internet blocks.

The answer depends on your usage and security needs. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using TCP and UDP:

OpenVPN using TCP

• More reliable. TCP offers more stable connections as the protocol guarantees delivery of packets. It's a 'stateful' protocol, which means it requires acknowledgment of the receipt of packets for every packet sent.
• Can bypass firewalls. TCP VPN connections are usually allowed since they run on a common port (443). TCP VPN connections can usually bypass even the most strict corporate firewalls.
• Slower speed. Acknowledgment packets cause greater overhead on TCP connections that tend to slow transfer rates. For higher transfer speeds with OpenVPN use UDP

OpenVPN using UDP

• Faster speed. UDP VPN provides significantly greater speeds than TCP.
• Less reliable. In some cases UDP can be less reliable than TCP VPN connections as UDP does NOT guarantee the delivery of packets. It is a 'stateless' protocol and packets are assumed to be received with no retries or acknowledgments.

Bottom line. UDP is better for Voice-over-IP, movie streaming and gaming traffic, as well as shorter distances where packet loss is less likely to occur. TCP is better for overall reliability of transmitted data and longer distances.

Yes, IronSocket services work on all devices supporting these operating systems.

Yes, you can setup a VPN connection on VPN-enabled devices. Please check your router's manual for more information on what VPN protocol it supports.

Your public IP address, the one provided by your Internet Service Provider, is the information we use for identification purposes. When you authorize an IP on your account, we then take that IP and allow it access on our firewall. This way only our customer's authorized IPs get white-listed and are allowed access to our proxy services. Unauthorized IPs are blocked.

Note that you only need to authorize your IP if you are using DNS Proxy or HTTP Proxy services. If you are only using our VPN service, you do not have to authorize your IP address.

We do not offer trial accounts for security reasons. We DO, however, offer a 7 day, 100% money-back guarantee. If you're unhappy with our services for any reason during that 7 day time period, you can simply request a refund.

All new subscriptions are covered by a 7-day money back guarantee. Should you request a refund of your subscription fee within 7 days of subscribing to our services (as confirmed by our payment records), we will refund the amount paid in full.

Please note that all requests for refunds MUST be submitted to [email protected] within the 7 days of your original order. No refunds will be granted after that period.

To cancel your subscription, please log-in to the member's area and click "View Details" for your Active Subscription. At the bottom of the page you will find the "Request Cancellation" button.

We will ask you to provide the reason for cancellation (so we can improve our service) as well as selecting a Cancellation Type; either "Immediate" or "End of Billing Period".

If you are not within the 7 Day Trial Period, you will not be refunded for any unused portion of time.

Additionally, if you subscribed with automatic Paypal payments (Paypal subscription), you will need to cancel that with Paypal directly.

Please refer to our Refund Policy by clicking here.