VPN

Last updated: 28th of March 2016

Many German citizens protect their internet connection via a VPN. This provides some extra anonymity to your internet connection, keeps your internet viewing habits secure from prying eyes and allows you bypass problems geoblocking.

VPN’s are not illegal. All civilised countries allow the use of VPN’s.

VPN’s typically run through each individual computer. This won’t work when you are sharing your connection with others, as it’s not viable to expect everyone to install software before using your connection. To work around this, you can run the VPN software on your router itself. Most routers can not do this, so you will need to buy one which can. An example of a router suitable for this, which was recommended in our group, is the Asus RTN66 which costs ~€109.

You then need to sign up for an ongoing VPN service. Our members have recommended the following options:
Private Internet Access. Cost = ~€35/year
ZenMate. Cost = ~€53/year
Hide My Ass. Cost = ~€77/year

This does result in some degradation in performance

If you sign up for a good VPN service, their support staff will likely know how to setup your router and be able to help you configure it. Some even sell preconfigured routers, although these are usually very expensive.