Decentralised VPN

Author
Discussion

nismocat

Original Poster:

771 posts

15 months

Monday 29th January
quotequote all
There's a couple of websites I frequent that are very good at blocking you when I use a VPN (I may be wrong but it is something to do with them being a company and owning or at least have plenty of traffic through their own dedicated servers, even work places get blocked) I even clear cache and change my time to the UK time.

I have been using a VPN that allows you to connect via "nodes"; a node is instance is someones smart phone, laptop, tablet or even a private server. Once connected to a node and you check your IP location is usually says Virgin, BT and even Vodaphone. So residential IP addresses.

So far is has worked flawlessly, 7 day free trial. (Mysterium)

Anyone else used them or know how they work?

donkmeister

9,258 posts

107 months

Monday 29th January
quotequote all
Streaming services and other businesses that rely on keeping licences that are geography based, update their IP address blacklists. All you have found is that the VPN service you are now using has not yet had those IPs blocked. Possibly because they are too small for the companies to worry about, possibly because they update their IP addresses more frequently.

spants

1,073 posts

234 months

Monday 29th January
quotequote all
Do you want your IP to be used as an exit node?
What happens if someone is doing something dodgy using your IP?

Defcon5

6,304 posts

198 months

Monday 29th January
quotequote all
Rotating residential proxy?

You are essentially letting random people use your IP address, in return for you using theirs

I find ‘bad men’ on the internet for a living. They use things like this to try and hide their identity. I wouldn’t want to be letting people like that use my IP address.

loudlashadjuster

5,504 posts

191 months

Tuesday 30th January
quotequote all
Defcon5 said:
Rotating residential proxy?

You are essentially letting random people use your IP address, in return for you using theirs

I find ‘bad men’ on the internet for a living. They use things like this to try and hide their identity. I wouldn’t want to be letting people like that use my IP address.
Agreed.

Imagine a visit from Old Bill who have evidence that certain unsavoury websites have been accessed from your location...

nismocat

Original Poster:

771 posts

15 months

Wednesday 7th February
quotequote all
I do not know the ins and outs of how it works and I am using it to access certain legit websites in the UK, I am not signed up to let people use mine.
That is true about the IP addresses being blacklisted by VPNs, that was the issue I had.

I wonder if a persons IP is blacklisted, and it is a legitimate Virgin Broadband user etc, how they would go about getting it lifted?

loudlashadjuster

5,504 posts

191 months

Wednesday 7th February
quotequote all
The whole point of a VPN is that your IP, the one Virgin or whoever assigns to you, is not visible to the site you are visiting.

They see you as coming from whatever IP the VPN provider assigns, so it’s not possible for “your” IP to be blacklisted, assuming competence on the part of the VPN provider.

eeLee

858 posts

87 months

Wednesday 7th February
quotequote all
Host your own VPN (e.g. PiVPN)

PF62

4,065 posts

180 months

Wednesday 7th February
quotequote all
nismocat said:
or know how they work?
www.howtogeek.com/845555/mysterium-vpn-review/

TLDR - Individuals renting out their IP address and broadband connection for you to connect to.

And if you just need that then use PiVPN or Tailscale when travelling.

loudlashadjuster

5,504 posts

191 months

Wednesday 7th February
quotequote all
eeLee said:
Host your own VPN (e.g. PiVPN)
That's a different VPN use case though (securely access resources on home network when remote) from the OP's and 'normal' consumer need for a VPN (get round geoblocking, maybe hide your tracks to a limited degree).

PF62

4,065 posts

180 months

Wednesday 7th February
quotequote all
loudlashadjuster said:
eeLee said:
Host your own VPN (e.g. PiVPN)
That's a different VPN use case though (securely access resources on home network when remote) from the OP's and 'normal' consumer need for a VPN (get round geoblocking, maybe hide your tracks to a limited degree).
Why do you think using PiVPN (or Tailscale) can't be used to avoid geo-blocking when away? That's the primary purpose I use it for.

loudlashadjuster

5,504 posts

191 months

Wednesday 7th February
quotequote all
PF62 said:
Why do you think using PiVPN (or Tailscale) can't be used to avoid geo-blocking when away? That's the primary purpose I use it for.
When away, yes, assuming you only want to access your local region.

Most people just want one to watch US/Aus/German/etc. Netflix/Prime/Disney etc.

eeLee

858 posts

87 months

Thursday 8th February
quotequote all
then have a VPN to your home and a SmartDNS solution at your home achieving the goal home and away.

I seems from reading what the OP said, he would like the same material available when not at home when away. This is the solution, elegant, unblockable and practically free. It only requires a little knowledge to set it up.

nismocat

Original Poster:

771 posts

15 months

Monday 12th February
quotequote all
PF62 said:
nismocat said:
or know how they work?
www.howtogeek.com/845555/mysterium-vpn-review/

TLDR - Individuals renting out their IP address and broadband connection for you to connect to.

And if you just need that then use PiVPN or Tailscale when travelling.
If you read my OP that's what I've already said, so your TLDR is pretty comical! Also, I was referencing the techy side of the nodes not how it connects.

PiVPN are great (Raspberry Pi) but I will need to actually be there to set it up. So useless in my situation.