I need to investigate setting up a Virtual Private Network


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Old 02-17-14, 09:42 AM
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I need to investigate setting up a Virtual Private Network

...and I know squat about VPNs. Is it an on-the-shelf product or just a few network settings on a PC (running W7)? Both?
 
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Old 02-17-14, 10:09 AM
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VPN provides a secure mechanism for connecting to a remote network. Traditionally, it has been used in a corporate environment, allowing employees who are working remotely from home or on travel to connect securely to the corporate network and access all the internal corporate servers and such.

The same concept though has been used to allow someone to connect to a remote network and then connect from there, making it seem that the user is in the location or country of that remote server. It can add a layer of security, making it seem that your connection to websites and such are originating from that remote server.

Should we ask what you're looking to do with a new VPN? Whatever you're planning, just remember that no solution is 100% secure.
 
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Old 02-17-14, 01:14 PM
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I agree with Zorfdt what little I do know of VPNs is that they are usually used by big corporations or businesses that require a bit more security than what you get standard by your isp. Zorfdt knows more than I on the subject but another member who used to post here but no longer does said he used a foreign company for his VPN. He used them because he thought in his mind that they were more secure.

What company it was I don't know now but do know it can get expensive to use a VPN company so if you don't absolutely need it I would forgo it. Costs though vary from company to company.
 
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Old 02-18-14, 10:25 AM
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I think LifeHacker has just what you are looking for. I know your problem isn't being overseas, but their solutions should fool Comcast as well as NetFlix.

The Always Up-to-Date Guide to Streaming Blocked Content Overseas

If none of those suit you, search on how to watch netflix from australia. I used Australia because NetFlix doesn't run there, and they have their own G**gle servers.


The best solution to this is to have a bunch of Comcast's customers get together and sue the dickens out of them.
 
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Old 02-19-14, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Fred_C_Dobbs

The best solution to this is to have a bunch of Comcast's customers get together and sue the dickens out of them.
That's what I find so puzzling about this. Customers stream Netflix through Comcast internet and are seeing kb speeds instead of Mb speeds. They set up a VPN so Comcast can't "see" the routing and the problem is resolved. This would seem to verify that Comcast is punishing Netflix customers in the same way they did several years ago with BitTorrent users--and they got sued for that and lost. There's SO much more money at stake since Netflix is so huge--you'd think Comcast wouldn't put their head in the noose again.
 
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Old 02-19-14, 01:36 PM
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Seems to me, the most likely reason they would do something like this is that they got caught flatfooted and failed to anticipate the added strain on their infrastructure, and now it will not support the increased demand. When everything got jammed up, they probably analyzed network traffic and realized what a big divot NetFlix was taking out of their throughput (NetFlix & YouTube together account for ~1/2 of all Internet traffic). Then they weighed the costs of rushing into an expansion job (which is a certainty) against the costs of law suits (which are not a certainty) and decided that it is in their best financial interests to risk the law suits. The need to expand is inevitable but they save big bucks by staving it off as long as possible.

The LifeHacker article has other solutions besides VPN. All it really needs to do is disguise the fact that NetFlix is your final destination and you're golden. Some anonymous proxies will accomplish the same thing.

Strictly speaking, a VPN doesn't have to connect to a network. You can set up a VPN to the PC of any of your friends/family not on Comcast and accomplish the same objective. But then they'd be sharing their Internet bandwidth with you, which they probably wouldn't be too thrilled with (unless they have a T3 line). Which is why a commercial service probably is your best bet. Plus, even good friends probably won't be that keen on providing you "customer support" when you're already mooching off their Internet. The commercial company's customer support might suck, but at least they're getting paid to provide it.

That this tactic works, BTW, is pretty certain proof that Comcast is deliberately targeting NetFlix. They still can see the "volume" of the traffic flowing through the VPN tunnel, but they just can't see who you are connected to beyond the virtual network.
 
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Old 03-01-14, 08:24 PM
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Its got nothing to do with Comcast not being able to support Netflix traffic. It is because Comcast is losing money thanks to people canceling their TV and getting Netflix/Hulu and an antenna. Netflix also directly competes with their in-house VOD and costs them money there too. Verizon and AT&T are throwing the same hissy fit right now too

What it boils down to is right now they have a small window to obliterate net neutrality while the law is being appealed in SCOTUS, and they are taking advantage by actively screwing Netflix customers.. Net neutrality is the law that the Comcast/bittorrent scrap brought about in the first place, guaranteeing all services equal access to ISP resources. Now that the law has been overturned, all the ISPs are trying to strongarm Netflix into paying use fees/tolls by throttling traffic from the Netflix servers and pissing off their customers..
 
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Old 03-03-14, 12:56 AM
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I agree completely with Matt. Comcast, like ALL mega corporations, is ONLY interested in their bottom line. They like to try to convince consumers that they have no choice in the matter. Since Comcast has gone to encryption on ALL their television programming I have installed an antenna and couldn't be happier. They had made the tuner in my new wide-screen TV useless as well as effectively disabling all my video recorders. I get all that back with the antenna. I was on the lowest tier of service and I have only lost three channels that I only occasionally watched and ALL that programming is readily available on the Internet. They may have not received much revenue from me ($25/month) but now they get nothing.
 
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Old 03-03-14, 03:23 AM
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About a week ago Netflix and Comcast announced that they reached an agreement. Netflix will pay Comcast. The way I see it, this is very dangerous precedent of pure extortion. Verizon and other ISPs already have their hands out.

Comcast’s deal with Netflix makes network neutrality obsolete
 
 

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