VPN KNOWLEDGE BASE
The VPNmine blog, page 3
STREAMINGWhy a VPN does not change your account regionStore and streaming regions come from the account's billing details. An exit address in another country changes what the network sees, not who you are.
SPEEDDoes a VPN drain phone battery?A well-behaved tunnel costs a few percent a day. A misbehaving one can halve your battery, and the difference is almost always reconnection loops.
LEAKS AND TESTINGTesting VPN speed fairlyMost VPN speed comparisons measure the wrong thing. How to run a test that isolates the tunnel from distance, congestion and your own Wi-Fi.
PRIVACY AND LAWFive, Nine and Fourteen Eyes: what they actually changeThe intelligence-sharing alliances are real and their relevance to a consumer VPN is routinely overstated. What jurisdiction does and does not decide.
PROTOCOLSUDP or TCP for a VPN?UDP is the right choice for a VPN almost always. TCP exists to get through networks that block UDP, and it costs more than people expect.
TROUBLESHOOTINGWhy your VPN is slow, in five checksA slow VPN is usually distance, server load, MTU, protocol or your own line. Five measurements that identify which, in about ten minutes.
SETUP GUIDESHow to set up a VPN on Windows 11Set up a VPN on Windows 11 with an app or the built-in client, plus the DNS and routing settings that stop Windows leaking around the tunnel.
SECURITYEncrypted DNS (DoH, DoT, DoQ) versus a VPNEncrypted DNS hides your lookups from the network and nothing else. A VPN hides everything. One is free and instant; the other is broader and costs speed.
SERVER LOCATIONSConnecting to a UK VPN serverThe UK has dense connectivity through London and one of the most extensive surveillance frameworks in Europe. What a UK exit gives you either way.
STREAMINGSmart DNS vs VPNSmart DNS redirects certain lookups and encrypts nothing. A VPN encrypts everything. They solve different problems and are sold as if they were one.
SPEEDVPN over 5G versus Wi-FiA tunnel behaves differently on cellular: shorter NAT timeouts, IPv6-only cores, variable MTU and a radio that costs battery when it stays awake.
LEAKS AND TESTINGHow to confirm your real VPN exit countryGeolocation databases disagree and servers are not always where they claim. Three ways to check a VPN exit country, including one that cannot be faked.
PRIVACY AND LAWWarrant canaries: what they are and why they are fragileA canary is a published statement that no secret order has been received. It works by disappearing, and courts have never confirmed it works at all.
PROTOCOLSWhat is OpenConnect?OpenConnect is an open client for SSL VPN protocols like Cisco AnyConnect. It runs over TLS on port 443, which is why it survives restrictive networks.
TROUBLESHOOTINGVPN will not connect on public Wi-Fi: captive portals explainedHotel and airport Wi-Fi blocks the VPN until you sign in, and auto-connect makes it worse. How the portal works and the order that gets you online.
SETUP GUIDESUsing a VPN on a smart TV that has no VPN appSamsung and LG TVs cannot run VPN apps. Four ways to route one through anyway, what each costs in speed, and which one to pick.
SECURITYVPN, antivirus, password manager: what each one solvesThree tools sold together that address entirely separate problems. Which threat each one actually addresses, and which matters most.
SERVER LOCATIONSIndia VPN servers and the 2022 CERT-In directiveIndia requires VPN providers to keep subscriber records for five years. Several removed their hardware rather than comply. What that means for you.
STREAMINGSports blackouts and how they are enforcedBlackouts are contractual, enforced by location checks at several layers. What each layer looks at, and why a VPN is a poor answer to them.
SPEEDVPN and gaming latencyA VPN adds the round trip to the server, and nothing recovers it. When that is acceptable, when it is not, and the one case where it helps.
LEAKS AND TESTINGIP leak, DNS leak, WebRTC leak: which is whichFour different failures get called a leak. What each one exposes, to whom, and which of them actually matters for what you are worried about.
PRIVACY AND LAWRAM-only VPN servers explainedA diskless server loses its state when power is cut, so a seizure yields nothing. What that actually protects against, and what it does not.
PROTOCOLSIKEv2/IPsec explainedIKEv2 with IPsec is the protocol built into Windows, macOS and iOS. Why it reconnects so well on phones, and where it falls short.
TROUBLESHOOTING"TLS handshake failed": the OpenVPN error explainedOpenVPN's TLS key negotiation timeout has five common causes. What the log lines mean and which fix belongs to which.