Website blocked in UAE
One of the problems with being in China is that the internet is heavily controlled to filter out information that might be detrimental to the harmonious society.
If you want to chat to friends in China there are many excellent tools, such as QQ (similar to MSN messenger) or Weibo (a better clone of Twitter). These all work well but are actively monitored by government departments.
Other social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook are blocked in most of China, along with Wikipedia and many Google services. Presumably, they’re blocked as they offer closed communication in private groups or messages.
Going the other way, a number of secure sites in the West block incoming traffic from China, Russia and Eastern Europe as they’re the origin of so many hacking attempts. This is equally frustrating.
Blocked YouTube
Other sites limit traffic to particular countries, so many US and German videos on YouTube only work in their respective countries, and the British Broadcasting Corporation doesn’t allow people in Britain to view the full version of BBC Travel. Likewise, PayPal and some banks prefer you to be in the country of your account.
Countries currently banning social networks (see link below)
As shown in the graphic above, other countries like Cuba and Zimbabwe and even Australia have their own versions of the Great Firewall.
The simple solution to all this is to buy a Virtual Private Network, or VPN. Here’s a proper explanation, but in short it creates a secure link between your computer in Country A and one in another Country B, so it seems to the web sites you visit that you’re actually in Country B.
Types of VPN on offer
Free VPNs like Expat Shield fake a UK address, and are great for watching BBC iPlayer from abroad whilst on holiday, but I wouldn’t consider it secure enough to do my internet banking.
Paid ones such as StrongVPN, ExpressVPN or Astrill are far more secure, and can be used on mobile devices such as a phone or iPad.
The better packages will offer a choice of servers, so you can pretend to be in the UK, US, Hong Kong or wherever is most appropriate. It’s quicker to browse from a server closer to the sites you’re using, so use a UK server to watch the BBC, or a US server to watch Hulu.
When choosing a VPN check how much bandwidth you’re allowed to use – watching a lot of streaming videos can use a surprisingly large amount of data. The more expensive VPNs usually allow unlimited data, and some even allow the use of BitTorrent files for legally downloading shareware games and stuff. I’m led to believe some people even use torrents to download movies and TV shows they couldn’t otherwise access…
The Astrill VPN client – it’s easy to switch servers using the dropdown
After trialling a number of VPNs, I’ve used Astrill without issue for the last two years. As with StrongVPN, the basic package offers a huge number of servers around the world to choose from (currently 113 servers in 46 countries), works well on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, plus has instructions to use the VPN on your iPhone, iPad or Android device.
What sold it for me was the portable version that can be run from a USB key. If you’re travelling and want to use someone else’s computer you can do so just as safely as if you’re at home. Even better, add a portable browser and anti-virus to the USB key and reduce risk even further.
The other major plus point is the SmartBrowsing mode, designed specifically for countries like China and the UAE. Using a VPN is a little slower than using the regular internet, so SmartBrowsing mode only goes through the VPN if the site is blocked. Unrestricted websites connect directly, giving you the best possible speed.
The current largest VPN provider is Witopia, but as with the previous leader 12vpn, it puts it next in line to be completely blocked by China. As an ex-customer of 12vpn who got kicked off when China blocked it, it now makes sense to use one of the smaller VPN companies.
Some of the other providers are a little complicated to set up, but Astrill and ExpressVPN offer a simple download – enter your login details, press Connect and you’re securely browsing online.
If you want to try Astrill, message me or comment below and I can invite you to a free 7 day trial.
For readers already in China, StrongVPN has set up a page accessible in China for those that can’t reach to one of the blocked VPN sign-up pages. Friends tell me it still works well, but I’ve not used it for some time.
If it all works, you can follow my Facebook page for the latest VPN offers and coupons.
I would be keen to hear your experiences with other VPN providers, particularly ExpressVPN
October 2012 Update – PandaPow
The PandaPow Android app. Press Connect and you’re securely online
Based on repeated recommendations from friends in China I’ve trialled a new service called PandaPow.
PandaPow has been excellent. Like Astrill, the PC and Mac setup is performed by a tiny download, which also allows switching of servers. Unlike Astrill, there are no annoying popups with spammy news…
Even better, they have iPhone and Android Apps which gives you one click access to the VPN on your smartphone. PC and phone VPNs can be run simultaneously.
It’s currently $9 per month or a whole year for $84.
I’ve now got both PandaPow and Astrill accounts. Top speeds are comparable, but I spend more time on PandaPow as it is noticeably faster to react on the PC (they have a much lower ping time).
If you’re wondering, there’s a decent video on their homepage that explains how a VPN works.
November 2012 Update
With the current leadership transition in China there are additional blocks on VPNs, so many of the cheap/free ones listed above may not work. Astrill and PandaPow are both fine – I’ll update this when the free ones work again.
December 2012 Update
06th – The GFW has been upgraded and now blocks many VPNs. PandaPow have released a new client and works perfectly again on both desktop and phone. Astrill needs a bit of reconfiguration in the settings, and can be made to work on the desktop but the phone client is often blocked. The StrongVPN link above still works if you’re already in China.
June 2013 Update
Astrill seems to be having a major outage. Both the PandaPow and StrongVPN download sites are currently unblocked in China.
If this page was useful, please share it on Facebook or Google+ using the buttons below, to help more people find it. VPN updates are posted regularly on my Facebook page.
I use Astrill and I second your opinion, never have any problems with it!
after a year of paying for shoddy service through Witopia I switched over to Freegate and I have had way less problems for a completely free VPN. I highly recommend it and I am shocked that more people don’t use it.
Good to know – I’ll give it another try
Freegate? Last time I checked you couldn’t access the site
Astrill? Jerks owe me 2K for affiliate commissions and steal their site design from HMA (Go ahead, search for it in Google), plus they’ve got tons of bad reviews.
There’s a lot of other rubbish sites out there that only offer PPTP or L2TP, and try to label themselves as ‘specializing in China’, but I think March 2011 showed them that using any PPTP or L2TP VPN is risky, as they’re easily blocked.
Kings of the GFW? 12VPN, PandaPow, VyprVPN
I don’t use the affiliate program, beyond the option to offer people a weeks trial – sounds like it’s not worth it.
Seems like you’ve have a bad time with Astrill, but so far they’ve been perfectly good for me – will have a look at the others you mentioned though, so thanks for the info.
Yeah, it’s tough to check with Astrill. They have lost of good reviews, but also lots of terrible reviews. Your site seems very honest, and especially because you give them a good review despite NOT being a part of their affiliate program.
BTW, that’s a great pic of countries that ban social networks – but which ones do The US ban?
Niche ones like Hi5 and Black Planet – far less severe than say China or the UAE.
I am using SwissVPN, but it also sometimes gets blocked.
Packetix is a free vpn from Japan, which mostly works in China; but, setup is not as easy.
Will try Freegate, as soon as I get the chance of a working vpn to connect to them.
As every service seems to get blocked from time to time, you need some different VPNs, if you are depending on communication from within China to the rest of the world.
Usually, in different areas, different sites get blocked. E.g., in Shanghai I have difficulties with my (US-based) Yahoo email, Google is totally blocked in many smaller cities; sometimes Google search via Hongkong is allowed, but will disconnect at preview.
Baidu gives you search results, but, apart from prefering Chinese and being filtered, the results are not to the point (comparable to Yahoo search 10 years ago). Better, try Bing.
For translations use Google; if it is blocked, Baidu redirects to Google.
Thanks, I’ll have a look at SwissVPN & Packetix.
Yeah the tricky issue with freegate is that to access the website you have to be connected through a VPN. If you have a friend or a company wide vpn that you can access the website through it has been a very effective free alternative to the other paid applications.
Thanks for the freegate tips
I have just downloaded freegate in China –
1) I googled freegate. – Every site was inaccessible, if it mentioned freegate..
2) copy and pasted – http://www.top10download.com/freegate into proxi today (a free proxi)
3) Access and download no problem (1.77Mb)
I haven’t tried it out yet.
The following web based proxis seem to work, and allow downloading of any files up to 2 Mb. I don’t know about any security issues or transparency (of course, if you use Google Chrome, or have an account on Facebook or Twitter, then you don’t give a damn about security anyway!).
Sometimes one or more of these is blocked due to congestion.
(I use No Script, Malwarebytes, and a very aggressive firewall/antivirus and can still access them no probs)
I can get to facebook or twitter or any other site.
Proxi today
Proxi Charm
Hideinside
Proxi Hits
Hideinside
Proxi Hits
I don’t know about any security issues or transparency – of course, if you use Google Chrome, or have an account on Facebook or Twitter, etc, then you don’t give a damn about privacy or security anyway!).
If I install a VPN & use it with a Chinese University wi-fi, can I be detected & is this punishable? I’m not in China yet, but I don’t want to lose my gmail once there. Has anyone ever gotten into trouble with authorities for using a VPN?
It’s detectable as encrypted traffic, but if you’re a foreigner they don’t care if you use a VPN. fwiw, Gmail isn’t blocked in most of China
Great. Thanks very much. Can I ask something else? How different does the Chinese internet (without a VPN) feel from what we find in the US? I don’t plan to google Tiananmen Square, but can I find recipes like I do here and is online banking (in the US) just as easy?
You can certainly stay in China without needing a VPN, but your Google searches will default to Hong Kong, so you’ll get local sites before US sites. If you go straight to a US site, then there won’t be any difference. If you read Chinese then use http://www.baidu.com/
The slowest sites are those that use Facebook or Twitter for authentication or have Like/Share buttons etc, as the script has to time out on each page load, which can be annoying. Also, if it’s a video recipe, the video may be blocked.
For online banking I really would recommend a VPN for security.
Thanks again. I don’t need facebook or any of that kind of thing, but I’d want to have access to my US bank. Do you like any of the VPNs best? And should I buy a service plan before I leave for China?
Yep, some of the VPN sales sites are accessible from China, but not all. I use Astrill, or VPNninja gets good reviews from friends.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge on all this! I wish I’d signed up for a VPN before leaving for China. Would you recommend Astrill for banking, or should I stick with a non-free VPN just to be safe? And can I have an invite?
Invite sent. I use Astrill for banking and it’s fine
Hi, thanks for the info. Can I get the invite for trial VPN? Thanks!
I have also been looking for a reliable vpn for online banking. Could you send me a free trial for Astrill as well? Thanks so much!
please invite me to astrill
Could you send me an invite? I am leaning for China in 2 Weeks….I want to be prepared…..thanks!
Done, but remember it’s only a 7 day trial, so sign up just before you leave
Hi Steve,
I’m leaving for China on the 29th, and I need to have access to gmail and my banking info, and I would like to be able to use Facebook. Can you please send me the invite? Also, should I sign up for multiple VPNs or just Astrill?
Thanks!!
A lot of people use multiple VPNs as one provider is often a bit congested. I currently just have one and it’s frustrating sometimes, but switching to a different server location can help (i.e. from USA to something less used like Sweden).
Hi there, I am leaving for china in 2 weeks. Could i please have the invite for the trial for astrill? much appreciated!
Hi. I’ve been in china on and off for 2 years and have never used a vpn, but it seems, periodically, my phone company changes its codes and I can’t access my email from my godaddy hosted site, unless someone comes over and reconfigures my codes. I can still get everything else, but my emails are the most important thing, and yet the server always seems to drop. It gets frustrating so I think should try a vpn. Can you please send me an invite for astrill. thanks.
I have used astrill , worst Customer support even. Scam company never refunded my payment back and took 3 days to give single response. STAY AWAY FROM ASTRILL!!!
That’s unfortunate – they’ve always been very helpful to me.
Thanks for the informative article! I’ll be leaving for a year in China very soon and am hoping to find a way to have as unrestricted access to the internet as possible while I’m there.
Could you send me an Astrill invite code please? I’ve come across so many different VPN companies in my searching, I have no idea who to go with…I want to try a few free trials before I hand my money over to anyone for a year D:
I also live in China, and I can tell you that if you want a decent speed you need a provider with servers close to China. I have a 4 Mbps line, and VPN/proxy connections to US or Europe are a stretch. Right now I`m using SunVPN, because they have a couple of servers in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Just my 0.13 RMB…
I haven’t tried SunVPN since their employees kept sending me spammy comments on this page. With Astrill I’ve tried the Taiwan, Singapore and HK servers and from here in Beijing and Chengdu I generally find the ‘West Coast USA (China-optimised)’ server to always be faster, so I guess it may depend on your location.
Having a direct USA link also negates the regional content restrictions on sites like Hulu and YouTube.
You mentioned astrill needs some configuration changes as of 2012 dec 6? What are they, I’m having trouble getting connected on our router configured for astrill. thanks
In the desktop settings, switch to Stealth TCP and you should be able to get online and contact Astrill support for the router settings.
I am using Pandapower {PP]. I tried a cheaper company and had massive connection problems. PP does get hit occasionally. I am using the openVPN connection, but the L2P and PPTP links are also available.
The beauty of PP is their customer service. If you get serious problems they send you a little tool which does its own diagnosis and then writes a script report which you send to admin. They respond VERY quickly.
There is a tweak or two which improves my surfing :
1. disable IPv6 on your network adapter
2. Go into the settings by clicking on the PP icon, select Advanced, and check ” use TCP”
3. Flush your browser cache completely after connection.
Just a question, did you buy a vpn router device? Did you bring this with you (wouldn’t they stop you from bringing it through customs?)? Or did you buy it and have it delivered once in China?
I would love if you could tell me this-we are planning to move to China in May and if we need to buy one before hand…:) Thanks
The VPN settings should work with most modern routers, even the official ones supplied by China Telecom (although I’d suggest buying a better one). I don’t use a VPN on the router as all our devices are set up to use the VPN individually, as we’re often travelling or working away from home.
is it legal to use vpn in any country?if then why vpn’s are being blocked by China?
Try this post for an explanation about governments blocking information
Hi Steve,
first of all thanks for getting me that 7 day trial access to Astril.
After some issues and a bit of overnight trial and error I finally got it running on my DD-WRT router. But I face the following challenge:
Using the server UK1 via the router, I get download speeds of around 0.8 Mbps. Using the same server but using VPN with Astrill’s software application instead of the router, i get a downspeed of around 2.0 Mbps, so almost three times as fast! I have tried this many times now to see if this was a one-off result but everytime I get the same verdict.
Problem is I need to run via the router to stream the signal into my TV – on of the reasons for VPN is to use BBC iPlayer but with 0.8Mbps it has to rebuffer every 3 minutes…
One thing I noticed when connecting via the router software is that I am not able to use the Fast (UDP) protocoll but only the TCP one. With UDP the connection does never get established. Not sure if this is what makes a difference but it is one thing I can think about.
Can you or anybody else here help me? I have been trying to contact Astill but without success.
Many thanks!
I don’t use the router software, so perhaps someone else can help