Crash course on VPN for EQ (traffic shaping and getting better connection speeds)

Dedicated to Null and his high level of professionalism and maturity.

Most people have heard of using proxy servers to change their IP for websites (proxies typically won't work with EQ). Less people have heard of the more dynamic solution, the Virtual Private Network (VPN). In layman's terms, using a VPN is the equivalent of “virtually” connecting to a LAN. Once connected, your computer appears to be coming from that network for all intents and purposes. Not just for website use, but for all applications (EQ especially in this instance).


Why use a VPN?

1) To change your IP address. You may desire to do this circumvent an IP ban or a boxing restriction on a server where you can only log in so many accounts from one IP.

2) To circumvent traffic shaping practices on your ISP. Many countries may block many sites or services; but if you can connect to the VPN you can counter this practice

3) To get better connection speeds. Often the route used by your ISP to connect to a server is not the most efficient route. By connecting through a VPN you can often actually get better connection speeds.


How and Where?

Now, there are some “free” VPN services out there. However I have yet to find one which has any sort of decent speed or reliability. You might have more success than I. Unfortunately if you choose to go down this path you are probably going to go with a paid service. On the bright side, it never hurts to have a VPN around. Many ISPs are now capping torrent/P2P traffic, wireless hotspots are plagued by sniffers and privacy becomes more important every day. It will never hurt to have a good VPN service around. A high quality VPN service is typically going to run you 5-20 dollars a month depending.


Not all VPN services are created equal and you should pick one depending on your needs. But here are some of the major factors?

- For EQ, you should get in touch with the service and make sure you can play a MMO through the VPN. Some VPNs might have blocked UDP traffic (EQ uses this) or certain ports.

- Some VPN use a SSH Tunnel to connect. This is a more secure way to connect (2048 bit encryption typically), however your speed will dramatically suffer on these services. VPNs that use OpenVPN software generally are using SSH Tunnels.

- If they say they are using PPTP or IPSec, then it is not a SSH Tunnel. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THESE ARE NOT SECURE CONNECTIONS! Usually they are still 128-bit encrypted which is secure enough for just about anything. I would suggest this option over SSH tunnel unless you have VERY high security needs.

- Do they provide multiple servers in distinct locations? How many? Can you choose them? Can you change them at will and as often as you want? These will effect how large your “IP address” arsenal is.

- Do they cap your bandwidth/speed?

- Do they block any services/kinds of traffic? (Many VPNs are blocking Torrents/P2P now, beware!)

- Do they keep logs with identifiable information? If you are a privacy nut you may want to inquire about their logging policies.

- Some VPN services also now offer “Static IPs.” This is great because you can run services through your connection as if you weren't on VPN at all – however this be undesirable if you are subscribing to VPN for the point of changing your IP.


Resources

A great site indexing and reviewing VPN services is:

http://myvpnreviews.com/


Conclusion

As for getting VPN running, it will vary from service to service. However, once you are connected you should need no further configuration and your new IP settings and such will automatically be applied to all applications on your PC (including EQ).

As a disclaimer, when using websites Java and ActiveX can still be used to find your real IP. Google for tutorials on countering this (or just disable Java and ActiveX! But there are some other neat privacy apps out there such a Privoxy).




Enjoy.

- ezek

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VPN's are nice, I have only recently started using them for gaming though. Are you aware of any way to run a VPN network to connect to EQ AND a regular connection to EQ on the same computer/os? I have multiple computers so this has not been an issue so far.

But my friend has 1 computer, he has been wanting to run 2 connections + 2 on his VPN on the same computer and the only way he has been successful is by using VMware and running the VPN insideof vmware and his normal connection outside.

You can get good VPN's for gaming for like $5 a month. I rent a 100mbit dedi server(more expensive then a standalone VPN) located very close to my area so I get very nice ping to it and have full control over what to do with it.

Wow, pleased to find this crash course to VPN. It will help many people to understand this service and why they should use it. I also need best windows vpn and after reading all this information I exactly know what functionalities I should look for.