Nowadays, many of us have grown accustomed to using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) as a part of our daily routine. Whether using it to unblock geo-restricted content, to secure online activity, or to access online markets in a foreign country, VPNs have become easy enough (and affordable enough) to use that it’s rare to meet anyone who does not have a VPN in his virtual toolbox.
The problem is, after we’ve come to rely on VPNs, what do we do if we find that our VPN is blocked?
VPN blocks are a huge nuisance, and they are becoming more common these days. These blocks may come from your Internet Service Provider, your government, or from websites themselves looking to block any VPN connection that facilitates access to content that is meant to be out of your reach.
But there is good news for those millions of VPN users around the world who are not willing to give up their VPN access without a fight. Whether you are trying to access a US streaming site from outside the US, secure your online data, torrent safely, or access services in a foreign region, there are some proven techniques to help ensure you are able to use your VPN freely from anywhere, any time.
Keep on reading this review to find out how to get around VPN blockers and how to make your VPN undetectable in 2024.
In a Hurry? Here Are the Best VPNs to Bypass Blockers
Why Do VPNs Get Blocked?
You are sitting on your couch at the end of a hard day at work, excited to watch the show you have been dreaming of watching all day. When you connect to your VPN and go to log on to your favorite streaming site, instead of seeing the new hit series you were planning on screening, you see an annoying error message that lets you know that your streaming service has detected that you are using a VPN or proxy server.
All of us have had the frustrating experience of finding out our VPNs are blocked, but not everyone understands why these blocks occur. Here are some of the common reasons that your VPN may be blocked:
Geo-restricted streaming:
If you’ve tried to access your favorite streaming site from outside the US (or outside of your normal region), you have probably encountered a situation in which your service was blocked, or where you were offered different-from-usual content. This is the case for Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and almost all other popular (legal) streaming services.
The reason content on Hulu, for example, is restricted to Internet users who are accessing the site from the US is because of content distribution agreements and laws that vary from location to location.
To ensure that their content is only being aired legally in countries that are permitted to distribute their shows and movies, streaming sites work hard to block Internet users who are trying to access their streaming services using foreign IP addresses, and users who are using IP addresses that are known to come from VPNs.
Netflix, for example, makes it very hard for VPNs to break through its protections to access streaming content from a library that is outside your physical region. If you want to access the Netflix US regional library from outside of the US, you will need to make sure you are using a VPN with US servers that will help you stay undetected.
Office and school restrictions:
In order to conserve bandwidth and encourage productivity in the workplace and in educational institutions, many schools and offices block access to sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube by using a firewall on their networks. On top of these blocks, some VPNs may also be blocked from these networks to prevent students or employees from accessing restricted sites with this VPN loophole.
Heavily censored government:
As you may have learned the hard way, some governments strictly censor user access to the Internet, blocking websites that are counter to the national value system to try and control or limit residents’ exposure to contrary views. To try and ensure that citizens or residents can only view permitted sites, these strict governments often try to block VPNs from their markets, making it impossible for users to even access VPNs on any app store from within their country.
When you think of censorship, China is probably the first country that pops into your mind — and rightfully so. Sites that western countries consider necessities in daily life — like YouTube, Google, and Facebook — are blocked by the Great Firewall of China. The only way to access the popular sites that we crave from within a heavily censored country is to use a vetted, effective VPN service.
Copyright concerns:
VPN services may be restricted by some Internet Service Providers in an effort to try to uphold copyright laws. Because many people use VPNs for torrenting illegal content, limiting VPNs — in theory — limits piracy and copyright infringement.
While we can help you get around VPN blocks, we do not encourage illegal activity online. That being said, if you are someone who is torrenting legally, you are better off using an undetectable VPN.
Different Types of VPN Blocks and How They Work
If you are unsure of how these VPN blocks work, here are some explanations of some of the different types of blocks and how they try to deflect your VPN connection:
DPI (Deep Packet Inspection):
Deep packet inspection is a more sophisticated way of deflecting traffic coming from a VPN. With this VPN blocker method, websites examine the kind of traffic that is directed at them instead of where traffic is originating.
This VPN-blocking method is harder to break through, and it is commonly used in heavily censored countries, like China, making it hard for VPNs to bypass the Great Firewall.
When you use a VPN, while your traffic may be anonymous, some of the protocols, such as OpenVPN, make VPN use easier to detect. The secure OpenVPN protocol, and other security protocols, use a unique data encryption method that makes them more easily identifiable. So, while your OpenVPN traffic and data are encrypted, the fact that you are using a VPN is not hidden from your ISP, websites, and third parties.
The solution to this is switching protocols in your VPN settings. The top VPNs on the market let you use different protocols, allowing you to bypass this block. This way, your OpenVPN traffic is not visible — nor is the fact that you are using any VPN at all.
IP address blocks:
When you use a VPN connection to access the Internet, your actual IP address is hidden and replaced with the IP address that corresponds to your VPN server location. While this IP address switcheroo often succeeds in tricking streaming services and geo-restricted sites into thinking you are actually in the location where your VPN server is located, many websites work hard to outsmart this VPN game of IP address whack-a-mole.
Streaming services, like Hulu and Netflix, keep an ever-growing list of IP addresses that are known to come from VPNs. Because they knock down these IP requests faster than VPNs come up with new IP addresses, reputable streaming sites have succeeded in blocking many VPNs.
Since some VPNs are more aggressive in their counter-attacks than others, the very top VPNs on the market are rarely blocked by streaming sites like Netflix.
Port blocking:
When you establish a VPN connection, your online traffic is sent through ports — or tunnels. The ports used by VPNs are identifiable by specific port numbers, and each has its own specific function.
The problem with ports consistently used for the same kind of traffic is that it allows these ports to be easily monitored by websites, which are then able to then block any traffic they do not want to allow.
This method of VPN blocking, called port-blocking, is not used as typically as the more commonly-used IP blocking.
Ways to Bypass VPN Blocks
Dedicated IPs:
With most VPN services, shared IP addresses are the norm. Sharing a server IP address means that all VPN users who are connected to the same VPN server as you will all share the same IP address.
Imagine if you saw a group of people walking down your block who all looked exactly the same — the same faces, clothes, shoes, everything. Wouldn’t that catch your attention?
Now, imagine that you are a particular site, like Netflix, seeing that dozens of IP addresses are all accessing your streaming services with the exact same IP address. When this happens, Netflix flags and blocks this IP address, banning all users from that VPN server from accessing their content.
If you access the web using a dedicated IP instead of a shared IP, you will be the only one using that IP address. This way, you will be able to use a VPN to access Netflix, or any geo-blocked site, without raising suspicion.
With a good VPN provider, you should be able to pay a little extra for a dedicated (static) IP address.
Switching servers:
Sometimes all it takes to get around these VPN blocks is to switch VPN servers. If one of the VPN servers in the country you are trying to reach is blocked, you can just switch to a different server that is, hopefully, not blocked. If you are unsure of which server will work at unblocking the website or service you are trying to reach, all you have to do is reach out to the 24/7 live-chat customer service that any of the top VPN providers offers and a representative will direct you to the VPN servers recommended at that given time for that given site.
In a situation where you find that your IP address is blocked, having a VPN service that has a large server network with multiple server options in popular locations is beneficial. ExpressVPN offers more than 3,000 servers spread across 94 countries around the world, so there are always backup servers available if one happens to be blocked.
Obfuscation:
Not every VPN offers obfuscated servers.
When you use an ordinary VPN connection, your online activity and data is encrypted, but the fact that you are using a VPN is not.
When you use a VPN’s obfuscated servers, they hide the fact that you are using a VPN at all, scrambling your traffic so that it appears to be the same as any ordinary Internet traffic. And if websites don’t know that you are using a VPN, they will have no reason to block you.
Obfuscated servers are an ideal tool to help users bypass restrictions in places like China since VPNs are frowned upon on Chinese soil, making it extremely hard to access any site without obfuscation.
On top of this obfuscation, this type of server sends your traffic and data through ports that are chosen more strategically instead of just using the same port each time. This also makes it harder to detect a pattern of VPN traffic through a particular port.
Changing ports:
Some ports are more closely monitored because they are known to host VPN traffic. The OpenVPN port that is always being monitored is Port 1194.
Because your ports are being watched, switching to a different port will help you slip under the radar and avoid VPN blocking.
If you are looking to change ports, you can do this manually, or you can see if your VPN provider offers port scanning and changes in ports as a part of its service.
Ports that are good options for VPN traffic are Port 80 or Port 443. Port 80 is one of the ports that secures HTTPS websites and it is rarely blocked.
Port 443 is a transitional port that takes your unencrypted web traffic and sends it to be secured on a secure HTTPS site version, like when you are checking out of an online store and about to enter your secure payment details. Using this port, your private CC and payment details are safe and cannot be leaked. This port is also rarely blocked, so this is a good option if you are looking to change ports.
If you can, switching to the SSTP protocol will send your traffic through Port 443, which is a secure tunnel, helping make your VPN undetectable.
Use mobile data:
If you are trying to evade VPN blocks on your work or school network, the easiest thing to do is to switch from the Wi-Fi network that has a firewall to your data network. The only problem with doing this is that you won’t want to go over your data cap if you do not have unlimited data.
Change security protocols:
One of the ways to help make your VPN undetectable is to change your security protocols. Some VPNs actually offer trademark protocols of their own, which can be very good options in terms of both security and speed.
Aside from these VPN-specific protocols, here is an overview of the VPN protocols we recommend for different situations:
OpenVPN:
While most VPNs use the OpenVPN protocol as the default because of its high level of security and speed, in this case, OpenVPN is not ideal. If you want to make your VPN undetectable, the best thing to do is to avoid OpenVPN, since many websites work hard to screen for and block OpenVPN traffic.
IKEv2:
IKEv2 is a protocol that offers consistently fast speeds. The problem with this protocol is that is a little difficult to configure and is not compatible with all devices. But, on a positive note, if you lose your VPN connection, IKEV2 will get you reconnected quickly.
L2TP/IPSec:
First, L2TP/IPSec stands for Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol and Internet Protocol Security.
Together, these two protocols balance each other. L2TP has good speeds, but weaker security; and IPSec offers good security and leak protection, but less optimal speeds. The problem with this combination is that the security measures of IPSec can slow your traffic, so if speed is what you are after, this is not the best option.
WireGuard:
This is a newer protocol (available on Linux) that the top VPN providers offer. WireGuard combines the security of OpenVPN and the speed of IKEV2, which makes a perfect pairing.
SSTP:
This is a great option if you want to make your VPN undetectable. SSTP uses one of the more secure ports, Port 443. The drawback — SSTP is only an option if you are using Windows devices.
PPTP:
PPTP is the oldest of the protocols, and while it is good in terms of speed, it is pretty inadequate in terms of security. If you are concerned about leaks and value your privacy, this is not a good protocol to choose.
Other Ways to Bypass Blocks
Here are some of the other ways to bypass VPN blocks:
SSH Tunneling:
Pretend you are taking a break at work and trying to access Amazon Prime to order the home supplies you need, only to find that your office seems to have Amazon prime blocked from its Network. The way to get around a block like this is to use an SSH tunnel.
An SSH tunnel will help you connect your work device that is on your work network to your home network using a specific port through the technique called port forwarding.
This SSH tunnel is a clever method of sending your online traffic through the process of encryption in a way that slips through any filters. Your blocked device can connect to a different device, such as your home device, in order to bypass the restriction. You can also use this method to connect from your home computer to your work or school network.
SSH tunneling is rarely blocked, but it’s not ideal in all cases because its speeds do not compare with other methods.
Using Tor Browser:
The Tor Browser is open-source, free software that is also known as the Onion Router. This Onion (Tor) Router helps you browse the Internet anonymously and safely by sending your online traffic and data through a series of nodes (servers) instead of the normal single VPN server before it arrives at its target site.
The best way to visualize this Tor Router is by thinking of an onion. Your traffic on the Tor network goes through layer after layer of encryption, and back through layers of decryption before your data reaches its destination.
There is, however, a glitch in this Tor security. When your traffic starts at the entry node and later arrives at the exit node (the final server) you are then left vulnerable to hackers, authorities, or your ISP since your IP address will be visible.
The best way to troubleshoot this Tor weakness is by using Tor over VPN. This way, you are first connected to your encrypted VPN, and only after you are protected by your VPN’s 256-bit encryption do you begin to use the Tor Browser. Then, at the exit node of the Tor Browser, your IP address and activity are also hidden and unidentifiable.
Shadowsocks (SOCKS5) Proxy:
If you are in a heavily censored country like China, using a remote server proxy like SOCKS5 can be a smart move.
The way that the SOCKS5 proxy (Shadowsocks) works is that it sends your traffic through a proxy server in a different location so that the site you are trying to reach only sees your proxy IP address — not your own. This is vital in a place where your actual IP address will not be let through.
On top of this benefit, Shadowsocks also helps anonymize your traffic, making it a great option for torrenting and for countries with strict government restrictions.
Remember, even though Shadowsocks does use authentication, it is not interchangeable with a VPN. While a reputable VPN offers AES 256-bit encryption, there is no encryption involved in this proxy server. Some VPNs let you combine the benefit of SOCKS5 with VPN encryption.
SSL/TLS Tunnels:
Not too different from SSH tunneling, SSL/TLS tunneling is also used to encrypt HTTPS traffic or to hide personal financial data, like bank account details or credit card information.
While you may be hearing about SSL/TLS for the first time, the bulk of mainstream VPN software actually offers SSL/TLS.
3 Best VPNs to Bypass VPN Blocks
If you are looking to make your VPN undetectable, here is a list of the 3 VPN providers most likely to help keep your VPN traffic and IP address hidden from your ISP, third parties, websites, or hackers.
1. ExpressVPN:
If you are looking for a great VPN provider to get past VPN blocks, ExpressVPN is the premium VPN on the market in 2024.
ExpressVPN has more than 3,000 servers in more than 94 countries around the world, including obfuscated servers that can help unblock services in heavily restricted countries.
After putting ExpressVPN to the test, we found that ExpressVPN works seamlessly at unblocking geo-restricted popular streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
ExpressVPN offers users military-grade encrypted traffic, a super-fast and secure Internet connection, and it updates and refreshes its IP servers routinely, making it hard for streaming sites to keep up with these changes when adding blacklisted IP addresses to their lists.
This VPN provider offers the latest features to secure your Internet connection, like 256-bit AES military-grade encryption, a no-logs policy, a Kill Switch, and DNS leak protection. ExpressVPN is also compatible with Tor Browser.
In terms of protocols, ExpressPVN offers PPTP, SSTP, L2TP/IPSec, and OpenVPN. If you go into your VPN settings, you can switch from this default OpenVPN protocol to one of the others.
ExpressVPN is compatible with macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS, and Linux; and you can connect up to 5 devices to a single user account.
Now, for the question that helps separate the good VPNs from the best VPNs — can ExpressVPN help make your VPN undetectable even in China? The answer is: yes. By using ExpressVPN’s obfuscated servers, you can make your VPN undetectable even in heavily censored locations like China. When you use these obfuscated servers, user VPN traffic appears like ordinary web traffic.
If you want to try out this VPN provider with no strings attached, you can sign up today and get your money back within 30 days with the ExpressVPN money-back guarantee.
- 24/7 live-chat customer service
- Fastest connection speeds
- No-logs policy
- Unblocks sites like Netflix
- 30 -day money-back guarantee
- 3,000 servers in 94 countries
- Can make your VPN undetectable
- 5 device connections on a single account
- Most expensive of the best VPNs
2. NordVPN:
If you are looking to make your VPN undetectable, NordVPN is one of the best VPNs available.
With over 5,200+ servers in more than 59 countries around the world, NordVPN is will give you a fast connection, encrypted traffic, and the latest features on the market.
With this VPN, you can unblock streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Roobet and more from anywhere in the world, and you will be very rarely blocked.
NordVPN has 256-bit military-grade data encryption, OpenVPN, a no-logs policy, a Kill Switch, and obfuscated servers to help make your VPN undetectable in heavily censored locations. That means that if you are trying to access BBC iPlayer from within China, you will be able to watch your shows as if you are using regular traffic – not VPN traffic.
NordVPN has apps for macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, and more; and you can connect up to 6 devices to one user account.
If you would like to test your VPN settings before committing to a VPN plan, you can do this with no problem with NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee. And if something comes up along the way with which you need help, you can either navigate NordVPN’s online community for troubleshooting help or talk to one of its live-chat customer service representatives, 24/7.
- Fast connection speeds
- No-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Unblocks Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and more
- 256-bit AES encryption
- 6 device connections on one account
- Obfuscated servers
- Slower when advanced encryption is used
3. Surfshark:
Surfshark is the most affordable of the top VPN providers on the market, with its cheapest subscription fee costing less than $2.50 per month.
Using Surfshark, your VPN traffic is encrypted with AES 256-bit military-grade encryption to ensure that hackers, your ISP, or third parties will be unable to see your online activity or IP address. Surfshark also has a no-logs policy, a Kill Switch, and Camouflage mode that lets you surf the web with obfuscation to make your VPN undetectable to anyone who sees your traffic.
Surfshark is able to unblock sites like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and other services. Surfshark is compatible with Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and Linux, and you can use an unlimited number of device connections on one user account.
If you are one of those people who like to try a service before committing, this VPN lets you test it out for 30 days with its money-back guarantee. And, if something comes up along the way that you can’t figure out, you can contact someone in seconds with Surfshark’s 24/7 live-chat customer service.
- 24/7 live-chat customer service
- Unblocks Netflix
- No-logs policy
- Most affordable of VPNs on this list
- Unlimited simultaneous devices on one account
- AES 256-bit data encryption
- Camouflage Mode
- Slower VPN than top two on list
Can I Use a Free VPN to Get Around Blocker
While you are welcome to try using a free VPN service to make your VPN undetectable and to get around blockers, I would highly recommend that you save yourself the time and effort and go with a vetted paid VPN service instead.
For one, free VPNs are not typically as “free” as they may seem. Instead of making money off of users’ subscription fees, free VPNs have been known to sell user data and IP addresses to the highest bidder for a profit. On top of this, using an unreliable, untrustworthy free VPN, you may actually be prompted to download files or click on ads that introduce malware and trackers on your devices.
Next, free VPNs are often lacking in privacy and security features, and much more often than not are ineffective at unblocking blocked content.
Any of the features that you take for granted in your VPN service — like its no-logs policy, Kill Switch, military-grade encryption, obfuscation, or multiple protocol options — are hard to find in a free VPN service.
In order to successfully and consistently make your VPN undetectable, all of these high-end VPN features are hugely important in terms of both safety and functionality.
FAQs
But, just because a country considers using a Virtual Private Network to be legal, it still may be frowned upon, which may result in certain countries — like China and Turkey — making it very hard to use one in their territories.
It is important to remember, though, that a VPN’s legality comes into question if you are performing any illegal activities while you are connected to a VPN. Activities, like downloading copyrighted or pirated content, are illegal both with and without a VPN.
Conclusion
If you want to make sure you surf the web with your VPN undetectable, it is very important to choose your VPN service wisely. If you use free VPN services or un-vetted paid VPNs, you may be exposed and vulnerable to blocks whenever you are on the Internet.
To keep your VPN hidden from websites online, from your ISP, and also away from hackers or authorities, using a reputable VPN is key. The 3 VPNs on the list above all have top security and privacy features, like AES 256-bit data encryption, obfuscation, OpenVPN, and a no-logs policy.
All three of these VPN services are powerful and private enough that you will be able to use your VPN, undetectable, even when trying to unblock hard-to trick services, like Netflix.
ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN on the market in 2021, with the best reputation for security, privacy, and anonymity. It also has the broadest server network, with servers located in over 94 countries around the world. This, along with its ability to slip under the radar of VPN blocks, means that you will be able to access your geo-blocked or restricted content in any country around the world.
At the moment, you can get a subscription to ExpressVPN for only $6.67 per month, which is a 49% discount on this premium VPN service. If you jump on this deal, you will also get 3 months of VPN use for free, giving you 15 months of service for this price.
If you are the type of person who needs to try out a service before committing to a long-term plan, you can use ExpressVPN for up to a month with a money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose by committing to the cheapest long-term plan option.
Check out ExpressVPN for 30 days with its money-back guarantee.
We hope you enjoyed the review!
