How can I hide my IP address?
Three ways to hide or change your IP address to browse the Internet anonymously:
- Using a VPN
- Use a best mobile proxy
- Use the Tor browser
We’ll go into more detail about these methods in this article.
What is an IP address?
An IP address is a unique address that identifies a device on the Internet or local network. IP stands for “Internet Protocol,” a set of rules governing the format of data sent over the Internet or local network.
Why hide your IP address?
Everyone has their reasons for protecting their online privacy by hiding their IP address, but among them, we can highlight the most common ones:
- To hide network activity from your ISP.
- Easily download torrents.
- Hide sensitive information.
- Bypass geo-blocking.Avoid government surveillance.
VPN: how to hide your IP address thanks to it
The most convenient, crisp in speed, and the most reliable way. To check if it is true, choose a suitable VPN server on the world wide web. Download the app to your device, and find a list (in the form of a list or map) of available servers in the app.
Select a suitable server and click on it. In a few seconds, you should receive a connection notification. After that, a green program indicator will appear – it means that the VPN is connected and a virtual IP address is bound to the device. This way no system will recognize where you are.
The VPN also provides excellent speeds, which comes in handy when downloading websites, movies, videos, or large files.
If we talk about the disadvantages, they relate to free programs (not all) with certain restrictions and slow connection. Such weakly protect against hackers, viruses, and other threats.
The main thing when choosing a VPN – give preference to a proven service with a good reputation, positive reviews, and an acceptable price. Then the user will be as reliable and effective as possible.
Proxy server: how to hide IP address using it
Proxy servers can be considered less capable than a VPN.
Proxy servers are between your device and the rest of the Internet, well just like a VPN. A proxy server hides your IP address from messages and assigns its IP address. They don’t do anything else.
Proxy servers don’t have the other security and privacy features that VPNs have. Proxy servers are susceptible to all kinds of hacks and other attacks. Finally, geo-blocked services like Netflix often don’t work with proxy servers.
Despite this, there are quality proxy servers that many people use, such as Vietnam proxies. If you do choose proxies, it is better to choose paid ones, as free ones are not as safe and of good quality. Once downloaded, proxies are set up in four steps.
- To do this, go into the network settings.
- Find the “Ethernet” box and click on it.
- Then the proxy is set up manually in the advanced settings.
- They enter the necessary data: hostname and port.
Tor Browser: How to Hide IP Address
Tor (The Onion Router) is free and open-source software that allows users to establish anonymous and secure connections through a virtual tunnel with multiple hosts. Tor is an effective tool for bypassing geo-blocking access to web resources, as well as hiding your real IP address from intruders.
Setting up Tor does not require any special skills from the user, everything is very simple. You just need to download and install the Tor package, which includes a specially configured browser.
Tor automatically launches and organizes a secure channel when the user starts the browser. The user does not need to configure anything, he just uses this browser without worrying about compromising his data and his IP address.
Tor is free and every Internet user has access to it. On top of that, Tor is very easy to install.
But of course like every service, Tor has its drawbacks. It’s a relatively slow speed. There is also the possibility that Tor nodes are bugged by interested organizations. In particular, Tor was originally developed by the US Navy, which in itself raises some suspicions.
Thus, we can say that Tor alone is not enough for truly anonymous and secure use.
Let’s summarize
When using different methods to hide your IP, it is extremely important to exercise caution. Some services do not protect your personal information from hackers, while others slow down your connection speed so much that watching videos and downloading torrents becomes impossible.
And if we talk about what is the best of the three services, I will confidently say that VPN is the easiest and safest way to hide your IP address and protect your data with encryption. At the same time, you still maintain a high-speed connection.
