How To Get Your VPN Working Again

Is your VPN flatlining? Unfortunately, it will be probably be that way for the next week or so. The annual Parliamentary Session in Beijing means it's open season on all virtual private networks (which is annoying, because obviously we care about uploading cat videos way more than the future of this country). 

Astrill even sent out the following message:

Fortunately, here are several VPNs/VPN hacks that'll have you stalking people on Tinder in no time. 

Using Astrill here is a bit of a Catch-22 since you need a VPN to access their site. Luckily, you can download it sans-VPN by going to https://astrill4u.com. You're going to want to select the stealth option (which China-based users are allowed to use for a month free of charge). Once you've downloaded it, select the Dallas 3 server, then go to Settings/Mode and toggle it from 'Reliable' (TCP) to 'Fast' (below). We can't guarantee that it won't be a bit shaky after that.

We found it's easiest to use getlantern.org, a free VPN that you can download for both your computer and Smartphone. How Lantern is making money, we have no idea. But this should allow you breach the Great Firewall.

Failing that, we recommend either StrongVPN or Express VPN (buffered mode), both of which you can download without a VPN. Express also allows you a 30-day free trial. However, we've had mixed results with both.

We also recommend searching out less well known VPNs, as they're less likely to be in the virtual Gulag. PC mag recommends NordVPN and Private Internet Access, though we haven't battle-tested them.

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