proXPN 2.5.0

The proXPN ($9.99 per month for premium version) VPN service secures user Internet connections so that malicious eavesdroppers can't intercept data transmitted online or uncover the device's geographic location. While employees on the road or working from home are protected so long as they use the company's VPN (virtual private network) servers, many security-and privacy-minded Internet users are turning to VPN-services to protect non-work-related Web activity.

VPN technology ensures all traffic is encrypted and not visible to third-parties even when the user is on an insecure network. With VPN enabled, no one can see the Websites you visit or track Web activity, intercept banking details, instant messages, and passwords you enter online, trace your connections to figure out where you are geographically located, and restrict which sites and information you want to access. Since VPN services override the IP address assigned by your ISP with one from their pool of servers, it is possible to make it seem like you are somewhere else. I know a user who was in Mexico for a full month and used a VPN service to mask her location in order to be able to watch TV via Hulu.com. (Hulu is available only to US-based users)

Users can choose from several VPN services, some of which we've reviewed, including Golden Frog's VyprVPN, AnchorFree's HotSpot Shield Elite which received our Editors' Choice designation, and Private WiFi from Private Communications. Like these services, proXPN offers both a free version and a paid version. Pricing-wise, the premium version of proXPN is in the middle of the pack. Not too high, and not too low.

Free basic proXPN accounts have the same level of security, privacy, ease of use, and customer support as the premium version, but users with the basic version have a network bandwidth cap of just 300 kbps per month. Free users also don't have the option to connect using PPTP, can't choose which port traffic to encrypt, are restricted to only one data center location in the United States, and can't use mobile devices or VPN Guard. Premium users have all these features and don't have to deal with any network bandwidth restrictions.

Getting Started
I downloaded the install executable from the proXPN Website and installed it onto a Windows7 machine. I received my premium account credentials directly from proXPN, so I was able to login and use the VPN tool immediately. First time users can click on the "Create New Account" button on the login screen to get to the online registration page. During registration, the user can choose whether or not to sign up for a premium account (which comes with a 7 day trial) or a basic account.? Users can choose to pay with PayPal or credit card.

Like other tools in this category, proXPN displays a small icon in the system tray to indicate it is running. When connected to a VPN service, the icon?which resembles a lock?is green. When disconnected, it is red. And when it's in the process of communicating with a VPN server, it is yellow. Depending on the city I was connecting to, it took the application between 15 to 40 seconds to establish a connection.

Once connected, it displays a little bubble informing me of my new IP address and the location of the server it's connected to. In my case, it was Miami, FL. As this time, there appears to be eight data centers in all, with two in Miami, one in New York, one in Seattle, Wash., one in Los Angeles, one in the Netherlands, Amsterdam, one in Singapore, and one in London. Basic users can connect only to one of the Miami servers. Because I was looking at a premium account, I could go into the proXPN application and choose whichever location I wanted to connect to.

Oddly enough, the site ip2location.com thought I was based out of San Francisco when I was connecting to the default Miami server and that I was in the United Kingdom when connecting to Singapore. It goes to show that geographic lookup based on IP addresses is a very imprecise science.

My computer connected to the proXPN VPN servers using 2048-bit encryption key and established a secure 512-bit tunnel to send and receive all Web traffic.

Features
The premium account also allows users to specify which port to encrypt traffic. By default, it's set to "Auto port," but users can decide to protect traffic going through ports 443, 80, or 8080.

Like TorVPN and OpenVPN Shield Exchange, proXPN defaults to OpenVPN to establish the VPN tunnel between its servers and user computers. However, premium users can switch to using PPTP instead, which is a nice differentiator from all other competitors. PPTP is considered near ubiquitous and practically every platform supports it, even iOS devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and the iPod Touch. This, and the fact that it supports Mac OS X as well as Windows systems, sets proXPN apart from other competing products. However, I was surprised other mobile platforms, such as Android, were not supported. The FAQ on the Website said users can try using Android, but that it wasn't guaranteed to work.

Unlike HotSpot Shield, proXPN does not push ads on to its free users. In fact, it was a relief to not be bombarded with any ads when taking a free account out for a spin. For users who don't mind the network bandwidth cap (300 kbps), the free version is a great deal.

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