Trying to start a company or a business from your home is difficult, but not having access to content on sites that you need or to reach out to potential clients because of a geoIP ban makes the task seem impossible. How can you work through this problem to find an effective solution and get back on track? The most effective way to bypass a geoIP restriction is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
What exactly are geoIPs and VPNs, and why do they affect you in the first place?
What is a geoIP restriction?
A geoIP restriction is where a website has blocked certain IP addresses from accessing content based on their geographical location. You will notice that you’ve been blocked if you try to access a certain site that doesn’t load, or if you try to move through a point of purchase and the sale doesn’t complete. If you are attempting to access a site to reach out to them and offer a service or to access content on their site and your request won’t go through or the page won’t load properly, then it’s possible that you’ve been blocked from that site based on your geographical location. Although it may seem like this is the end of the line, there are workarounds you can take advantage of to get around geoIP blocking to access the content you need, with the easiest and most effective route being to use a Virtual Private Network.
What is a Virtual Private Network?
What is a VPN? A VPN, like Hotspot Shield, is a system or app that channels your internet connection through an encrypted tunnel or a set of proxy servers to hide the traffic from your computer to the internet, making it look like the traffic is coming from the VPN server instead of you. Scrambling your IP address is not only a safer way to view certain unsecured websites as it protects your computer from ISPs, third party companies, or cybercriminals trying to view your data and traffic, but it also gives you the opportunity to see restricted websites and access blocked content in your particular geographical location.
How to use a VPN to bypass geoIP restrictions.
Using a VPN to block your IP address can allow you to access blocked or restricted websites from your location in as few as three steps. Utilizing a VPN to navigate around blocked sites based on your IP address or geolocation can give you unparalleled access to content on the internet and communities in different parts of the world, which is a huge advantage to having a VPN. You can even choose a new IP address in some cases, which can make you appear to be accessing the end site from one of the world’s most coveted office addresses. Appearing to come from a more recognized location can set you up with perceived credibility, making it more likely that your requests will be answered than if you are showing an undesirable IP address.
