It’s already well-known and widely accepted that VPNs are the ultimate rockstars when it comes to online privacy.
You can use them to anonymize your online identity and keep it that way, and even secure your connection. It’s possible as well to utilize VPNs that can bypass detection.
Additionally, VPNs are also great at circumventing geo-restrictions. So even if you’re in a restrictive country that imposes censorship on various websites, VPNs could help you bypass this limitation.
Bottom line is, VPNs have come a long way to accommodate some of our biggest needs. On the other hand, so did VPN detection techniques.
How does VPN work?
When you use a VPN, your Internet traffic will be encrypted, from your machine all the way to the VPN exit point.
But that’s not a straight line, by any means, since your connection may bounce multiple times up until the exit point.
Your Internet traffic is encrypted, so technically it should be safe from anyone who would try to access it. But the fact that it’s encrypted makes it an easy target for VPN blockers.
Thus, VPN-focused firewalls will definitely give you a hard time if you encounter them.
To avoid any confusion: while your traffic is encrypted, it stays private. Nobody can see it without having the decryption key/algorithm. However, the fact that it’s encrypted is very visible to whoever wants to restrict it.
So it’s quite common for certain services (Netflix, YouTube TV) to apply restrictions to VPN users.
Can VPN be blocked?
To keep it short, yes, various services can install VPN firewalls that restrict you from accessing them through a VPN.
Due to the fact that VPNs encrypt traffic, locating them isn’t too difficult for these firewalls. And blocking them, of course.
But all isn’t lost just yet. Some VPNs offer obfuscation, which is a clever technique to bypass this inconvenience. What obfuscation does is disguise the encrypted VPN traffic, so that it passes as regular traffic.
Unfortunately, not a lot of services embrace obfuscated servers. Therefore, you may not be able to access certain websites or region-restricted services with non-obfuscated VPN servers.
As the matter of fact, it’s possible to connect to effective VPN software and learn how to unblock content in school or college.
This is a list with VPN banned countries, so you need to choose your servers carefully:
- China
- Rusia
- Belarus
- North Korea
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Iraq
- Turkey
- UAE
Why are VPNs blocked?
The most legitimate reason for a website blocking VPN access is to prevent illegal or annoying behavior. The issue with this method is that it punishes more innocent people than criminals.
For example, multiple people have logged in to PayPal using the same IP address.
While this could indicate that people are using a VPN service during tax season, it could also indicate that some wild hacker has compromised a hundred different accounts. Even if it may infringe on people’s right to privacy, blacklisting that IP address is probably a good idea.
What is the best VPN that can’t be blocked?
This is not exactly an accurate question, since, with enough effort, even obfuscated VPN servers can be blocked. However, having obfuscated servers as a VPN provider is definitely a step in the right direction.
So what we’re going to do is give you a list of the best services that offer obfuscated servers. Keep in mind that they might not work 100% of the time, but using a VPN with such servers can increase the odds of your VPN circumventing a block.
As you can see, there are plenty of services to choose from. Any of these services might get you past VPN blocks, including the Great Firewall of China and other such restrictions.
We chose the winner after conducting extensive testing with VPNs in gaming, streaming, torrenting, and large file downloads that require a lot of bandwidth.
ExpressVPN bypasses third-party blocking by using smart DNS over HTTPS. You can also use this VPN to run DNS leak tests and monitor your IP address on the website. Furthermore, the encryption protocols used by ExpressVPN are the best for making it an unblockable VPN.
Can a WIFI network block VPN?
It’s fairly common for public hotspots or corporate guest Wifi to place restrictions on what you can do with the service.
The reasons include a desire to charge you for a premium WiFi service, a desire to save bandwidth for more customers, and legal concerns.
Is implemented by a simple firewall that restricts outbound communication, typically to Web ports such as TCP 80 and 443.
It could also be a Web proxy that allows only Web browser traffic regardless of port. Your best bet is to see if your VPN supports TCP 443, or to use an SSL VPN or a cloud-based private access solution.
What to do if your VPN has been blocked
If your VPN is being blocked, you can try some tricks to get your unblocked VPN and bypass the restriction.
Keep in mind that it’s not always clear why your VPN is being blocked, so you may have to experiment with the settings.
- Run DNS leak test with ExpressVPN – See whether you leak information to avoid being detected.
- Switch servers – Specific locations based on needs or Smart location and Recommended locations.
- Change Protocols – Chose the protocol differently when streaming, gaming, or torrenting.
VPNs can be blocked, but it’s harder if they’re obfuscated
So, to wrap it up, VPN traffic can be easily located and blocked if needed. However, if you’re using a VPN with stealth (obfuscation) capabilities, it’s less likely to happen.
Obfuscation technology, whether it’s servers or protocols we’re talking about, is a great addition to regular services. It masks VPN traffic as regular traffic so that it’s harder to locate and restrict.
In conclusion, it can be possible to experience restrictions or blocked VPN connection depending on multiple aspects. As discussed here, you should look if your VPN has obfuscated servers and traffic masking tools.