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Review of Private Internet Access (PIA)

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

The question I receive the most is "what VPN service should I use when I travel?".  I started writing and testing the most popular ones and so far you can read these ones:

The next most requested service is Private Internet Access (referred to online as PIA). 

Introduction

Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the most popular and affordable VPN service providers around. At last count, PIA offers 3,193 servers hosted in 24 countries. PIA belongs to an organisation called  London Trust Media, Inc. 

The tech

Private Internet Access is an easy choice for the general consumer because of the wide range of clients it supports: MacOS (10.4 and newer), Windows 7/8/10, Unix/Linux, Ipad/iPhone (PPTP, IPSEC, L2TP), Android (PPTP, IPSEC, L2TP, OpenVPN), DDWRT, Tomato OpenVPN, PfSense OpenVPN.

It not only securely reroutes your traffic but it can also block ads, trackers and malware. It does support P2P traffic and has a strict no log policy. 

Rick Falkvinge, head of privacy at PIA, talking about their no log policy and why it's important.

The client

Their clients are simple and straightforward but offer interesting features like the level of encryptions, DNS leak protection and a kill switch (to stop all traffic if the VPN drops).

It will let you pick a region to exit from but not a particular server. 

PIA allows you to connect up to 5 devices simultaneously. 

The speed

For comparison purposes, I tested PIA against ProtonVPN, ProXPN, UnlimitedVPN and VyprVPN. All terminating in Canada. My connection to the internet was a machine connected straight into my internet router with no other traffic (keeping all the variables controlled). The machine was a freshly imaged version of Windows 10 with all of the latest patches applied and only Google Chrome installed.

My connection is a 100MB down / 10 MB up. Without a VPN I usually get performance slightly better than advertised. With VyprVPN (the fastest), I managed to get close to 95MB down / 9.6 MB up. With PIA, I managed to get 87 MB down / 7 MB up. 

My ping without a VPN was below 12 ms but hit around 25-50 with PIA. 

Netflix?

People want to know if they can access US Netflix via PIA and based on my testing, the answer is: almost never. During my testing, Netflix detected the PIA connection and blocked access. A small number of recent online comments (on various sites) said Netflix worked for them but I was not able to reproduce it.

Support

I had no need for support but read dozens of complaints online about their support. Your mileage may vary. 

Price

The annual price here is a no-brainer: $39.95US a year everything included. This is an incredible deal. VyprVPN comes in at ~$80 a month (paid annually). 

Conclusion

PIA offers a trusted and well respected VPN service for a very competitive price. If you need a layer of protection from your ISP then this is definitely an option you need to consider. Advanced users may find the sparse low granularity interfaces annoying but then again, sometimes you just want things to work without having to tinker. 

Quickly setup a Windows 7 WIFI Hotpot with the free Connectify app

TravellingEdward Kiledjian
Check-in to any major North American hotel, and chances are they will offer free or affordable WiFi access. But venture out to Europe or Asia, and you may find that your hotel only offers a traditional wired connection.
With the popularity of smart phones and tablets, wired connectivity simply isn't an option so most experienced business travelers, usually carry a small WiFi router with them for these types of situations. That means there's one more item that you have to carry with you.
This is where Connectify really shines. This is a neat little program that installs on Windows 7, and turns your laptop into a wireless router. The developers of an excellent job by simplifying the user interface and making the entire process super simple.
I tested this with a standard Windows 7 laptop, using my home fiber-based 16 Mb down Internet connection, and an iPhone 4S. The connection from my iPhone to the Internet (through the laptop) was a little slower than the laptop connecting directly to the Internet, but performance is very acceptable. I had minimal performance degradation, and never lost my connection.
This is a fantastic way to set up a quick mobile WiFi hotspot in a hotel room, without having to carry extra equipment.
The company does offer a Pro version which has the following benefits:
  • ability to share 3G/4G connectivity
  • wirelessly send files between the host and client device
  • ability to customize the name of the WiFi hotspot
  • ability to function as a repeater (or you extend the connectivity of an existing network)
  • and premium support
Having tested the free version, I believe most users will be satisfied with this version. But if you feel like encouraging developers or like some of the additional features, feel free to buy the Pro version for about $30.
The developers currently have a promotion on Kickstarter for Connectify PRO for $21.

US consumers not interested in 4G LTE

technologyEdward Kiledjian
Christopher M. Larsen, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, recently shared some interesting information with AppleInsider that show some interesting believes about 4G LTE. Out of the 3000 US consumers that were survey, 46.8% do not feel the need for 4G LTE. 25.7% of those surveyed, believe that all 4G technologies are to same. Which of course is a false belief!
With all the rumors swirling about a new iPhone sometime in September, the analyst also revealed that 55% of those surveyed, showed some interest in purchasing the new device when it is released this fall.


if you want to know more about 4G LTE, take a look at one of my previous articles entitled "WHAT IS LTE AND DO YOU NEED IT?"