![]() ![]() Private Internet Access also lists Chromebook, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, smart TVs, PlayStation consoles and Xbox consoles as supported platforms, but this is via a Smart DNS feature. Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+, Mint 19+, Arch and Debian).The list of supported platforms for Private Internet Access is trickier to find than its competitors, but the PIA user portal has the following breakdown: Instead, it wants you to manually enter the username and password, which is a frustrating endeavour when wielding a remote. Credentials management is a massive pain on Android TV as, unlike other VPNs like Hotspot Shield and NordVPN, Private Internet Access doesn’t offer a simple QR code for managing the login on a smartphone. The PIA Android app is even easier to use, but I highly recommend pairing it with a password manager to make it easier for managing credentials. Speaking of latency, I was weirded out to see PIA saying that the Sydney servers (my location) and Brisbane servers had the same latency, then at a loss when Brisbane disappeared the next day as a location option (it eventually came back days later). My workaround was to use Windows taskbar settings to stick it to the system tray, which isn’t ideal.ĭesign gripes aside, PIA offers great transparency on your provider-assigned IP address vs the one that the VPN server has assigned, and at-a-glance server latency is a welcome touch when you go digging into the locations list. What I loathe, though, is how PIA is relegated to the system tray with no option that I could find to treat it as a separate app window. PIA has a logical layout for its user interface, and it’s easy to use. For context, PIA has added 7,000 more servers since my initial review in 2021, which also happens to be the number of servers offered by the next largest VPN server count, CyberGhost VPN. While automatic server selection makes it more user-friendly for VPN newcomers, it is a missed opportunity to take advantage of the 35,000-strong server network. It’d also be great if PIA added the option to manually select servers or a server-switch button like PureVPN. The only recurring connectivity downside was the frequency of Google reCAPTCHA requests, which was a consistent annoyance across servers in Australia, the UK and the USA. Outside of that, PIA didn’t interfere with any of my internet-dependent software, including instant messaging, digital platforms, emails, torrenting software, network-attached storage (NAS), and anything else I threw at it. Admittedly, I did experience some interruptions to music streaming while switching between international servers, which suggests the one-to-two seconds of connection/disconnection time aren’t always what they seem to be. Most of my PIA testing was done on a Windows 11 PC, and it’s a speedy VPN when it comes to connecting and disconnecting. What starts with an assigned username and password-which helps keep an email address protected in the event of a credentials leak-extends to RAM-only servers and military-grade encryption. Your gaming, streaming or any other activities won’t be interrupted, as Speedify’s failover protection will make sure to switch traffic to the other working connections.Īre you still using PIA VPN, even though it’s not working on public Wi-Fi? Try Speedify – as a VPN, it has recently been ranked as the fastest service by Tom’s Guide.Private Internet Access hits the ground running in terms of user anonymity. So, when the WiFi login page comes into play, it’s able to seamlessly transfer traffic over to the other connection(s) until you successfully authenticate on the network.īest of all – if you’re on one of those pesky WiFi connections that require you to login every hour or so, you’ll be protected by Speedify. In the example above, it uses both WiFi and cellular connections on your smartphone computer. Speedify uses channel bonding technology to be able to combine multiple Internet connections at once. After you login successfully, Speedify will immediately start using the WiFi connection.If you click the notification (or the message in the app), Speedify will pop up the login screen in a window. ![]() In the meantime, your other ongoing online activities (like Skype / Slack calls, streaming, gaming) will continue to work via the cellular connection, protected by Speedify.Speedify will show you a notification asking you if you want to login.When you join a WiFi hotspot with a login page, Speedify’s captive portal assist takes over: Unlike PIA VPN, Speedify can make the difference between a direct Internet connection and one that requires a login page. ![]()
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