It takes an extraordinary effort to continuously be Britain’s most complained-about ISP but that’s what separates TalkTalk from the rest of the pack. Ever since launching in 2004, TalkTalk became popular for being cheaper than the competition but has been met with complaints about slow speeds, internet throttling, website blocking, and the occasional giant data breach. TalkTalk is now trying to turn around its bad reputation with an offer of a “fairer broadband”. However, there are still issues with the service blocking websites and many customers are experiencing problems when using a VPN on its network. So, just how much has it improved?
TalkTalk does have a history of throttling internet speeds and it used to be common to experience slower downloads thanks to its traffic management policy. That changed in 2013 when, mostly to catch up with competitor Sky Broadband, TalkTalk announced that it would offer unlimited broadband and its previous policies were to be scrapped. TalkTalk does still have a version of traffic management but this is simply to prioritize video streaming. Regardless, some customers have alleged that TalkTalk deliberately slows down customer speeds so that they are forced to upgrade, but it’s more likely that is just the result of the company’s slow internet speeds which still lag behind other ISPs in the UK.
Although TalkTalk no longer throttles, blocking is still an issue, however most of this is forced upon the company by court orders. This means many P2P and torrenting websites are blocked although more recently these court orders have been targeting live streaming websites instead. This obviously has a big effect on customers using Kodi or IPTV who may frequently find channels disappearing.
Besides blocking the websites that are out of TalkTalk’s control, there have been incidents in the past of websites being blocked accidentally. TeamViewer, WordPress, and Imgur are some of the notable names to be temporarily disabled due to them being flagged by the Internet Watch Foundation.
It’s a good idea to use a VPN with TalkTalk because despite having corrected its throttling issues, it still can’t do anything about the UK’s internet censorship. So, if you want to access a website or a stream that has been blocked by TalkTalk or the courts then you’ll need to use a VPN.
Although officially TalkTalk does support VPN access, many TalkTalk customers have had issues connecting to their VPN while using the service. Specifically, there have been problems recorded with the D-LINK DSL3782 router and TalkTalk’s “super router” HG633 made by Huawei. TalkTalk says the issues have been fixed with firmware updates but problems still remain for some users. TalkTalk’s solution to this problem seems to be to simply send out more routers which tells you all you need to know about the router quality. Some VPNs, like SaferVPN, do offer user guides on how to set up a VPN on a Huawei router.
It takes a lot of courage to name a product so exactly in line with customer expectations. This is something Israeli company Safer Social must’ve considered with its a privacy-oriented tool SaferVPN, literally telling the world that its VPN service is “safer” right in the name. The company was founded in 2013 and is most renowned for the speed and reliability of its service, though a neat mix of stylish design with helpful information are important aspects the desktop clients and apps, too, since they use a smooth interface to make navigation easy while still highlighting the main functionalities. The company didn’t stop with developing desktop clients and apps, though, as they also boast browser extensions for quick VPN access, a VPN kill switch, and a neat automatic Wi-Fi protection feature. SaferVPN offers 700+ servers across 30+ different countries and, as an active supporter of the Unblock The Web movement, the provider makes constant effort to maintain the ability to unblock Netflix for its users.
First of all, please do not feel intimidated: the perhaps vulgar name of the UK-based company is intended to be a pun. HMA VPN has a mascot in the form of a donkey, and thus this little wordplay is nothing to worry about. You should rather pay attention to the fact that HMA VPN is easily one of the best VPN companies today; they offer much more than a standard package. You are also welcome to try out the free web proxy, an anonymous e-mail service and an IP:Port premium service, which is essentially a more elaborate proxy product. On top of this, you also have VPN browser extensions for Chrome and Mozilla to use. HMA VPN does all this while still maintaining decent speeds and healthy prices. These are coupled with the fact that HMA VPN remains one of few providers who still enable access to Netflix. But the most impressive thing about this organization is the number of locations provided – it is unprecedented today.
A surfing shark might not conjure up an image of security, but it does represent an effective way of defending yourself from the threats of the deep ocean that is the internet.
Established in 2018, Surfshark offers aesthetically-pleasing apps for multiple platforms. The Netherlands-based company continues to enhance its cybersecurity, merging with Nord Security in 2022. The VPN service doesn’t miss out on any critical security features, such as a static IP address and kill switch, and provides servers in more than 100 countries.
Additionally, Surfshark offers encryption protocols (including WireGuard) and P2P support, alternative IDs, and a no-logs policy. It is one of the cheapest services on the market and offers a 7-day free trial for Android, iOS, and macOS devices, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service risk free.
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