Best VPNs for Verizon

Throttling

Interestingly enough, Verizon does not throttle those who are subscribers to their most expensive package (or so they say). This implies that the customers of all other product types can experience some form of reduced internet quality from time to time. As opposed to most ISPs, Verizon does its throttling on the basis of data thresholds. For example, mobile devices usually have a 5GB limit; afterwards, experiencing a decline in quality is not uncommon. Additionally, customers who exceed their respective data caps are charged additional fees. The good news is that Verizon has a relatively lenient Acceptable Use Policy, at least compared to its competition. This means that you should not run into problems if you want to bypass these data caps with the help of a VPN service, for example.

Verizon blocking websites and streaming services

Verizon, just like most ISPs, usually blocks port 80. Online attacks often come from that route. The difference is that while at other companies you have a chance to manually unblock it, Verizon does not allow this modification. Also, there have been problems reported in cases where users tried accessing certain non-U.S. websites while being connected to DNS servers other than Verizon’s. For a bit more adept people, we suggest trying Google Public DNS Servers, but your safest bet is still a VPN. We would like to add though that apparently Verizon supports people using their services for U.S. content primarily. The fact that people were closed out of foreign websites they would otherwise be able to view, is not a delightful prospect.

Using a VPN with Verizon

A VPN service solves both the problems of blocking and throttling. The first is taken care of by a given company’s own servers. By connecting to a VPN network, you can mimic the online environment of countries that have the most free internet like Estonia, Canada or Iceland. This lets you view sites that either Verizon, or U.S. law does not allow. The same goes for throttling. Because VPN providers operate via private servers, your connection will have nothing to do with the ISPs configurations. In order to keep Verizon – or any other party – from detecting you, VPN companies also encrypt their networks. You will be hidden from the sight of wrongdoers while enjoying a more liberated internet.

If you only seek better quality for entertainment, streaming or video websites that often get throttled (like YouTube, Netflix or Hulu), then you should consider trying out a smart DNS service. The advantage of this is that you will not suffer a minor speed loss, as opposed to encryptions. You will retain the original speed of your internet connection, but at the cost of safety.

Finally, we would like to suggest ExpressVPN, HideMyAss and VyprVPN as a few of the VPN companies that are suitable for running circles around Verizon’s restrictions.