So many sites now detect a VPN and won't let me access them

Seeking Help
21

Just switch to a dedicated personal proxy IP. Problem solved.

22

Cove said:
Just switch to a dedicated personal proxy IP. Problem solved.

True, a residential proxy IP could help avoid detection from providers like IP2Location.

23

What types of sites are you talking about? I’ve been using a VPN for ages without issues.

24

Fraser said:
What types of sites are you talking about? I’ve been using a VPN for ages without issues.

Tons of sites and apps. AXS. Reddit often blocks me too.

25

Fraser said:
What types of sites are you talking about? I’ve been using a VPN for ages without issues.

Reddit and YouTube block video playback if you aren’t logged in. Those are the main culprits.

26

Fraser said:
What types of sites are you talking about? I’ve been using a VPN for ages without issues.

I use a hosted app server that won’t let me do FTP/SSH via VPN.
My bank site doesn’t work, maybe because of security.

27

Fraser said:
What types of sites are you talking about? I’ve been using a VPN for ages without issues.

Netflix.

28

Right. Is there a way around this?

29

Isle said:
Right. Is there a way around this?

Is there a way to get around this?

There’s no guaranteed fix; there are two main reasons sites block users: 1) blacklists from malicious activities (like port scanning) and 2) blanket VPN IP lists.

Here are a few tips that might help:

  • Try using different exit nodes from your VPN provider. Less popular locations are less likely to be blocked.

  • Better VPN clients often have a feature for double hopping through a SOCKS server they monitor for bad activity—this might be slower but could help avoid blocks.

  • Try obscure VPN providers that are not part of the universal IP blocklist (but there are risks with this; you have to trust your VPN not to be malicious, and obscure providers don’t have a reputation to uphold).

  • Use a VPS; keep in mind that this can feel like using your home address, as it’s just one IP tied to your activity and can also get blocked if it’s from a data center.

  • If you’re on Linux, try setting your browser to report as Windows since some sites block Linux users for some reason.

  • Use split tunneling with another browser (to limit fingerprinting). This shows your actual address, but only to that particular site (but this is definitely a last resort).

30

Isle said:
Right. Is there a way around this?

Consider switching to distributed VPNs.

I’ve been using Mysterium, and I’ve never had any of these problems!

31

Omar said:

Isle said:
Right. Is there a way around this?

Consider switching to distributed VPNs.

I’ve been using Mysterium, and I’ve never had any of these problems!

How do its speeds compare to regular VPNs?

32

@Zyan
Speed varies a lot depending on the node you choose, but you can easily switch to a faster one. Nodes marked with ‘R’ are the ones you’re looking for, as that means Residential.

33

Isle said:
Right. Is there a way around this?

I previously set up a cloud instance on Azure or AWS where I ran an OpenVPN server with a public IP. I used that as a VPN for a while until they banned me for torrenting. Guess I got a bit greedy.

34

@Dara
How long ago did that happen? I feel like cloud IPs are being blocked these days as well.

35

Kade said:
@Dara
How long ago did that happen? I feel like cloud IPs are being blocked these days as well.

Probably under a year ago. I’d be shocked if they did blanket blocks, but you never know.

36

@Dara
Maybe I just got unlucky with my assigned IP.

37

Kade said:
@Dara
How long ago did that happen? I feel like cloud IPs are being blocked these days as well.

It’s hard to blanket block cloud services since companies use them too.

Using something riskier like Vultr or Digital Ocean for hosting will make blocks more likely. On the other hand, Azure, AWS, or Oracle are way more likely to go unnoticed because they’re the top three cloud providers in the U.S.

38

@Fox
Ahh, I was using Vultr and Digital Ocean. That clears things up. Thanks!

39

The issue is that the IPs of common VPN providers are well-known which makes them easy to check. Now, VPN companies want more users and more money, leading to this closed loop. What you really need is small-scale, reliable VPN plus DNS leak protection.

40

If people understood that WebRTC can identify them no matter the VPN, and that VPNs were just response to the days of HTTP—that HTTPS encrypts your traffic so the need for VPNs has lessened. VPNs don’t do what many think they do, and a proxy is what most believe a VPN is. Just use a proxy.