FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The term VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. When you connect to the Internet normally, your computer tells your Internet service provider (ISP) where you want to go online. Your ISP can also see all of the information you send across the Internet. With a VPN, your Internet traffic is encrypted and routed from your PC, Mac, or Linux computer, to a VPN server. This allows you to appear as if accessing the Internet from a different location. This also makes it impossible for your ISP to monitor your activity in any way.

After you have selected a Shielded VPN subscription plan, we will provide you with all the setup files and instructions necessary to configure our VPN client on your Windows, Mac or Linux PC. We also have a series of video tutorials that can help guide you through the initial setup. Typically, configuring your device to use Shielded VPN will take just a few minutes.

Paid streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, are available in several countries worldwide. However, many movies and top TV shows are only made available in the U.S. If you already have a Netflix, Amazon, CBS, or Hulu subscription, you can use Shielded VPN to connect to these streaming services from U.S. servers. This will help you circumvent geo-blocks on content in your area.

In countries like the EU, it is illegal to stream copyrighted media using apps like Kodi. Sharing torrents of copyrighted movies, books, music, and TV shows is also illegal. At Shielded VPN, we do not condone illegal streaming or torrenting. However, we do not impose limits on what you can do with our VPN service. All that is important to remember, is that no VPN can’t protect you from being tracked or having your identity revealed by determined FBI or other law enforcement agencies. If you do anything illegal online, you still do so at your own risk.

In the UK, people benefit from free access to streaming services like BBC iPlayer. However, anyone outside the UK is usually unable to access these services. Thankfully, Shielded VPN makes it easy to switch your IP location to the UK. When you do this, you will be able to stream TV shows and movies from services like the BBC iPlayer, just like you would be able to if in the UK.

Shielded VPN operates over 2,000 servers in 140 worldwide locations. This allows us to route encrypted Internet traffic through over 300,000 dynamic IP addresses. We also allow users to dynamically switch the IP they are using. This means that you can decide to appear as connecting to the Internet from any one of up to 140 different global locations.

To provide access to our service, it is necessary for us to keep some basic information on file. This typically means that we store the information you give us when you create your Shielded VPN account. However, we never log or store records about how you use our service. Some VPN providers do store user logs. However, we never do. This means that the only record of your Internet browsing history will be that which is stored in your own web browser. (You can also delete this information whenever you like.)

When you use any VPN, Internet connection speeds can drop slightly because of the time it takes to encrypt and decrypt data being sent across the Internet. Some VPNs are also slower than others because of their limited network size. Thankfully, Shielded VPN offers all of our user's unlimited bandwidth. This means that you will not notice a drop in your Internet connection speed when using our VPN. In many cases, your speed may even increase compared to that offered by your current ISP.

Shielded VPN does not offer a free trial. However, all of our subscription plans come with a 4-day money-back guarantee. If you are not happy with our VPN service, simply let us know within 4-days of signing up. We will then refund your subscription plan payment in full. We operate this way to prevent users from abusing free trial periods, without limiting our service in any way.

At Shielded VPN, we are committed to customer satisfaction and complete transparency. If you are unhappy with our service, all you need to do is contact us via live chat support. (The Blue and White icon on our website.) Alternatively, you can open a support ticket at the bottom of the Shielded VPN homepage. Providing you contact us within 4-days of us processing your payment, you will be eligible for a full refund.

Some VPN services only allow you to connect a single device to their VPN network. At Shielded VPN, we’re different. With any of your subscription plans, you can connect up to 5 devices. This means that you can use our VPN to protect your privacy on multiple computers, tablets, smartphones, and other devices.

At Shielded VPN, we allow users to make use of 300,000+ dynamic IP addresses. This is why we are able to allow users to easily switch between IP addresses using dynamic switching. We do plan to offer dedicated IP addresses in the future. However, dynamic IP addresses are ideally suited to VPN web browsing where users plan to stream content and/or switch between locations to shop for location-specific prices on flights and e-commerce purchases.

Most smart televisions do not allow users to install VPNs. However, you can install Shielded VPN on a laptop or tablet that you stream content to a smart TV through, using an HDMI cable.

When you go online, search engines and websites associate your IP address with your real-world location and identity. They do this to deliver location-specific ads and content, as well as monitor your behavior. When you connect to the Internet via Shielded’s VPN network, neither search engines nor websites can see your IP address. Instead, they see one of ours. This preserves your privacy by making accurate ad targeting and user tracking impossible.

There are hundreds of free and paid VPN services currently available online. However, research shows that most free VPN services track and log user behavior. In recent years, several paid VPN services have also had their security compromised. Shielded VPN strives to offer all our users the lowest cost VPN service currently on the market, without compromising user privacy or security. We also have better bandwidth than other paid VPN services. This means that you benefit from lightning- fast connection speeds, as well as superior privacy online.

Shielded VPN offers native support for all Windows PC, Mac, Linux, and Android devices. Some devices can be trickier to configure than others. However, if you have a problem, you can contact us 24/7 for support.

Using a VPN is not expressly illegal in most Western countries. However, Internet users in countries like China, Turkey, and Belarus are prohibited from using VPNs. If you use Shielded VPN and plan on traveling to countries that ban VPNs, you will likely not encounter problems. It should be noted, though, that a prolonged stay in a country that bans VPNs may result in you coming on the radar of intelligence services and/or local law enforcement.