Why Use an IP Changer for PC

Want to see how easy it is to change your IP address online. It’s very easy to do and can not only protect your privacy but lets you enjoy thousand of free sites which are normally inaccessible. Watch TV from anywhere in the world, stream sports from different countries and bypass blocks at will – scroll below to watch a video of how a simple VPN like NordVPN can let you do all this and more,

What is your IP address ?

What is an IP address? An IP address, or Internet Protocol Address, is a unique number that identifies your computer on the internet. It’s like a phone number for computers! And just as with phones numbers, it can be used to pinpoint where you are in the world – which could be problematic for many reasons. If you want to learn how to hide your real IP address and use a different one instead, read this blog post!

IP address is a number that identifies your computer on the internet. It’s made up of numbers and other characters, like this one: 192.196.159.230
Your IP can be used to track you down for things such as receiving spam emails or hacking into someone else’s account (to do something illegal).

Before we go any further though it’s important to identify a vital distinction. That is between public and private(or internal) IP addresses and the difference between them. The private address is only valid on your local/home network and it’s pretty much invisible to anyone else. This address will allow you to communicate with your local router or Wifi access point but it has little relevance online.

The public address however is assigned by however you connect online. This address is visible when you’re online and is normally assigned to home users by your ISP when you connect to the internet. It’s also often referred to as the ‘real ip address’ although the validity of that description is perhaps debatable. The public IP address controls and identifies you online and it’s this address which we will be referring to in the rest of this article.

Why Change Your IP Address?

There are a few reasons you might want to change your IP address. The first is for security and privacy protection which we’ll cover next. Your public IP address is unique and can normally be linked back fairly easily to whatever device you’re using to get online. This is the address that you see being traced and located in spy and crime dramas on TV. That IP address is the most crucial risk to your anonymity online simply because it can normally be traced back you. Most of what you do online is in fact logged and recorded based on this address. It’s at the heart of pretty much every surveillance and online monitoring activity.

Paranoia or Privacy

Is it being overly paranoid to worry about the fact that most of your online activity is being monitored by someone. should we care if companies track our preferences or that Government agencies monitor us all in order to keep us safe? Much of this of course, depends on the companies involved or the Government you live under. But what if we are in a country like China with predominantly state-controlled means of communication and surveillance?

This is an important question. It’s often the case that privacy rights, personal safety or freedom to speak against the government will be compromised as not being able to communicate online anonymously would put many people at risk.

Making Money with an IP.Changer

When you’re online, ultimately your IP address represents your digital identity. Your address is tracked, monitored and flagged by virtually every website you visit. For most of us this isn’t really a problem beyond the basic issues of privacy. However, if you do business online a single IP address is a hugely limiting factor. Having the ability to change or control multiple addresses means you can have multiple digital identities too. You can access single sites with multiple identities and of course run completely different businesses.

A simple example is using social media, many people run hugely profitable businesses on social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. If you have multiple IP addresses, you can replicate and separate these businesses increasing profits and minimizing risks. Changing your IP address on Instagram can allow you to run multiple independent profiles each bringing in revenue.

Geo-Blocking and Filtering

Geo-Blocking and Filtering is the act of restricting access to certain websites based on location. For example, a website may be blocked by an ISP in one country but not another or it was originally only available for people within the US. Or perhaps when they expanded their user base globally, they wanted to block users outside of America from using their site.

NordVPN Discount Page

Often in the entertainment sector it’s down to copyright and license restrictions. A website may have the rights to stream certain music or video but only specific locations. Nearly every major broadcaster does this online – BBC is only available in UK, NBC restricts to US and so on – most limit access to their domestic market. You’ll often see the same on YouTube where specific videos are only accessible in certain countries.

The only real way to enforce this is to look up your IP address and then check where it is registered to. It’s a fairly simple method but very effective blocking millions of people from sites based on their physical locations. The BBC iPlayer has been doing this for years, although to be fair millions of people have been avoiding the block too!

How Can You Change Your IP Address?

Unfortunately, as your IP address is usually assigned by an Internet service provider (ISP) you have no real direct control of your IP address. You can in some instances ‘force’ an occasional change by resetting your router or access point. However, this won’t always work, and the address will still be registered in the same place so is useless for bypassing the geo-blocks explained above. Largely though it’s out of your control you obtain IP address automatically when you connect to the internet.

You can modify your local address easily just change network settings on your home device. This though will have no impact on the public IP address as explained previously, However, there is another option using a software program – instead of changing your address, you can actually hide it and use a different one instead. Which means you can access any blocked resources including watching UK TV or US TV from anywhere in the world.

So How Can You Hide IP Addresses ?

There are a few ways to change your IP address – one of the most popular is using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. VPNs work by re-routing all your traffic through their own servers, which in turn assigns you an anonymous IP address that can be registered from anywhere in the world. This means you could change your address to any country and location you need, by switching your connection to a VPN server based in that country.

Nowadays most popular VPNs will include many different locations even in their most basic subscriptions. For example, an inexpensive subscription with NordVPN will allow you access to over 60 different countries all over the world. You simply click the country you need to connect, using the PC client software which they supply.

If anonymity is important just use a VPN server in your own country, they’ll be nearer and therefore faster. If you want to watch something specific then choose the location you need, e.g US for Hulu etc.

How does a VPN Connect?

VPNs work by allowing you to connect to a remote server and then pretend that it is your computer. When you want to access something online, the data goes first through this secure tunnel before going out into the public internet’s network of shared connections. Many devices have support for establishing a VPN built into their operating systems. Your smart phone for example is easily capable of creating and establishing a connection to any VPN server. However, most companies supply their own software and applications to make it even easier to use. A VPN is pretty much the ultimate IP changer that secures your data too.

What are the other advantages of a VPN?

There are lots of different uses of a VPN but most of them are really under the following categories.

Security: People who want to protect their privacy and stop people from snooping on them.
Anonymous browsing: You can use a VPN for online shopping, banking or any other activities where you need your real IP address hidden.
Location selection: Choose the virtual location you need to be in. This might be to stream a certain video, access a specific site or get a better price. Many websites charge different prices depending on your location! Or to stay super secure use an auto IP changer for PC which switches location automatically every few minutes instead of having a static IP address.

Can I use an IP Switcher or VPN when Using a Free Wifi Hotspot?

Yes! In fact, it’s even more important to use a VPN in these circumstances. Many free hotspots are configured incorrectly and are usually very insecure. Lots of cyber criminals and hackers routinely target these especially those found in cafes. airports and hotels. They offer an easy way to steal users’ credentials and gain access to things like email and banking accounts. It’s best not to use unknown wifi access points for confidential web traffic but if you have to using a VPN ensures that you’re protected. Even a hacker with a compromised access point won’t be able to decipher your data if it’s encrypted.

Where Could Your Internet Data End Up?

So potentially anytime you send any data out when using the web, it could end up anywhere! The internet is gigantic, and you can’t control where your information goes. It’s important to be aware that if someone has access to the servers they are using, then it would be possible for them to see everything!

Using a VPN does two things to your data both of which ensure it stays more secure. Firstly, it’s routed through a secure VPN server which hides the origin i.e. your identity and real IP address. Secondly, it’s transported using an encrypted tunnel meaning that while it passes through all the shared hardware, it’s completely protected. Even your ISP cannot read the data, whereas without using a VPN they have a complete log of everything you send and every site you visit.

Certainly, a VPN does add an extra step, which is why it’s important to trust the VPN provider. Most of the secure ones like NordVPN will not store your data or keep logs ensuring your privacy. The best VPNs will always ensure your privacy and allow you to access any resources you wish completely anonymously.

The benefits of hiding your IP address are huge. It’s very important for people to be able to secure themselves against malicious actors and hackers who might want access to their data or personal information, or any other person with bad intentions.

Which VPN should you pick?

Which VPN should you pick? NordVPN is a trusted provider that will not store your data or keep any of your personal information. What’s more it operates a huge secure network spread over 60 countries. All of these are accessible in the standard low-cost subscription – perfect for streaming TV like the BBC or just surfing securely.

FAQ – Additional Questions

Here’s a few general questions we’ve received in the comments of this page over the years. We don’t publish the comments as 99% of them are spam but hopefully these genuine queries will help some people researching how they can use a VPN to change your IP when they’re online.

Does a VPN change your Public IP Address?

This is a very good question and refers to the fact that most of our devices have two IP addresses – a private and a public one. Your private address is only relevant on your local network and is not visible to the outside world. Your public IP is the one you use online and is normally assigned by the device which enables your internet access – the wifi router, broadband router etc. The public address is the important one online and is what websites and applications see when you use the internet. It is this address that the VPN hides/changes keeping your real one secure and allowing you access to different blocked sites.

Do VPNs get Blocked by sites like the BBC, NBC, Netflix etc?

VPN services themselves rarely get blocked directly but the IP addresses they use frequently are. It’s most obvious when hundreds (or even thousands) are using VPNs to connect to popular websites like Netflix or the BBC in order to bypass their geo-blocks. It’s simple to identify the IP addresses which are being used by VPN services and block them. If you’re using a VPN to access a specific site you should check that it’s able to connect. Many VPNs for example no longer support access to sites like BBC iPlayer as it’s too costly to rotate the addresses to stop them being blocked.

Does a VPN Save my Mobile Data?

Unfortunately not, when you enable a VPN on your mobile device the traffic will still get routed through your standard internet connection> If you’re connected via Wifi then it will use that otherwise the VPN will be directed through your mobile gateway. Best not to use a VPN to stream videos using your mobile data unless it’s very cheap!

What to Look for in Software to Change IP Address?

Speed – Ensure that the servers don’t slow your connection down.
Support – sometimes stuff happen, ensure you have accessible technical support.
Multiple Device Support – check you can install and connect from all your internet devices.
Multiple Countries – bypassing blocks requires servers in different countries – e.g to watch the BBC you need a UK VPN.

It’s certainly wise to subscribe for short period initially in order to test the service and see if it works for you. Don’t rush into a long subscription until you’re sure everything works.

Can I Change My IP Address Free of Charge?

There are a few free VPNs and proxies available online but there’s a couple of big problems with them. The first is that the vast majority of these are overloaded and extremely slow which means your connection will be too. Most are way to slow to be able to stream any content like video or music for example. The other issue is that they are not really free either, all these programs need to be financed somehow – most either install adware or worse on your computer. Some even send out spam emails or share out your bandwidth with ‘premium (paying) users’ when you use the application. Stay especially clear of these as they can cause all sorts of issues and problems.

The safest free method (although still relatively slow) is to use something called TOR which is free open source software which enables anonymous browsing.

What is Tor?

Tor, short for The Onion Router, is a free, open-source software that allows anonymous communication on the internet. It directs internet traffic through a worldwide network of servers to conceal a user’s location and browsing habits, and is intended to protect the personal privacy of users, as well as their freedom and ability to conduct confidential communication.

Can I Use Free VPNs?

Hey, it’s a free country (depending on where you live!) and you can use whatever VPN you like. However you should consider how and why someone is going to the trouble to supply a VPN service for no charge. They cost a significant amount of time and effort to run – so why would they provide it completely free? Of course, they don’t just because you’re not paying directly doesn’t mean that there’s no cost. Even the honest free VPNs raise money from their users in a variety of ways – posting adverts in your browser, installing software on your computer. However in my opinion the worst is those who use your internet connection while you use the VPN. They may use it to resell to premium users, to send spam emails or even to bypass geo-blocks in your home country.

There is a cost to everything be sure you know the cost of that free proxy or VPN you’ve found online.