The Best Ways to Change or Hide Your IP Address

Using a VPN

This is the clear winner when it comes to masking your real IP address. A VPN can be the ideal solution if you want to avoid having your IP address leak. A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. It will enable you to effectively choose from a range of different IPs, enabling you to entirely mask your real IP. A VPN provider will offer you several servers that you can choose to connect to. Being able to choose from a range of servers means that you will not be limited to a single IP. While you can find a provider that offers a dedicated IP address, you can also find ones that will offer you a shared address. Having a shared address is the best way to give yourself anonymity because a bunch of other people will be using the same address at the same time.

Using Tor

Another way to hide and mask your IP address is by using Tor. Tor is a unique way to hide your address. It is a free network that will help to secure your browsing and Internet activity by encrypting it. Because it is heavily encrypted, it will enable you to browse safely and securely no matter what you are doing. The biggest downside to using Tor for your masking is that it will considerably slow down your Internet. The reason it slows down your connection speed has to do with the multi-layered encryption approach it utilizes. Because the data is so heavily encrypted, you can expect it to slow down your Internet. It might be a dealbreaker for those who will be using the IP masking solution for streaming. However, if you are doing it for security and to avoid being tracked, this is easily one of the best solutions available.

Using a Proxy

A proxy is another way to consider masking your IP address. A proxy will be masking your IP address by handling your Internet traffic on its own. It works by effectively handling all of the traffic that you request from your home network. Because of this, it disguises itself as your real IP. The biggest downside to a proxy is that you aren't getting the same benefits of having your traffic encrypted. Thus, it is a good option for those looking for something that will be effective for streaming, but that won't slow down Internet speeds. A proxy is not an ideal solution for anyone looking for safety or security while using the Internet for these same reasons.

What We Think

As you can tell, there are so many different reasons you may want to consider masking your IP. Luckily, there are an equal amount of options available for doing so. A VPN is perhaps the most versatile and the most affordable solution. When you find the best VPN provider that offers you everything you would want and need, you will have a reliable and safe way to mask your IP. A proxy may mask your IP, but it will not be the ideal solution for anyone who wants to have safe traffic. Tor is a good option for those who are looking for the ultimate privacy solution. However, as mentioned, you will have to deal with limited Internet speeds because of its heavy encryption.

No matter if you are looking to browse safely and securely on public WiFi, avoid throttling from your ISP, or looking to bypass Geo-restrictions, you should be looking at your options. Nowadays, it is more important than ever before to pay attention to your privacy. With more and more browsers and platforms looking to data-mine for targeted advertising, it's never been a better time to leverage privacy-oriented services. Using one of the options above to mask your IP address, you should be able to protect yourself and your privacy while using the Internet properly.

Boost Your Security

Firstly, you would want to hide your IP address for security reasons. Your IP address can be used against you. Likewise, you can end up putting your information at risk if someone has access to your IP address. By masking it, you should be able to shield yourself. This is why a lot of people look to use a VPN while they are on public WiFi hotspots. By using a VPN in this situation, you will be able to boost your security because you will be able to hide your real IP address and have your traffic be fully encrypted on the open network.

ISP Throttling

Believe it or not, but many Internet Service Providers (ISP) will throttle your Internet if you are using a certain service. If you are paying for Gigabit Internet and you are noticing that you are struggling to download files to your Playstation or not getting 4K resolution on your UHD Netflix account, you are likely being throttled. Your ISP may be throttling your connection when accessing certain sites. The way they do this is by tagging your IP address. Therefore, by using a VPN service, you will be able to mask your IP and avoid throttling altogether effectively. No one wants to get less bandwidth than they are paying for. By using a service to mask your IP, you will minimize the chances of this happening.

Get Around Geo-blocks

Another reason you may want to mask your real IP is to get around Geo-blocks. Many services will block certain IPs from accessing their service because the IP originates from a specific location. This is especially true with streaming sites because there are rights restrictions you have to worry about. Therefore, if you are paying for Netflix USA and finding yourself traveling to another country, you won't be able to access the content you are paying for at home. The only way to get around this is by using something to mask your real IP. By using a service that masks your IP, you can have it pretend like you are accessing the website/service from your home country. This can keep you from not being able to access the content that you are actively paying for.

Network Restrictions

Another reason you may want to alter your IP would be to get around network restrictions. This can be the case for those on work or even school networks. You may have an IT department that has blocked you from being able to access certain websites. The best way to get around these network restrictions is by using a service that masks your IP address. That way, you can avoid having the same restrictions placed on your device because it will not originate from the same IP address. Thus, you should be able to open up social media sites if they are being blocked on your work or school network.

Avoid Having Your Location Appear

Another reason a lot of people might want to consider masking their IP addresses has to do with your location not being protected. No one wants to have their location constantly available for anyone to see. The fact is, your IP address has an originating location. Because of this, people are going to have this information readily available. They will be able to see where you are located because the IP address will report to the website or server. This can be a security risk because it will allow people to know where you are at all times effectively. Instead, by having something that masks your IP, you will be able to avoid getting your location detected. After all, you can choose from servers that are located in all kinds of different places scattered across the globe. This can help to protect you if you don't want to have an identifier attached to your Internet activity at all times.

Your History Is Being Tracked

Another reason you may want to mask your IP address has to do with your Internet activity. Not only your search activity, but websites can track the entirety of your Internet activity. Because of this, you may want something capable of masking your real IP address.