UPDATE: Since this blog post was first published in July 2016, China appears to have banned VPN services and implemented further measures to block their use within the country.
_http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-41160383
_
While some articles suggest certain VPN services might still function in China, my personal experience in 2016 leads me to believe that complete internet blockage should be anticipated during future travels to the country.
My previous blog post covered my experience working remotely while traveling in China and highlighted the difficulties of bypassing the Great Firewall using VPNs to access US-based resources.
This post will detail the specific VPN services I used and my experience attempting to use them in China.
Here’s a list of the three VPN services I purchased and used:
VPN Unlimited by KeepSolid
VPN Secure
ExpressVPN
This is not an endorsement of these specific VPN services - they represent three semi-random selections among many available options. If you were to ask ten individuals for VPN service recommendations for use in China, you would likely receive ten different answers.
My experience suggests that the specific VPN service is less critical than finding a few that offer a competitive price point, the necessary features, and have positive user reviews. I will explain this in more detail shortly.
My testing utilized iOS and Windows 10 platforms. I did not travel with my Android device and cannot offer insights into Android VPN performance.
Choosing a VPN Service
When selecting a VPN for use in China, I suggest focusing on these straightforward questions:
- Does the VPN service function within China?
- Does the service support your required devices (iOS, Android, Windows, etc.)?
- How many devices can use a single account simultaneously?
- If a corporate VPN connection is needed (Cisco, SonicWall, etc.) while in China, can you connect to the VPN service initially and then connect to the corporate VPN through the established tunnel?
Most VPN services advertise their ability to function within China and offer client applications for major operating systems (Windows, iOS, Android). The final question regarding dual VPN connections may require personal testing.
While all VPN services claim superior performance, widespread server locations, and high speeds, real-world experience may differ. One service I used even promoted a “stealth mode” to circumvent the Great Firewall, though my experience showed no noticeable benefit.
When working in China, disregard marketing claims and anticipate low performance. A successful connection exceeding 1mbps should be considered fortunate.
My first subscription was VPN Unlimited, based on a suggestion from Scott Hanselman [https://twitter.com/shanselman/status/721903755059286016]. VPN Unlimited provided a reasonably priced lifetime subscription through Stack Social.
[https://stacksocial.com/sales/vpn-unlimited-lifetime-subscription](https://stacksocial.com/sales/vpn-unlimited-lifetime-subscription)
As a backup measure, I opted for a one-month subscription to VPN Secure, which received favorable ratings in a comprehensive VPN service review:
[https://thatoneprivacysite.net/simple-vpn-comparison-chart/](https://thatoneprivacysite.net/simple-vpn-comparison-chart/)
During the final days of my three-week stay in China, I experienced consistent connectivity issues with both VPN services across multiple residential networks. In frustration, I subscribed to a third service, ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN also failed to connect, confirming that the issue stemmed from external factors beyond the VPN services themselves. This experience provided the opportunity to evaluate three distinct services.
Of the three services tested, VPN Unlimited emerged as my preferred choice due to its iOS application’s Touch ID support. Unlike the other two VPN services that required username and password authentication upon launch, VPN Unlimited streamlined this process, making it significantly more convenient after frequent app restarts or device reboots.
While seemingly insignificant, the constant need to restart VPN applications to maintain a stable internet connection while in China made Touch ID authentication a valuable feature. For this reason, VPN Unlimited was my primary VPN service.
I recently tested VPN Unlimited and ExpressVPN on an Android device, and neither application required password entry after launching the app or restarting the device. This is a notable advantage for Android users.
VPN Subscription and Setup
Creating accounts with at least two VPN providers prior to arriving in China is advisable. Given their affordability, having multiple options readily available can prove beneficial. Ensure your account is set up with payment information, the client software is installed and configured on all your devices, and each VPN connection has been tested.
I recommend using the same simple password for all services to simplify repeated logins, especially on iOS devices where manual entry is often required.
Using VPNs in China
My primary means of accessing the VPN services was through my iPhone and iPad. Launching the applications and establishing connections on iOS were consistently straightforward.
However, using the VPN services on Windows 10 presented significant challenges. Connections were remarkably slow, and the Windows applications struggled to refresh or provide accurate status updates. It was often impossible to determine whether the application had crashed, frozen, or was in the process of establishing a connection.
Establishing a successful VPN connection proved considerably more difficult on the Windows platform. On one occasion, over half of my Surface Pro 4’s limited battery life was consumed by unsuccessful VPN connection attempts.
If using iOS and Windows devices, focus on configuring and utilizing VPN services on your iPhone and iPad, as iOS exhibited far superior performance. It’s reasonable to assume that Android devices would offer a better user experience compared to Windows.
Using Multiple VPNs on iOS
A key consideration when installing multiple VPN services on iOS devices is the “Connect On Demand” configuration setting. This feature, designed to automatically enable the VPN upon connecting to a WiFi network, can lead to conflicts if multiple VPN services are installed.
If “Connect On Demand” is activated for multiple VPN applications, they may compete for control, effectively preventing any successful connections. Disabling this setting is crucial to avoid conflicts.
Frustratingly, VPN applications appear to re-enable the “Connect On Demand” setting when they refresh and download configuration or server list updates, requiring manual intervention. This feature, beneficial when using a single VPN service, becomes detrimental when multiple providers are necessary in China.
The Reality of Using VPNs in China
It is important to acknowledge that VPN services are functional. Testing within the US allows for successful connections to servers in different cities and countries with satisfactory speeds and minimal latency.
Technically, these services do operate within China, though not reliably or consistently.
All three tested VPNs exhibited issues, indicating that no single provider offered superior performance or stability.
The following screenshots illustrate the encountered challenges:
While VPN services claim to function in China, my experience indicates they do not consistently deliver reliable access.
The combined challenges of the Great Firewall, local network firewalls, inconsistent WiFi quality, and overall questionable internet stability created a constant struggle to establish and maintain a workable connection.
Frequently, a VPN connection appeared successful, yet websites remained inaccessible, or speeds were too slow to be usable. On numerous occasions, my phone showed a successful VPN connection, yet website and email access remained blocked.
Reconnecting involved a multi-step process of disconnecting, toggling WiFi, and attempting to re-establish the VPN connection. Device reboots were also a frequent occurrence in hopes of resolving connectivity issues, though their effectiveness remains unclear.
Based on my personal observations, China appears to be successfully blocking VPN traffic. Throughout my trip, maintaining a consistent connection seemed increasingly challenging. I suspect the implementation of MAC address filtering designed to block VPN traffic entirely.
Given the challenges of maintaining reliable internet connectivity and completing tasks remotely while in China, I question how business travelers can effectively operate within the country. It leads me to believe that everyone faces similar obstacles and copes with these limitations, or there are effective workarounds that remain elusive.
Travelers to China should anticipate potential difficulties accessing external websites and internet services and prepare for potential productivity limitations.
Good luck.
Steve Endow is a Microsoft MVP for Dynamics GP and a Dynamics GP Certified IT Professional in Los Angeles. He is the owner of Precipio Services, which provides Dynamics GP integrations, customizations, and automation solutions.
You can also find him onGoogle+andTwitter
http://www.precipioservices.com
