How to use Software to Change the Country of your IP Address – Simple Method
Ever been blocked, restricted, filtered or even overcharged online ? Well it’s probably down to your IP address, here’s all you need to know about solutions like using IP address changer software.
What Is An IP Address?
Probably one of the most important numbers we’ll use in today’s world. Certainly if you do absolutely anything online – an IP address. It stands for Internet Protocol address, is a unique numerical label assigned to a device connected to a network of computers. This number is essential, it enables the device to communicate with other devices and assists in identifying each device on the network. Each number in an IP address can range from 0 to 255 and is separated by periods.
Unfortunately this IP address is used by websites, advertisers, and other interested third-parties to track your online activities, reveal information about you like what ISP you use, which city you live in, and more. Therefore, millions of people around the world are using different methods to change their IP address in order to protect their privacy.
How does an IP address work?
An IP address is essential to enable devices to communicate with one another. It is a unique numerical label assigned to every device connected to a computer or a network of computers, and it is commonly used to identify each device. Every IP address consists of four numbers ranging from 0 to 255, and each number is separated by periods. For example, the IP address 192.168.0.1 is typically used for local networks, while 8/8/8.8 is commonly used for public DNS servers.
To make sure that traffic is routed correctly, every device must have a unique IP address assigned to it. When multiple devices share the same IP address, it will usually result in connectivity problems and data loss. If a person has trouble connecting to the internet or is experiencing data loss, then it is often something to do with the IP address – either not assigned, conflicting or routing problems with the address.
As mentioned IP addresses can also be used to track the physical location of users. This is one of the primary reasons why many people use various methods to change their IP address. By changing their IP address, users can stop third-parties from tracking their online activities, as well as stop content providers from blocking or restricting to a specific audience. For instance, the world famous BBC iPlayer can only be accessed within the United Kingdom because the service provider tracks the location of its users through their IP address.
Why Change Your IP Address? 4 Reasons
So what are the reasons to change your IP address? [Argumentation]
- Privacy: Changing your IP address can help to protect your online privacy and hide your browsing history and activities from ISPs, websites, and cybercriminals.
- Accessing restricted content: Some websites and online services may be restricted based on your location, and changing your IP address can help you access content that would otherwise be unavailable.
- Avoiding IP bans: If you have been banned from a website or online service due to repeated violations, changing your IP address can allow you to regain access.
- Enhancing security: A public IP address can be vulnerable to cyber attacks, and changing it to a private or secure IP address can enhance the security of your device and network.
It’s clear that having the ability to change your IP address offers many benefits. Including those listed above which include protecting your online privacy, accessing geo-fenced content, and avoiding website trackers.
By changing your IP address you can stop, bypass or completely ignore these restrictions and effects. In practical terms you can do things like compare prices while shopping, hide your identity from trackers, practice freedom of speech, and even gain access to websites and services that would otherwise be inaccessible due to geo-restrictions.
Additionally, you can use a quick IP change to reconfigure your home router, lower your lag when gaming, or even generate search results and local publications in a foreign language.
How to Use Software to Change Your IP Address
No software can directly change your IP address on their own but they can help by hiding your internet connection. The most commonly used client software allows you to route your connection through another server.
This is how the majority of VPN client software operates, allowing the user to click on a variety of VPN servers across the world to hide their real addresses.
Is it Possible to Change Your IP Address to Another Country?
The problem is that most of us don’t have access to any IP addresses directly. We basically, just use what we’re given. They are assigned in various situations from the ISP we pay for our home access, from the router which we connect to at our local cafe or hotel, our company network or some other piece of hardware we’re connected to.
Fortunately there are some ways that we can change (or appear) to change our IP address without investing in our own ISP or network services provider.
Use a VPN to Change Your IP Address to Another Country
Using a VPN to change your IP address to another country is the easiest method. It’s a relatively straightforward process if you subscribe to one of the bigger ones. You certainly don’t need any technical knowledge and they work on most devices from your smartphone to a laptop.
- First, you will need to subscribe to a reliable VPN, such as NordVPN.
- Download the app for your device.
- Once the app is installed and open, log in using your credentials and connect to the desired server from the list of available countries.
- You will now be using a different IP address which matches the country you selected.
The advantages of using a VPN include increased security and privacy, safer web browsing, access to restricted content, data protection from advertising companies. In addition it even allows you the ability to bypass ISP throttling, an accelerated online gaming experience, and of course completely anonymous internet usage. The downside to using a VPN is that it can slow down your internet connection, although the decent quality, paid ones this is barely noticeable.
Using a VPN is the best way to change your IP address to another country and bypass geo-restrictions. NordVPN is probably is the most reliable and secure option, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. After signing up and downloading the app, simply connect to the server of the country you wish to have an IP address in and you’re good to go.
Use Tor to Change Your IP Address to Another Country
Any VPN worth using costs money. It’s inevitable as providing the service also costs money in hardware, network configuration, infrastructure and IT support people to keep it all running for you to use. There are a few ‘free VPNs’ around but they’re not really free ! Most of these either install adware to fill up your browsing with more paid adverts or hijack your internet bandwidth for resale.
If you’re looking for something ‘free’ you’ll also have to sacrifice speed, there’s nothing that won’t make your connection slow down than an overloaded VPN server. However if you don’t have the budget then you can at least keep your computer and information secure by using another method to hide your real IP address. Simply use the free onion routing from the TOR project – https://www.torproject.org/
It can be slow at times but at least it won’t install malware on your computer or stuff it full of adverts!
Using Tor to change your IP address to another country is a relatively easy process. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
- Go to the official Tor website and download the Tor browser for the right platform from the homepage.
- Install the downloaded file.
- Launch the Tor browser.
- Within the Tor settings, select a specific country for the IP address.
- Linux users can also go to the Software Center of the Linux distribution in use to get the Tor browser without going to the official website.
- When the Tor browser is launched, it will automatically connect to a server in the country of your selection and change the IP address.
With the help of Tor, it is even possible to change the IP address to any specific country. Just make sure that you download the Tor browser from the official website or Software Center. Additionally, remember that using Tor can greatly reduce internet speeds and cause websites to load incorrectly.
Use Smart DNS to Change Your IP Address to Another Country
Both the VPN don’t actually change your real IP address rather than hide it behind another one. There is another slightly cut down version which only routes a small part of your internet connection and only in specific, triggered situations.
Smart DNS can be enabled directly through your DNS settings and needs to be configured to specific sites only. It routes only a small part of your traffic through an intermediate server just enough to hide your location to particular websites. It provides no security, privacy or encryption – Smart DNS is generally only used to bypass very specific geo-blocks.
Using Smart DNS to change your IP address to another country is a simple process. First, you need to sign up for a package from a Smart DNS provider and download their SmartDNS app. Once you’ve opened the app, select a server to turn on SmartDNS. Alternatively, you can change the DNS of the device in question to another DNS that changes the IP address.
Our favorite Smart DNS provider is the imaginatively named SmartDNS Proxy. It’s a very low cost options, primarily because there’s no large traffic requirements as the majority of your traffic remains the same.
Using SmartDNS proxy is probably the easiest and quickest way to hide your change your IP address to another country. To get started with SmartDNS proxy, there’s no software required you just need to create an account. Then, you will be provided with instructions on how to change network settings on your router or device. Once you’ve done that, your IP address will be shielded from online censorship and you can unblock any geo-restricted site.
What is the Best Method to Change IP Address to Another Country?
What is the best method to change IP address to another country?
Well the main ones for most individuals are listed above, for most using a VPN service is by far the most straight forward. It is the easiest and most secure way to change your IP address and access restricted content. To use a VPN, first you have to pick a reliable VPN service and make an account.
What’s more a couple of the biggest VPN service providers like NordVPN will actually offer you a Smart DNS service free of charge. Not everyone uses it but it’s there if you prefer it. Basically helps if you want to install on a device like a Smart TV where you can’t install the software.
FAQ
“Your IP address does not match your home country. Are you using a VPN or proxy” – error message, what does it mean?
This error message means that the website or online service you are trying to access has detected that your IP address does not match the location of your home country. It is possible that you are using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or a proxy server to conceal your real IP address and location.
Some websites or online services may restrict access to users who are using VPNs or proxies, as they can be used to bypass geo-restrictions or hide one’s identity. The error message is a reminder that the website or service may not work as expected when using a VPN or proxy. Often it’s because the IP address of the VPn you’re using has been previously flagged as a proxy or VPN and is detected automatically.
How does a VPN work?
A VPN, or virtual private network, is a secure tunnel that encrypts all of your Internet traffic. It works by masking your real IP address and routing your data through a remote server. Here’s how to use a VPN in six simple steps:
- Sign up with a VPN provider. Look for a reputable provider like NordVPN
- Download and install the VPN app on the device you’re using.
- Launch the application.
- Connect to a server in the country you wish to have its IP address.
- Check your new IP/Io address. You can do this by visiting a website like WhatIsMyIPAddress.com
- Enjoy your new online privacy and anonymity. You can now browse the internet securely or switch through different configuration profiles with your IP location/address changed and your traffic encrypted.