When you connect to the Internet, your phone, data card, or cable modem, you are assigned a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address. The human readable form is a set of four numbers that are separated by a dot, such as 200.198.10.105. When an Internet application, not just your Web browser, makes a request to another Internet site, the site name resolves to the destination IP address. This establishes a connection between your site and another site. Without that connection, the destination site could not send back an answer, such as a Web page. It is like making a phone call, your phone number and the other parties phone number form a unique connection that allows you to talk with each other.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) assigns IP addresses in blocks. Except for a few very large organizations, these blocks are assigned on a regional basis, much like each country has a country code for a phone number. Through the assignment process, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is assigned a block of IP addresses. Thus, Kolbi, Claro, Movistar, TeleCable, and other ISPs are assigned an IP address block. As a result, your IP address reveals the country from which you are making a connection. There are a number of Web sites that tell you the information revealed when you make a connection. I use What is My IP Address, as it provides a number of useful tests, such as a speed test.

The site to which you are trying to connect can use this location information to block access, or determine the content provided. Financial institutions, government agencies, and some Web sites (such as Hulu and Pandora) may block access to all IP addresses outside of their country. Web sites may tailor, or limit, the content provided based on the country from which the traffic originates. For example, Google.com switches to Google.co.cr in Costa Rica, and YouTube determines what videos you can view. To circumvent these limitations, you can connect to a proxy server. A proxy server acts as an intermediary between you and the destination site. Instead of responding to your IP address directly, the destination Web site responds to the proxy server IP address, which then forwards the response to your IP address. Think of this as like have a mail forwarding service, where letters, magazines, and packages are sent to the mail forwarding service, which then forwards the mail to you. The sender only knows the mail forwarding address, and not your actual address. For the Internet, there are three types of proxies services: Web proxy, HTTP proxy, and VPN proxy.

Web Proxy

The easiest proxy service is the Web proxy. With a Web proxy, you simply enter the URL of the Web proxy service, and then, on their site, enter the URL of the site to which you want to connect. Web proxies come in four flavors: transparent, anonymous, distorting, and high anonymity (hianon for short). The Transparent, anonymous, and distorting proxies announce that they are a proxy server. While high anonymity proxies hide that they are actually acting as a proxy. Transparent proxies really do nothing to hide your IP address. Distorting proxies provide a fake address in the request headers, while anonymous and high anonymity proxies truly hide your IP address, with the address of the proxy server. There is a security risk to using anonymous proxy servers in that any personal information, such as passwords, pass through the server as unencrypted. It is best to use a hianon proxy server that encrypts your information. For a Web proxy, I use Hide My Ass, as it is a high anonymity proxy service. They also provide a browser extension for Firefox and Google Chrome that makes connecting to the Web proxy easier, as you just need to click the icon and enter the URL in the dialog box, or enter the URL as follows: hma www.cnn.com (the space between hma and the URL is critical). The problems with Web proxies are that they do not handle all media types (such as Adobe Flash), and some sites, such as YouTube, complain that there are two many connections from the same IP address. Web proxies only work when you connect to Web sites that support simple HTML, and do not ask for personal information.

HTTP Proxy

The HTTP proxy, sometimes referred to as IP:Port proxy, goes one step further in that it handles all media types, and provide a higher level of security between you and the proxy server. Like Web proxy servers, they come in several flavors: Transparent, Anonymous, and Highly Anonymous (also called Elite). The meanings are the same, and for higher security Elite is preferred. They do provide access to more sites, and exist in different countries. However, they do require additional configuration. You can find a list of free proxy servers from Hide My Ass, Proxyhttp.net, or Proxy List.

The problem with free services is that their reliability and speed constantly changes. Finding a free proxy service that can actually stream movies takes a lot time. Some free HTTP proxies also have download limits. Paid HTTP proxy service such as FoxyProxy are faster and more reliable. FoxyProxy charges $8 US a month with discounts for three months, six months, or a year in advance. Once you subscribe to a service, you will receive an email that gives you the proxy IP address, port number, your user name and password. FoxyProxy has a browser extension for Firefox (not available for Android version of Firefox), Google Chrome, and IE. As of this writing, the extension for Google Chrome does not work for their paid service.

To configure a Web browser, you will need the IP address, port number, and protocols supported. You will be prompted for your user name and password when you attempt to make a connection or launch the browser. Web browsers for laptops and desktops generally provide configuration of HTTP proxies in their preferences or settings menu. For Firefox you click Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Network -> Connection Settings. For Google Chrome, you need to click on the wrench icon -> Preferences -> Under the Hood -> Change Proxy Settings. For Apple and Android mobile devices, your one choice is to install the Opera Mobile browser, not the Opera Mini browser. For the Opera Mobile browser, enter opera:config as a URL. From the window displayed, tap Proxy and you are there.

You need to enter the IP address and port number in the HTTP field. If the proxy server support HTTPS, you enter the same values in that field. You can also enter the same value in the FTP field. Opera Mobile does have separate fields for the IP address and port number. Instead you enter the values as, for example, 64.198.111.164:3128, where the colon separates the IP address and port number. You should always add “localhost, 127.0.0.1” to the no proxy field, as there is no point in routing traffic for your local machine to the proxy server.

After saving the results, you are ready for a test. Try connecting to What is My IP Address. If it fails to connect, check your values. If they are correct, then try a different proxy server. If it works, you will see the new IP address, and its location. Don’t bother with the speed test, as it doesn’t use the HTTP protocol for the actual tests. For the tough test, try to connect to hulu.com. If you are using a mobile device, you must subscribe to Hulu’s Premium service.

The main disadvantages of the HTTP proxy are that it is limited to just to the HTTP protocol, and each application requires separate configuration. In addition, there is no easy way to turn the proxy configuration on or off (with exception of the FireProxy extension). With an HTTP proxy, you may want to configure one browser just for connecting to sites that require the HTTP proxy.

VPN Proxy

VPN (Virtual Private Network) proxy services are totally different ball game. VPN operates at a much lower level. With a VPN proxy you are sending all Internet traffic through a single encrypted tunnel to the VPN server. Corporations often use VPN to connect remote devices to the corporate network. You can use the same technology to connect to a VPN proxy server that then routes your traffic to the Internet.

Web proxies and HTTP proxies are great for the Web browser, but all other traffic is routed through the Internet. For Apple and Android phones and tablets, the Opera Mobile browser was the only alternative for HTTP proxies that does not require jail breaking or rooting the device. This leaves out all the other apps that use the Internet. A VPN proxy does not require root access, and all your apps appear as if they came from the VPN proxy IP address. It is the perfect solution for secure connections from a public WiFi hotspot, and for travelers who desire extra security.

You can configure a VPN proxy service at a number of different points. Some Internet routers allow for VPN proxy configuration, which means all Internet traffic from the local network will flow to the proxy server. You can configure a network interface to use a proxy server, which means all Internet connections through this interface flow through a proxy server. This is especially useful on smart phones, which connect to Internet via a 3G connection or a WiFi connection.

VPN proxy services are not free. Hide My Ass (HMA) charges $11.52 US a month, with discounts for paying six months or a year in advance. HMA is the largest and cheapest VPN proxy service. HMA does not have a traffic limit, and allows multiple devices to connect to a single account.

Each provider provides configuration information for different platforms including Microsoft Windows, Macs, Linux, Apple mobile devices, and Android mobile devices. You do not need to jail break or root your phone to configure a VPN connection. For Android devices, you can download an app (such as VPN-Menu or 1 VPN – Connect in 1 Tap) to make VPN management easier. These apps allow you to easily switch the VPN service on or off.

Whether you are vacationing here, a retired expat, or a Tico, VPN is the most secure way to enjoy the freedom of the Internet. It is a must for those who send personal information from a public WiFi hotspot.

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