Some backstory for a proper context: got canned from a job. Had been out of work for a while, then found an advertisement for teaching English to Chinese students – in mainland China. Had no wife, no kids, decided to see the world and earn some money.
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Internet in China: it doesn’t work! Will Cisco VPN help?
One of my very first experiences was that the Chinese have their own version of the Internet — lots of Western websites, social media and streaming services were unavailable. A colleague of mine said that I need a VPN. Hardly heard of such a thing before. Made a major mistake (as it turned out later) by looking at our large black office Cisco phone with numerous buttons I knew no functions of. If they manufacture such technical wonders, they must surely have a nice and easy VPN service, right? Wrong: I spent a rather hectic half an hour and totally failed to install Cisco VPN. Decided to review my experience, so that you will get a few laughs and avoid my mistakes.
First, I managed to find out that Cisco VPN program is called AnyConnect. Then I learned that Cisco uses something called SSL to improve VPN security. In the review I stumbled upon there were also mentioned other highly technical terms, but it is only the SSL that stuck in my mind. Great news, said I, went to the company’s web site and tried to find a trial version of the app. SSL or not, I wanted to know what I was going to pay for. No such luck. Found an FAQ page about AnyConnect licensing policy. Lots and lots of words, some of which I knew and some didn’t. No price tag, though. That certainly was a signal that this Cisco VPN idea didn’t work as planned, but I (stubbornly) decided to keep on trying.
Enter the router, exit Cisco
Read another review on the Web about what is Cisco AnyConnect and how it works. Once more managed to miss exactly the thing I should have noticed right from the start. Learned that AnyConnect comes with no trial period and you are supposed to buy the license for at least a year. The app must be really good to be that tough to buy, think I. All these SSL features certainly don’t come easy. OK, will leave the question of the license for a while and try to install the actual program. Go to the page with the instructions on how to install Cisco AnyConnect on a Windows computer. There are as many as ten steps in doing this. After step 10 there is a link to a page on configuring AnyConnect on a router — and it makes me speechless. What do you mean I need to configure a router? I hardly know how to turn this thing on. For the life of me I wouldn’t try to configure it.
Is Cisco a VPN I really want to use — this question gets impossible to ignore any longer. One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want that magical SSL thing that much. Find one more review, read it really carefully this time and the full truth about Cisco VPN finally dawns on me. This application is not meant for individuals! It’s not a minor program you install once and forget about forever. How does Cisco AnyConnect VPN work: it was developed for businesses and helps remote coworkers work together. It’s not an application you use for entertainment to watch Netflix, it’s a program meant for corporations.
Enter VPN Unlimited: this review has a happy ending
Haven’t felt that stupid for quite a while. Aim high and miss by a mile, huh? Google for a viable alternative and find it in less than ten seconds. Carefully read the program description: this VPN service is really meant for unlocking websites, playing games on geo-blocked servers and watching streaming services. There is a trial period and even a nice short-term one-month subscription with a money-back guarantee. You only have to press one button to download the app on any kind of device you have. After having tilted at Cisco windmills this experience is something of an anticlimax: everything happens too easy and too fast to be real. Choose the VPN server in the US and get back to browsing the Internet I know and love.
Words of (unsolicited) wisdom. Admittedly, Cisco AnyConnect must be a great VPN with SSL and other IT magic. There are lots of rave reviews on the Web. If you’re an owner of a business, it is quite possible that AnyConnect will help your employees work effectively. Still, if you are a regular guy like me, know little or none about how the Internet works, and simply need a VPN to keep in touch with your friends on social media when staying in countries like China, Cisco AnyConnect will be of no help. These guys fly too high to be interested in such a small market.
The name of the VPN service I found is VPN Unlimited. They are based in New York and have a lot of VPN servers in many countries of the world. The trial period didn’t yet end, and, so far, there were no glitches. I even specifically asked their tech support — VPN Unlimited also uses the mysterious SSL — just like Cisco does.
If you are a fellow expatriate or need a VPN for some other reason, you might benefit from doing the same. So, forget about geo-restrictions and enjoy streaming services from wherever you are — with VPN Unlimited.
Try VPN Unlimited
Still in search of an excellent VPN? You are lucky! Try out this one for absolutely free!