VPN Gates may not be as popular as other providers, but it is an option that has been around since 2007. Apart from being a well-established solution to protect your online traffic and get around restrictions, VPN Gates is a simple solution that is set to work anywhere in the world. It is possible to access blocked websites anywhere and enjoy popular streaming websites that are subject to geographical restrictions. The provider claims to be particularly effective for users in UAE and Dubai who want to unblock VoIP services. Here is more about VPN Gates.
Privacy and Security
The protocols supported by VPN Gates are OpeVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP and SSTP. This is a wide variety of options that give you flexibility to enjoy the VPN service on different platforms and devices. The protocols are suitable for different purposes, as well. For instance, PPTP is a practical solution for streaming since it offers good speeds. However, it doesn’t offer good security. This is why, if you want to get the highest level of security, it is advisable to use OpenVPN, whenever possible since this protocol is considered as a reliable solution to secure your data. Unfortunately, while VPN Gates promises to offer strong encryption, it doesn’t offer detailed information about the level of encryption used.
The privacy policy states that there are no logs kept of your usage of the service and that they don’t keep records of your personal information. However, they mention that they keep log files for up to one month in order to prevent abuse of the service. It is likely that these logs refer to connection details such as bandwidth usage, time and duration of the sessions. The company states that it has a very strong commitment to privacy and that since there are no logs collected, they couldn’t respond to requests for information. At the same time, they state that any account found to be acting against the terms of service, would be suspended.
To make things more confusing, they mention in the ToS that “Since we do not require a email address from users it is the responsibility of the user to contact us by email supplying user name and password”. The fact is that when you register, you are asked to provide not only your email address, but also your name, phone number and even your address. It is aslo questionable that they say that you have to provide your password when you contact them.
In summary, the privacy policy is confusing and while they state that “You could not find bigger privacy advocates than us”, we’d prefer to see a more transparent policy with clear information about their logging practices. On the bright side, Bitcoin and Litecoin are options accepted, which can help you to pay anonymously.
Features
VPN Gates supports popular platforms like Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, Windows Mobile and Android. The website offers configuration guides that will allow you to install the service on the device of your choice. Once you sign up to the service and you connect to a VPN server, you get a new IP address that covers your real IP address, which in turn protects your location. Your internet traffic is also encrypted, which prevents third parties like your ISP and government organizations from finding out what you are doing online. A VPN service like VPN gates is designed to help you to avoid monitoring, keeping your privacy protected. VPN Gates promises 99.998% uptime guarantee, as well as unlimited bandwidth to ensure that you can stream content whenever you want.
The service can also help you to unblock popular VoIP applications like Skype and it lets you bypass restrictions that prevent you from accessing your favorite websites. If you live in a country that applies heavy censorship on the internet, or if your office/school network blocks certain content, you can use VPN Gates. It will also keep you secure when you are using public WiFi hotspots, which are not secured. Currently, they have over 60 servers in 11 countries including France, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, United States, Singapore, Canada, Germany and Netherlands. The speeds may vary between servers, depending on your location and the speed of your connection. It should also be noted that they don’t mention if P2P is allowed. Although VPN Gates doesn’t support advanced features, it offers the main benefits that you would expect from a VPN.
Plans
One month of VPN Gates costs $7.95 USD, three months cost $22.95, for six months you pay $42.95 and the price for one year is $79.95. You can also opt for 2 years for $149.95 and three years cost $229.95. As you can see, the longer the subscription, the lower the price per month. If after contacting their support team, you can’t connect to the service within 5 days of signup, you can get a refund. Keep in mind that they won’t issue refunds in case you experience slow speeds or can’t use the service for certain apps. You can pay using credit cards, PayPal, Western Union, Bitcoin or Litecoin.
Customer Support
The website offers configuration guides that let you set up the VPN on the platform you want to use, which is handy since VPN Gates doesn’t offer dedicated software. You can also find a brief FAQ section and if you need to contact them, you can send them an email. A live chat is also mentioned on the website, but it doesn’t seem to be available. Still, you can leave a message and the support team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Conclusion
VPN Gates has been around for over a decade and the service aims to attract customers who want to bypass restrictions and enjoy better online security. Unfortunately, the service is expensive when compared to other options available and its privacy policy is not clear, which can raise some concerns. That being said, the service is simple and it has a good selection of servers.