Do I really need a VPN? The answer is probably no.

[prozac]

...
In Australia the law for ISPs is to retain metadata of its users for two years. If anyone needs access to that data the ISP is legally obliged to hand it over. This is where a VPN comes in handy. The ISP can only know that you connected to a VPN, not what you did whilst on the VPN. The VPN provider should not be keeping any logs, and should be established in a jurisdiction where data-retention is not a law.
...

So does this mean the VPN company needs to be based outside of Australia or the servers need to be out of Australia?

 

[Oeck]

So does this mean the VPN company needs to be based outside of Australia or the servers need to be out of Australia?

Hi prozac,

This means the business needs to be based outside of Australia ( in my opinion ). Some people have put up the argument that a VPN service provider does not need to comply with the data retention laws. My opinion is "but why risk it?". Servers located in Australia are fine, but as an extra measure we just made ours RAM and CPU only ( and no logging from the software site), so even if someone illegally seized them they have nothing to find.

Regards,
Peter @ Oeck.

 

[prozac]

Just reading your introduction and responses on Whirlpool. You are based in HKG. Is this an issue now, or in the future, with China snooping?

I am also interested if my ping rate is affected by being routed all around the world.

 

[Oeck]

Hi @prozac,

Just reading your introduction and responses on Whirlpool. You are based in HKG. Is this an issue now, or in the future, with China snooping?

Here is the copy/paste from our FAQ -

For the safety of our customers, Oeck is incorporated in Hong Kong ( currently ).
Oeck does not have any servers located in Hong Kong whatsoever.
Hong Kong has good privacy laws at the moment. However, we have no doubt that China will keep chipping away at the rights of Hong Kong citizens, so we expect a "data retention" law to be passed as soon as they can. However, it won't mean businesses need to comply on that same day. It is a very large task so we would expect 12 month period for businesses to comply with the new laws if/when they pass.

Having said that, we like to stay ahead so we are getting everything ready to relocate to Singapore. They have good privacy laws and we believe it will be a suitable country for Oeck. It is not a quick process, but this is what will be best for our users and for us.

I am also interested if my ping rate is affected by being routed all around the world.

Your ping should be almost the same as your ISP, but is many cases it will be better. The reason for this is because we our upstream prvider peers with many major gaming and streaming services. We ran a few tests with users who game and their ping was up to 30% better than their ISPs. Usually this happens with low-quality ISPs. For premium ISPs such as Aussie Broadband, Superloop, etc our ping is basically the same

Regards,
Peter @ Oeck.

 

[prozac]

@Oeck.
I am a VPN babe in the woods so excuse my basic questions. Do I need my own router to make VPN service viable or will it work for me when traveling?

I am contemplating extended traveling. Because I want to continue using my usual email client etc I am thinking of buying a domain name and setting up all the family and business email addresses I will need through this domain. This way I "think" I can then retain these addresses irrespective of the ISP I might choose when i stop traveling. Is this overkill? (Anyone feel free to shoot me down). Will VPN work in this situation?

 

[Oeck]

Hi @prozac,

I am a VPN babe in the woods so excuse my basic questions. Do I need my own router to make VPN service viable or will it work for me when traveling?

You can simply install the VPN software on your device ( iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux ) and connect. You can put it directly in your router if your router supports the VPN feature, but for general and basic use the apps will be better. Just install and connect

I am contemplating extended traveling. Because I want to continue using my usual email client etc I am thinking of buying a domain name and setting up all the family and business email addresses I will need through this domain. This way I "think" I can then retain these addresses irrespective of the ISP I might choose when i stop traveling. Is this overkill? (Anyone feel free to shoot me down). Will VPN work in this situation?

A VPN doesn't really have anything to do with this - unless you are situated in a country where they block traffic ( such as China ). A VPN only comes into play when you need to access "out" of their internet so to speak.

However, it is a very good idea to use your own domain name for an email address. It will cost you roughly $20 per year to maintain and is fairly easy to set up. I would suggest www.namecheap.com for setting up your own domain and mail. I would always suggest not using the email your ISP provides you as it makes leaving the ISP more difficult later on down the track.

You can always use a service such as gmail and hotmail, but I find owning my own mail is much nicer. I have set up emails for my whole family by doing this, and our emails are [email protected] - very neat!

Regards,
Peter @ Oeck.

 

[qaz]

I am contemplating extended traveling. Because I want to continue using my usual email client etc I am thinking of buying a domain name and setting up all the family and business email addresses I will need through this domain. This way I "think" I can then retain these addresses irrespective of the ISP I might choose when i stop traveling. Is this overkill? (Anyone feel free to shoot me down). Will VPN work in this situation?

However, it is a very good idea to use your own domain name for an email address. It will cost you roughly $20 per year to maintain and is fairly easy to set up. I would suggest www.namecheap.com for setting up your own domain and mail. I would always suggest not using the email your ISP provides you as it makes leaving the ISP more difficult later on down the track.

You can always use a service such as gmail and hotmail, but I find owning my own mail is much nicer. I have set up emails for my whole family by doing this, and our emails are [email protected] - very neat!

+1

i started with namecheap but later changed to the cheaper porkbun.com, as well as use Fastmail who are considered (one of) the best and also Australian (coincidentally know the founders from my schooldays)

multiple email addresses are additionally good for privacy/security