Hi there. In this article I will cover how to change your IP address. Since you did search to get to this page, you probably have a good idea why you want to do so. Anyway, I will list a few of the reasons/benefits of doing so. If you want to read up on what an IP address is to start with “again you probably know”, visit our IP tool page. Your IP address is your unique identifier on the Internet. Think of it as a digital fingerprint. This means that ISPs, hackers and other parties can trace you back to your devices. In order to hide your real IP by changing it to another one. This IP cloaking procedure is normally done by connecting to a VPN provider. Once done, your IP is spoofed and your real identity is cloaked.
There are multiple reasons why you might want to change your IP address :
- Change your geolocation, that is your IP address does define your online geographical location. Changing it has the following benefits :
- Get better deals in online stores, as there might be deals that differ country to country, or from city to city.
- Bypass sport event blackouts. MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL to name a few
- It allows you to access online content that might be blocked. Think, change your Netflix library, access free channels such as BBC or accessing paid channels that provide more value for money than your cable provider.
- Bypass censorship and/or bans “think forum bans, game bans”
- Protect your home network and your devices from hackers
- Hide your identity if you are torrenting or downloading torrents “I do not recommend torrenting”
- Prevent your ISP and other parties from snooping your traffic.
The most popular option to get a different IP is a VPN. It allows for geolocation changes and for add protection by encrypting your traffic. If you know what a VPN is, our site has a special deal with the ExpressVPN. If you want to know more about VPNs please read on :
A VPN, the easiest way to change your IP address?
A VPN, virtual private network, is a secure method of sending your internet traffic through another server over the Internet. It creates a digital tunnel in which all your traffic passes through and gets encrypted in. This happens upon connecting to a VPN server. Your traffic gets rerouted through that server, and the endpoint of your traffic is the IP of the server you are connected to. This has two benefits
- You change your IP location/address to that of the server. If you are using a reputable VPN you have hundreds of locations to choose from.
- You add a protection layer to your traffic, since the traffic between your device and the VPN server is encrypted. This mitigates the risks mentioned above.
Doing so is quite easy. Follow these steps to get the IP address of any country you want:
- Sign up with a VPN provider (preferably ExpressVPN).
- 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 Here.
- If all is well, you will now appear to be using the web with the IP address of another country.
Unlike proxies which are mentioned below, VPN can be enabled on ALL of your devices, either through download an app or enabling VPN on your router.
That is it, you have changed your IP location/address and encrypted your traffic, it is quite and easy process with many benefits. We do evaluate tens of VPN providers regularly and post our findings. See our review process here. The table below shows our top picks based on a keen review.
- 30-Day Money-back Guarantee
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Apps For All Your Devices
- 24/7 Live Support
Any other methods to change your IP ?
There are other ways out there to change your country location, such public proxy lists. But that is asking for trouble, as you dont know who runs those proxy lists and if that operator is intercepting and reading your private information.
- Proxy sites are normally overloaded and traffic is quite slow
- You can only use the proxy site on a browser and not across all your devices
- A proxy site does cost a lot of money to run, you have to question yourself, how does the site cover it’s costs “Think selling your data ?”
One more option is to use the Smart DNS Service of the VPN provider. The main differences are :
- Your traffic is not encrypted.
- It is easy to setup, for some devices that do not support VPN such as your Smart TV this is your only option.
- You can not access all the Internet as if you appear from one country. See the next point.
- Smart DNS Traffic does NOT reroute all your traffic, it only reroutes small portions. This is beneficial if you only want to change your IP location to access a streaming channel that is blocked in the country you currently reside it. I.e. imagine you are on vacation in Spain and you want to watch BBC Iplayer.
Now What ?
I did mention the obvious, if you have more ideas please let me know.There are many benefits to changing your IP. As said you can use a ExpressVPN encrypt and send all your traffic through the VPN tunnel, this adds security and privacy. If you simply want to access a media site such as BBC, Netflix or Hulu go for the Smart DNS Proxy Service of the same VPN provider, only the parts related to the media channel are re-routed. For me proxy site are a big No-No Let me know if you have any questions.
I want change Kenya to Tanzania
0pen may ip
Hi Tanya, in your tests what VPN performed the best?
Hi Zohair. ExpressVPN was head and shoulders above the rest.
I love the site