Not sure if it was just released today, but I got the email update about it just now. I’m pretty excited about this because I mostly just want VPN for web browsing, and the linux app kinda sucks.
Ngl, I’m very surprised and very pleased proton has lasted. They seem to be on track to remaining sustainable and true to their stated goals.
I haven’t run their paid tier VPN yet, because of the linux issues, but the free tier always worked well when I was between providers and deciding who to go with.
What Linux issues are those?
No wireguard. Unable to launch on login for some DE.
Wireguard is up. Cannot speak to the other instances.
Also slow ass GUI, no auto-connect on startup. I wrote a script for this. Luckily the offer a CLI
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I don’t use the Client, but the OpenVPN scripts. No problem so far.
You already got the answers I was going to give lol.
In a recent e-mail they mentioned an open Linux dev position, so hopefully the Linux client will catch up soon enough!
I just picked and set up 4 or 5 different Proton VPN profiles in my network manager so I can jump onto one with a couple of clicks. It’s overall been great. Occasionally one I connect to is overloaded and I have to jump to another one. I don’t stay connected to VPN, just when I want/need it.
What’s the advantage of using the VPN via the browser extension instead of the VPN app (in my case, the MacOS app)?
VPN can sometimes be unreliable. I’ve gotten disconnected from zoom meetings when using the zoom app and a system wide VPN. Also have lagged during online gaming. The extension could be useful if you are only looking to increase web browsing privacy, while keeping a better network connection for other programs.
Isn’t this what split-tunneling is for though?
Ah, yeah I guess so. I don’t think that was available on the linux app which is the only one I used on a non-phone, so I didn’t think of that…
It’s no advantage, just a matter of preference and use case. The VPN app tunnels all network traffic of your Mac while the browser extension just tunnels your browser’s traffic. Some people just want the browser’s traffic to be tunneled through the VPN connection.
It is a question of whether you really need all your traffic going through a VPN. Your app might support split tunneling. VPN browser extensions such as Proton, Mullvad, and Brave will only route that browser’s traffic through VPN. Since I am running Linux, a DNS resolver and am generally off of most corp and government servers, my need for VPN is more limited. I activate ProtonVPN extension in Librewolf browser where I open news sites. I use other browsers without VPN for safe stuff such as my own and friendly fedi sites to get full bandwidth. I use split tunneling on Android to similarly exclude safe apps from VPN for a private and efficient setup.
That’s nice but we are still waiting for the Proton Drive Client :(
Pretty neat. Paid plans only, though.
I only use paid VPNs, but I generally want all traffic to go through them because it’s hard to not have “random” stuff go out otherwise.
Their paid plans are really sweet tho. If I pick servers close to my location I get sub 40 ms ping, even tunneling through two servers, and you have basically unlimited bandwidth. Easily > 500 MBit/s.
And that’s only like 7.something €/$ per month, including all their other stuff, (500 GB cloud storage, E2EE calendar, multiple mail addresses and whatever else is to come).
That does seem like a pretty good value. Once drive is usable, I may just have to get a paid plan.
Providing a VPN service isn’t free. If the VPN service is free then you’re the product and privacy isn’t what you’re looking for.
How does Proton VPN compare to Mullvad? I’ve been using them for years and they really are anonymous. You don’t even provide an email to create your account.
If you’re satisfied with mullvad, i would stick to it. The main problem it runs into is that it doesn’t support port forwarding which is an issue if you use torrents a lot. That’s the main advantage that proton reserves.
There’s a lot of trust involved when using a VPN. Besides accessing things that are region blocked when you use a VPN you’re basically say “Here VPN company, look at all the connection im making” and you just have to hope they’re not logging anything. They might even tell you they’re not logging anything but how can you really know? And what is their intention is to not log anything but they fuck up and don’t implement that correctly?
It’s great to be critical, but if at the end you throw up your arms and go without a VPN you’re significantly less private.
You don’t need to stop every single attack vector - not even browsing on Tails will do that. But to go with a good VPN provider who has a history of not handing over data when subpoenaed is good
Where can I find that good VPN provider? My ISP is “doing work” and that always makes me realize how vulnerable my household is to spying eyes.
I’d love to add a VPN to my home router (Opnsense) which continues to give me all the same features, no loss of speed, and complete privacy.
Ideas?
Bit late but both Mullvad and Proton are good. Neither work on the router level though; I don’t know of any excellent ones that do off the top of my head
Proton or mulvad
This is a very good point.
Yeah Linux experience with proton vpn has been hit or miss. I’m excited to try this out!
I’m liking that it auto connects on browser start up, to the same server I had last used. It was a pain on the Linux desktop client to always go searching for country, then my favourite server, to connect.
Works great for Netflix!
I don’t like proton products. It feels like a false sense of security
Can you explain this? Are you vulnerable because they are too mainstream?
If Proton cared about privacy for VPN for clients, they would remove the login requirement and make ProtonVPN an anonymous services.
If there are concerns about abuse for the network, that’s way the login, how could they figure that out without seeing people’s traffic.
I use RiseupVPN and CalyxVPN for being open source and anonymous.
Until ProtonVPN removes login in their free client, it is not an option.
Counter argument, if your VPN is free, you’re the product
Not with RiseuoVPN, they ask for donations in the app to run the free service.
Proton is open source
Ok, I accept that ProtonVPN is open source. The free service is not anonymous, that’s a deal breaker for me.
You are looking for Tor in those cases not a centralized VPN service. A centralized VPN service is good for reduced visibility with the understanding that they can be more easily compromised (the more you pay the more they can work to make that not the case).
I was surprised with how well RiseUp performed when I used it.
