Making sure that your torrent IP address is not seen by others is an important step to enhance the security of your connection. VPNs have become a must-have for torrenting since they protect your online traffic from monitoring and allow you to access content anonymously. If you don’t use a VPN or any other tool to hide your real IP address, it will be exposed and every peer in the torrent swarm will be able to see it. Furthermore, it is likely that popular torrent swarms are being monitored by third parties and they could log your IP address. Hiding you real IP address is essential to avoid being targeted by monitoring groups and in this guide, you will learn how to do it.
What is an IP address
Let’s start by focusing on the definition of an IP address. It stands for Internet Protocol address and it is a unique number that is used to identify a specific computer or internet connection. Every website has its own IP address or addresses and when you enter the URL into your web browser, it actually searches for the IP address linked to that URL and then loads it. If you know the IP address of a website, you can even visit it by entering the IP address into the browser. A specific IP address is also assigned to every internet connection and this allows a website or torrent peer to know where to send the data requested whenever a webpage is loaded or a file is downloaded.
When you have a home network, all your devices will show the same IP address. Your IP address is assigned by your ISP and it is shared across all the devices that use that internet connection. Your IP address can provide information about your Internet Service Provider and your location. If someone looks up your public IP address, they will be able to see your approximate location. There are multiple tools and websites that allow you to check your IP address including whatismyipaddress.com and ipchicken.com.
Tools to stay anonymous
VPNs are the most complete solution to secure your torrent activities, but proxy servers are another way to keep your identity protected. Both options change your IP address and they offer different features that can be useful for torrenting. A VPN changes the IP address of your entire connection and it encrypts all your traffic. You can connect to a variety of servers, which allows you to get multiple IP address locations. Many providers offer proprietary software that is very easy to use and that allows you to establish a connection with one click.
The main downside of a VPN is that it can slow down your connection due to the encryption applied. In addition, if the VPN disconnects, your real IP address may be exposed. To address this, many leading providers include a kill switch in their software. This tool shuts down internet applications in case the VPN connection fails, which prevents your real IP address from being exposed.
When it comes to proxy servers, anonymous Socks5 proxies are the most convenient solution for torrenting. A proxy changes the IP address for one application and it doesn’t encrypt your data. Generally, you can only connect to one server location, although in some cases you may have more options. You would need to set up the proxy manually but this is not too complicated and you only need to do it once. The main benefit of a proxy over a VPN is that it is faster. However, the fact that it doesn’t encrypt your traffic can cause concern among privacy conscious users.
VPN for anonymous torrents
With a VPN you can easily hide your torrent IP address. Once you sign up for a VPN service and install the software, all you need to do is to connect to the server of your choice. When choosing a VPN, it is important to look for an option that is torrent-friendly and that doesn’t keep logs of your online activities. Speed is another important factor to consider. Although VPNs tend to slow down your connection, there are services that have managed to offer fast performance, which is important for torrent users. The below VPN services provide efficient performance, high security and they don’t keep logs of what you do on the internet.
Private Internet Access
PIA is known for its affordable prices and it is also a comprehensive service in terms of security. They protect your online traffic with 256-bit encryption and offers strong security features such as kill switch and DNS leaks protection. PIA doesn’t keep logs of your online activities and it allows torrents. You can connect up to 5 devices using a single account, which is another reason why PIA is one of the services that offer the best value for money. When you create an account, you are only asked to provide your email address and they accept anonymous payment methods such as Bitcoin and gift cards.
TorGuard
TorGuard is designed to provide high protection and privacy for Torrent users and it offers features that will help you to keep your identity protected, without compromising speed. Their privacy policy establishes that no logs are kept of any aspect of your connection or traffic, which is another reason why they are ideal for torrenting. In addition, DMCA takedowns are handled internally and they have servers in over 50 countries. Apart from its VPN, TorGuard offers an anonymous proxy plan that supports SOCKS5, SSH, HTTP and SSL.
VPNArea
VPNArea is another convenient solution for torrent users thanks to its advanced security features such as DNS leak protection, shared IPs, Kill Switch and anti-IPv6 that ensure that your identity and location are kept safe. You can access servers in 60 countries and keep your real IP address concealed. The speeds of the service are very good and their no logs policy will give you peace of mind when you are torrenting.
