Hotspot Shield

A newer version of Hotspot Shield is available.

• 4.0 stars

  "Effective IP Masking"

  August 5, 2012  |   By DHHarte

  Pros

  1) Masks my IP to appear in the US (but not where I actually live) even if I leave the country
  2) Enables access to paid services when I'm travelling that normally can't be accessed outside the country
  3) Easy to click on and off as needed

  Cons

  1) Too many ads - note the banner ad can be removed by using the Chrome extension Ad Block. But it also opens your browser every so often to show you it's web page (haven't found a way to prevent this yet).
  2) Can cause problems logging into some programs that react to unusual login patterns (such as MMO games, especially those with authenticators and Gmail). The MMO problem requires disabling the shield, while the Gmail problem can be remedied by logging in via web browser (after doing this once I have not had to do it again to use Outlook or Windows Live)
  3) Be alert during installation that it will change your default browser to IE if you do not uncheck this option.

  Summary

  A useful tool if you want to appear to be in the US when you aren't, or if you don't want your location tracked in general. Major irritations with the free version have simple solutions if you don't want to upgrade. The only thing I haven't been able to do is stop it from opening it's own web page every so often (though strangely this only happens on my laptop, not my desktop - if I find out why I will update my review). This is a minor annoyance for the privacy it affords and the ability to access my paid American services during my frequent absences from home.

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