Is there an issue with VPN or my understanding of how it works?

CanDor-ESM

I have recently installed Bitdefender Premium security and activated VPN. I am in Canada and I use a website that is restricted to the region I live in... If I am outside of that region then I cannot get access. But when I connect to the closest VPN server to me (which is in a different part of canada and outside of my region), or to a server in a foreign country, I can still access the site... How is this website able to verify my IP and allow me in???

Alexandru_BD

Hello @CanDor-ESM and welcome to the Community!

So, you are in Canada and wish to access a website that is restricted in your area? I hope I got this right.

One of the advantages of using a VPN is that geo-restricted content can also be accessed, thus in this regard it seems to work as expected, from your description. If you connect to a server from a location that is not blocked or restricted by the respective website, then yes, the connection can be succcessful.

Certain websites practice geo-blocking as a way of limiting access based on the user’s geographical location. Geo-blocking is done by identifying the IP address. Therefore, as a first troubleshooting method when encountering this, you change your VPN server to obtain a new IP and potentially bypass the restriction. Keep in mind that certain services have mechanisms that block VPN traffic, so regardless of the server used, they may detect a VPN connection and block it. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do in this scenario.

I hope the information is helpful.

Regards,

Alex

CanDor-ESM

Hello Alex,

Thank you for the reply but I don't think I properly explained the issue in my initial post. When I said this site is restricted to my region, I meant that it is only available to people in my region. Like I said, I am new to Bitdefender and I'm playing around to see how things work.

I am currently in my home region without a VPN connection and the website in question is available to me (Not blocked). There is no VPN server in my home region so I am forced to connect to servers in Toronto or Montreal or Vancouver or ???. The IP I get from these servers are all in locations that should be blocked by the geo-restricted website but I am still able to access the site and I'm just wondering how that is possible?

Regards,

Alexandru_BD

I think it depends on the site setup and their accessibility policy when it comes to vpn usage. The Bitdefender VPN server list includes 53 countries across the globe and for Canada you can choose between Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. In some countries, there are also virtual locations and this means that servers are hosted in other parts and plug in Canadian IPs so that you can actually connect in Canada, but these are very few and designed only as a backup in some countries, depending on the available infrastructure. The location is chosen randomly, but also based on server load in your area or surrounding areas. If VPN servers are under heavy use in Canada, for example, the location will move further and further away until it finds a server that is less strained. This will help streamline the connections and will ensure proper network speeds are met.

Without knowing the sites or applications you are trying to access and their VPN detection mechanisms, it's difficult to answer why sometimes you can connect with or without VPN.

Regards