Contents
Blog
Blog
Practical guides to reaching overseas services when they are blocked, and a series that explains how networks and VPNs work — starting from what happens when you open a web page.
How-tos
- ChatGPT Not Available in Your Region? 2026 Access Guide Why ChatGPT doesn't work in some regions, what you need before signing up, step-by-step sign-up on web and mobile, and how to fix "Access denied" and endless verification checks.
- GitHub Slow or Unreachable? Fixes That Actually Work Why GitHub is slow and flaky in some regions (DNS interference, congested international links), the pros and cons of hosts-file and mirror workarounds, how to speed up git clone, releases and raw files, and how to fix SSH timeouts on port 22.
- Can't Open YouTube? How to Watch in HD and Fix Common Problems Why YouTube is blocked in some regions, how to watch it on a computer, phone or TV, how to fix buffering and low resolution, plus YouTube Premium, downloads and comments that won't load.
- Best VPN for Restricted Networks in 2026: What Actually Works Why most VPNs struggle on heavily restricted networks, the five things that decide whether a VPN keeps working there, how we measure and publish our own availability from real home broadband, and how to get set up before you travel.
Explainers
- What Happens When You Open a Website? Between typing an address and seeing the page, your browser runs a DNS lookup, a TCP handshake, a TLS handshake and an HTTP request. This guide walks through each step and ties it together in one sequence diagram.
- The OSI Model and TCP/IP Layers Explained Why networks are built in layers, what each of the seven OSI layers does, how the four-layer TCP/IP model the internet actually uses maps onto it, and how a packet gets wrapped and unwrapped on its way.
- Common Network Protocols Explained: IP, TCP, UDP, DNS, HTTP, TLS, QUIC The seven protocols you rely on every time you go online — which layer each one lives in and what it does — with three sequence diagrams showing a TCP connection's life, how DNS looks up a name, and why QUIC is faster than TCP + TLS.
- What Is a Proxy? Forward, Reverse and SOCKS5 A proxy is a middleman that forwards network requests for you. Learn the difference between forward and reverse proxies, which layer HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies work at, what a proxy can and can't see — with three sequence diagrams of how they work.
- What Is a VPN? How It Works and Which Network Layer It Uses A plain-English explanation of how a VPN works — the encrypted tunnel, which network layer it operates at, how virtual network adapters capture your traffic, and what a VPN can and can't protect you from.
- VPN vs Proxy: What's the Difference? VPNs and proxies both forward your traffic, but they cover different amounts of your device, encrypt differently and work at different layers. A comparison table and sequence diagram explain the difference — and why modern apps combine a virtual adapter with rule-based routing.
- What Does HTTPS Actually Encrypt? Who can see unencrypted traffic, how symmetric encryption, public-key cryptography and certificates fit together with minimal maths, and a step-by-step sequence diagram of what HTTPS protects, what it still exposes, and what a VPN adds on top.
- System Proxy vs TUN Mode: Three Ways to Route Your Traffic Why do command-line tools and games ignore your proxy? A system proxy relies on programs opting in, while TUN mode uses a virtual adapter to capture all traffic at the network layer — and global vs split routing decides what happens next. Compared step by step in a sequence diagram.
- Split Tunneling Explained: Why Local Websites Should Connect Directly Once you're connected to a VPN, not all traffic should take the long way round. Split tunneling checks each connection against an ordered list of rules and sends it direct, through the tunnel, or blocks it. Explained with a post-office sorting desk analogy and a step-by-step sequence diagram.
- DNS Poisoning and DNS Leaks Explained: Why Websites Fail to Load When a site won't load or shows a certificate error, the problem is often the very first step — looking up the address. DNS poisoning gives you the wrong IP; a DNS leak sends your lookups outside the VPN tunnel. Explained with an asking-for-directions analogy, how to test for each, and how a VPN client handles DNS, with a sequence diagram.
- Why Is My Internet Slow at Night? How Peak-Hour Congestion Works Overseas sites load instantly in the afternoon, then spin and drop video quality every evening? The cause is usually not your home broadband but the shared long-distance links behind it. Explained with a rush-hour bridge analogy — queues, packet loss and how TCP slows down — with a sequence diagram, a back-of-the-envelope table and what you can do about it.
- Latency vs Bandwidth: Why Speed Tests Look Fast but Web Pages Load Slowly Your speed test says hundreds of Mbps, yet pages take seconds to load? A speed test measures how thick the pipe is; loading a page depends far more on how long the water takes to arrive and how much leaks on the way. Explained with a water-pipe analogy, a sequence diagram counting the round trips behind one page, a back-of-the-envelope table and ways to test it yourself.