Cutting The Coax — Mac Geek Gab 881

Cool Stuff Found starts the day here, with things for printing webpages, controlling your trackpad/mouse, and organizing your life. Need a VPN at home? Your two favorite geeks have got you covered! Plus, the cable companies have priced it such that cutting the cord isn’t enough. Listen as Dave tells John — and all of you — what he’s learned. Press play and learn five new things!

‘ProtonVPN’ Introduces a New Smart Protocol Selection

ProtonVPN got an update on Tuesday with a new feature called Smart Protocol Selection. It will automatically detect and use the VPN protocol that works best on a given network, such as OpenVPN and IKEv2. This update also prepares the app for something called VPN Accelerator which will be in a future update. There are new Info buttons to provide additional information about features and supported streaming services, and the VPN connection stability has been improved.

Digging into Apple's iCloud Private Relay

At this week’s WWDC Keynote, Apple announced iCloud Private Relay, a privacy feature aimed towards further separating you and your browsing activity from people who want to track and collect data about you. iCloud Private Relay works for anyone with an iCloud+ subscription using iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, and when enabled it protects all your Safari browsing, all DNS queries, and any insecure web traffic from other apps.

SurfShark VPN 2-Year Subscription: $42.74

We have a deal on a 2-year subscription to SurfShark VPN for Memorial Day. This service features unlimited data, military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption, and IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols. The company also has a no logging policy. Two years with SurfShark is $42.74 through our Memorial Day sale.

 


Surfshark VPN 3-Year Subscription: $83.99

We have a deal on a subscription to Surfshark VPN, a service that offers Military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption, support for IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols, and unlimited simultaneous connections. A 3 year subscription is $83.99 through our deal, and the deal listing has 2 and 4 year options, too.

You Can Now Use Orchid VPN Starting at a Dollar

Orchid VPN now costs as little as US$1 to get started with the service, the company announced on Thursday.

With Orchid’s iOS and macOS app, users simply buy VPN credits for $1, $5 or $20, which is then turned into a XDAI-backed account. Once the user’s VPN is active, users are only charged for the bandwidth run through the VPN, with no recurring monthly or annual subscription fee, in stark contrast to other VPN offerings. The current market rate for Orchid service is only $0.06 per GB.

A pay-as-you-go blockchain-based VPN is an interesting service.

Mozilla VPN Arrives on macOS and Linux

After rolling out on platforms like Windows, Android, and iOS, the Mozilla VPN arrives on macOS and Linux for US$5/month.

The Mozilla VPN isn’t the cheapest option on the market. However, Mozilla has said that, because it uses fewer lines of code than other VPNs, the service is faster than many rival ones. You can connect to more than 280 servers in more than 30 countries via the VPN without any bandwidth restrictions.

I think US$5/mo is definitely one of the cheapest VPNs on the market.

Repairing iCloud Syncing — Mac Geek Gab 825

Should you update? That’s always the question, isn’t it, regardless of whether it’s hardware or software or both. This week John and Dave answer your questions about both, specifically when it comes to Apple’s offerings. That’s not all, of course. Your two favorite geeks roar through a tour of your questions, tips, and Cool Stuff Found, including segments on repairing iCloud syncing, backing up your music the right way, diagnosing CPU spikes, and more. Press play, and enjoy learning at least five new things, all while remaining perfectly socially-distanced!

Keep an Eye Out: Mozilla VPN to Launch in Near Future

Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser, announced Thursday that its Mozilla VPN product is launching in the next few weeks.

We are working hard to make the official product, the Mozilla VPN, available in selected regions this year. We will continue to offer the Mozilla VPN at the current pricing model for a limited time, which allows you to protect up to five devices on Windows, Android, and iOS at $4.99/month.

You can sign up to join the waiting list here.

HideMyAss VPN 2-Yr Subscription: $79.99

We have a deal on a 2-year subscription to HideMyAss, a VPN featuring 256-bit AES encryption and a strict no logging policy. The subscription is good for unlimited installs with up to 5 connections at once, and 2-years is $79.99 through our deal.

WireGuard VPN Gets Added to the Next Linux Kernel

I briefly mentioned WireGuard when I wrote of Cloudflare’s WARP beta. I think it’s something to add to your technology watch lists. It’s just not any old VPN app, it’s a VPN protocol that could very well replace current protocols like IPsec and OpenVPN, or at least be offered as an alternative. You can read the technical whitepaper here [PDF], along with this write up from Ars Technica.

WireGuard will now operate as either a Loadable Kernel Module (LKM) or built statically into the kernel itself. But whether static or loadable, it will be “in-tree”—which means it’s provided ready to go with the vanilla kernel itself, with no need for repackaging by the various distros. This puts it on the same footing as other supported drivers.

KeepSolid VPN Unlimited 3-Year Subscription: $42.50

We have a deal on a 3-year subscription to KeepSolid VPN Unlimited. The subscription includes unlimited connection speeds and traffic bandwidth, access to more than 400 VPN servers in more than 70 locations globally, access to VPN protocols IKEv2, OpenVPN, and the company’s own technology KeepSolid Wise, and more. This subscription is $50 through our deal, but coupon code SPRINGSAVE15 brings the checkout price down to $42.50.

Sneak Peek: Here’s How a NordVPN Server Works

TechRadar Pro teamed up with NordVPN to give people an idea of what exactly goes on inside of a VPN server. It’s a fascinating glimpse into a technology ever-growing in popularity.

The session revealed that NordVPN’s Linux servers are configured with various tools that enhance security, privacy, and authentication. FreeRADIUS is used for authentication, while the squid proxy software is also used. SaltStack is used for correct server configuration, controlling the infrastructure.