Did you know that Estonia was rated as the number one country in the world for internet freedom? It's no surprise that there are a decent number of users online that would like an Estonian IP address for browsing, downloading, gaming, chatting, doing business, or even just sending emails. It's possible to change your IP address, so you can have an Estonian IP address regardless of which country you're in right now. (In case you were wondering, the number two country on that list was The US).

VPNs or Proxies

You've probably heard about proxies. You might not have heard about VPNs. They are similar in some ways, and different in others. The list of their differences is long, and I could (and do) write whole articles about it. Basically, a VPN is more private, more secure, and will work with more programs. Proxies can also change your IP, and are best used as a temporary fix. For long term, reliable use, it's best to use a VPN to get an Estonian IP.

What you can do

Basically, using a VPN gets you internet access just like you're in Estonia. For an Estonian abroad, this is great. You can surf in your native language, you can access local Estonian sites, and websites/users will think you're in Estonia. It's like having your body in one place, but your computer in another.

You'll can have peace of mind in public wifi zones that you won't be hacked, cracked, or tracked. VPNs encrypt your data. In fact, many people use them not to change IP, but to secure their phone or computer while using public wifi. You could be IN Estonia and want to use a VPN without getting an IP from a different country. In this case, you'll still need to find a VPN service with VPN servers in Estonia.

What you can't do

Some software, sites, and apps that you're used to using may not work with your Estonian IP. For example, if you're in The US and you connect to the internet with your Estonian IP, you won't be able to connect to Hulu and Netflix, which require a US IP. The same applies to other countries that restrict web content based on IP address. One option to solve this problem is to sign up for a service that offers port forwarding. This means you can assign your local IP to some programs, and the VPN IP to other programs. Maybe you can assign a US IP to Chrome, and an Estonian IP address for Firefox.

VPN Protocols

Not all VPNs will work with all devices. Luckily, most VPN services are pretty cool about switching, and some even offer full access to all VPN servers, regardless of protocol. I would advise PPTP for someone looking to stream Estonian TV or for a faster browsing experience. If privacy is your goal, then you can use L2TP for Android or iPhone, and OpenVPN for Mac, Windows, and Linux (PPTP can be used for all of the above).