Did you know that even an iPhone and iPad have an IP address. Everything you use to connect to the internet, even your television, has an IP address. This is how other users find you, and websites know where to send the information you request. But though your IP is an essential part of using the internet, it can also restrict what websites you are able to view. In some cases, it can be your main security risk.

Websites Restriction

There are basically two types of restriction you can run into. One, is that your ISP restricts the kind of websites you can access. One obvious example would be Chinese ISPs blocking Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Other recent examples in The West would be The UK and The Netherlands blocking The Pirate Bay. Many other examples exist and are country specific.

The other type of restriction you can run into is websites blocking you. What's that? You're not good enough for their website? Ha! No, it's nothing like that. Some streaming websites block users outside the country because distribution contracts require them to. Others do it as a broad brush stroke to block regions where spam originate.

For both of these above examples, hiding your real IP address and replacing it with an approved IP address is the way to unblock websites. To unblock the sites, you need to know why you're blocked. In the case of China, any country IP address that doesn't block these websites will get you access. In the case of streaming video, you'll have to see what IPs are approved. Hulu only approves US IP addresses. Netflix has many versions, including a US version, Canadian version, and UK & Latin American versions.

Security on Shared Networks

One thing that many people aren't aware of is that when you connect to a shared network, your main security risk is that basically anyone can monitor your online activity. With the right packet sniffing software installed, they can watch and intercept your traffic. With very basic computer skills, they can find out your passwords and other private information.

The best way to protect yourself in this situation is to encrypt your data and disguise your identity on the network. Data encryption is one feature of all virtual private networks. Hiding your IP is another feature. This is why virtual private networks are the preferred way to protect yourself while using an iPhone and iPad on shared wifi.

Virtual Private Networks

Other wise known as VPNs, this is the answer to both issues listed above. If you need to hide the IP of your iPhone or iPad to gain access to blocked sites, a VPN will bypass more firewalls and provide you with a more believable 'virtual' IP address. In the case that you need to hide IP for security, a VPN will provide you with encryption and invisible tunneling to block out malicious users on shared networks.

For an iOS device, PPTP is a fast way to change IP on iOS, and is preferred for accessing streaming video or downloading online. For security on shared networks, L2TP is the preferred VPN because it has more advanced tunneling and encryption.