Knowledge base
Guides
How the protocols actually work, and what a VPN does and does not change about what others can learn about you. Written for people who want the mechanism, not a sales pitch.
Test your own connection for leaks →84 articles are available in English. The full knowledge base of 133 guides is in Russian.
Setup
6 min read
Happ VPN Client: Download for Windows, macOS, Android and iPhone — What It Is and How to Set It Up (2026)
Happ is a free client for VLESS Reality and Hysteria2. Official downloads for every platform, why the Russian App Store no longer carries Happ and what to install on an iPhone instead, how to add a subscription link and the four settings that fix most problems.
5 min read
INCY VPN Client: What It Is, Where to Download It and How to Add a Subscription (2026)
INCY is a free client on the Xray core for iPhone, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android TV and Apple TV: where to get it, what to press on first launch, how to add a subscription with one link and why the ping column shows «N/A».
5 min read
How to Set Up a VPN Without Telegram or an App Store (2026)
Sign up, pay and configure a VPN entirely in a browser: no messenger, no bot, no App Store region switch. The subscription link goes into INCY or Happ.
8 min read
Choosing a VPN client in 2026: what matters
Which client to pick for Android, iOS, Windows and macOS, what actually differs between them, and which specs are worth ignoring.
6 min read
VPN for iPhone in 2026: Which App to Choose — ProxysVPN, INCY and Happ Compared
Which VPN to put on an iPhone in 2026: ProxysVPN, INCY and Happ compared — where to get each, how it connects, what to check when choosing and what a free service costs you. Our app installs through Apple's TestFlight with any Apple ID region and signs in with an 8-character code.
6 min read
Best VPN for Mac in 2026: Which App to Choose and How to Install It
A VPN for a MacBook or iMac in 2026: ProxysVPN, INCY and Happ for macOS compared, our app installed from the download page in 5 minutes, sign-in with an 8-character code. Requirements: macOS 12 or later, Apple silicon or Intel; a separate build for macOS 11.
6 min read
Best VPN for Apple TV in 2026: How to Install One and Sign In without Typing a Link
How to put a VPN on Apple TV in 2026: the options compared — our ProxysVPN app through TestFlight, Happ from the App Store, a router. A 5-minute install, sign-in with an 8-character code instead of a link, tvOS 17 or later.
7 min read
Best VPN for Steam Deck in 2026: What Installs on SteamOS at All, and a VPN in Gaming Mode
Why an ordinary VPN client will not install on a Steam Deck (read-only /usr, the Flatpak sandbox), which app does run on SteamOS, a step-by-step ProxysVPN install (AppImage) and connecting in Gaming Mode with the controller.
6 min read
Which VPN App to Choose on Android in 2026: ProxysVPN, Happ, INCY and v2RayTun Compared
Which VPN app to put on Android in 2026: ProxysVPN, Happ, INCY and v2RayTun compared — where to get each, how it connects, what to watch for. Our ProxysVPN app is on Google Play, signs in with an 8-character code, has the automatic WataFast mode and runs on Android 8 and later.
5 min read
VPN on Windows 10 and 11: Install ProxysVPN Without Subscription Links or Client Setup
How to put a VPN on a Windows 10 or 11 computer: which file to download (x64 or ARM), what to click on the Edge and SmartScreen warnings, sign-in with an 8-character code, pause from the tray, updates and removal.
5 min read
A VPN for Linux With a Normal Window, Not a Terminal: ProxysVPN for Ubuntu and Debian (deb and AppImage)
A VPN for Ubuntu and Debian with a window and a tray icon: the .deb package in one command or an AppImage with no installation, sign-in with an 8-character code, one password prompt on the first connection, updates and removal.
6 min read
A VPN on Meta Quest 3 and 3S: How to Install ProxysVPN Without the Store — Developer Mode and One APK File
Why VPN apps reach the Meta Horizon store only with Meta's permission, how to turn on developer mode on a Quest, install the ProxysVPN APK from a computer with one adb command, find the app under Unknown Sources and sign in with an 8-character code.
7 min read
What a VPN kill switch actually does
A kill switch is a firewall rule, not a watchdog. Where the real gaps are, why LAN exceptions exist, and why an iPhone kill switch works differently.
7 min read
Split Tunneling and the DNS Trap
Split tunneling is two mechanisms under one name. How routing rules differ from process filters, and why DNS is what actually breaks.
9 min read
VPN Not Working on Windows 11: Fix It by Elimination, Not by Guessing (2026)
A diagnostic order for Windows 11 that halves the problem at every step: routing versus DNS in thirty seconds, what errors 809, 789 and 691 actually mean, the WAN Miniport reset after a feature update, and why a WireGuard handshake failure is never about cryptography.
8 min read
VPN on Windows 7 in 2026: a 5-Minute Setup for 64-bit and 32-bit
VPN for Windows 7: our ProxysVPN app for 64-bit, v2rayN for 32-bit, installed and set up in five minutes. Why modern VPN apps no longer start on Windows 7 and what to do about it.
6 min read
VPN for Windows 8 and 8.1 in 2026: What Still Runs and a 5-Minute Setup
Which VPN runs on Windows 8 and 8.1 in 2026: Happ and V2RayTun need Windows 10, while a separate build of our ProxysVPN app and v2rayN still work on 8.1. A comparison table, step-by-step setup and the usual errors.
9 min read
VPN on an old iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac or Windows PC: what still installs in 2026
Which VPN to put on an old phone or computer: tables by iPhone and iPad model, Android version, Mac and Windows, what installs on iOS 15, Android 5–7 and old Macs, and how to connect a very old device through a computer at home.
5 min read
VPN for an Old Mac: How to Install It on macOS 11 Big Sur (MacBooks and iMacs 2013–2015)
The regular app needs macOS 12, and some Intel Macs stopped at Big Sur. They have a separate file: how to check your system, which DMG to download, install it and sign in with a code.
3 min read
Which ProxysVPN File to Download for Mac: Apple Silicon, Intel or Big Sur, in 30 Seconds
A short table for Mac: how to find your processor and macOS version and which image to pick, for Apple silicon, for Intel on macOS 12 or newer, or for Intel on macOS 11 Big Sur.
6 min read
VPN gone from Google Play in Russia: how to install it
A VPN app is not found on Google Play or says it is unavailable in your country: what Google removes at Roskomnadzor's demand, why an installed app keeps working, how to install the APK file from the developer's site and not fall for a fake.
6 min read
VPN turns off by itself on Xiaomi, Samsung, Honor: what to tap on your brand
A VPN on Android switches off when the screen goes dark or after a restart: the phone's software is saving battery. What to allow on Samsung, Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, Huawei, Honor, OPPO, realme, vivo and Pixel, and how to turn on Always-on VPN.
6 min read
Huawei and Honor without Google Play: how to install a VPN
Huawei phones since 2019 and some Honor phones from 2020 have no Google Play. How to tell which phone you have, how to install a VPN as an APK file, what to do if Pure Mode gets in the way, and why Android apps do not install on HarmonyOS NEXT.
5 min read
Happ Is Gone from Google Play (November 2026): What to Do on Android and Android TV
Happ’s Google Play page returns 404 (checked 3 Nov 2026). An installed Happ keeps working; the APK is on the developer’s GitHub. How to avoid look-alikes.
8 min read
VPN Not Working on Android? Start with the Android 16 Bug Google Has Not Fixed (2026)
Android 16 has an acknowledged always-on VPN fault that drops tunnels silently, and it is the first thing to rule out. Then Private DNS conflicts, battery optimisation killing the tunnel with the screen off, per-app routing, and captive portals.
8 min read
VPN Not Working on iPhone or iPad after iOS 26? What Apple Removed, and the Fixes (2026)
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 dropped legacy VPN algorithms, which silently breaks older IKEv2 and L2TP profiles. Plus on-demand reconnect loops, configurations that refuse to install, iCloud Private Relay collisions, and what Reset Network Settings really clears.
8 min read
VPN Not Working on Mac after macOS 26 Tahoe? Extensions, Removed Algorithms and a DNS Bug (2026)
Three things break Mac VPNs in 2026 and none of them are the app: a system extension that was never approved, legacy algorithms Apple deleted from the built-in client, and a Tahoe interface-ranking fault that leaks DNS while the tunnel looks perfectly healthy.
9 min read
VPN Not Working on Linux: systemd-resolved, Split DNS and the Leak Nobody Notices (2026)
On Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 the tunnel is rarely the problem — systemd-resolved is. Per-interface resolvers, stale scopes left behind after a disconnect, the two commands that show what is actually resolving where, and a kill switch that survives a crash.
8 min read
VPN Connected But No Internet: A Five-Minute Diagnosis for Any Device (2026)
The status says connected and nothing loads. Two commands decide whether it is routing, names or packet size — and each answer leads somewhere different. Commands for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, and what to do with each result.
7 min read
Why Your VPN Keeps Disconnecting: Idle Timeouts, Roaming and the MTU Loop (2026)
A VPN that drops every few minutes and one that drops when you leave the house have nothing in common. Five distinct causes, how to tell which one you have from the pattern of the drops alone, and the fix for each.
8 min read
Running a VPN on Your Router: What It Fixes and What It Quietly Breaks (2026)
One tunnel for the whole house sounds obvious until the router's CPU becomes your speed limit, every device shares one reputation, and the smart TV you did it for is the one thing that stops working. What changes, what it costs, and when a single device is the better answer.
How it works
7 min read
Proxy Types Compared: Residential, Datacenter, Mobile and Premium (2026)
Four proxy types measured rather than described: single-thread and parallel speed, the spread between exits of one pool, rotation versus sticky sessions, picking a country from the login, and why a mobile gigabyte costs four times a datacenter one.
5 min read
Datacenter or Residential Proxies: How to Choose Without Overpaying (2026)
Datacenter versus residential proxies, measured: twice the speed, twice the price, what separates a server-facility address from a home one, and the single question that decides which type your task needs.
5 min read
What is VLESS Reality and how it works (2026)
How REALITY borrows a real site's TLS handshake so the connection looks ordinary from outside, and why no certificate of your own is needed.
5 min read
VLESS Reality vs Hysteria2: which VPN protocol to use in 2026
VLESS Reality vs Hysteria2 compared: TCP against UDP/QUIC transport, latency, and how each protocol behaves on mobile data and crowded Wi-Fi, plus when to switch.
7 min read
VLESS transports: XHTTP vs gRPC vs TCP — what differs and which to use
What XHTTP is in Xray and how it differs from TCP and gRPC: the packet-up, stream-up and stream-one modes, overhead, behaviour on lossy networks, and where ProxysVPN already runs XHTTP.
7 min read
Post-quantum encryption in VPNs: why it matters now
Harvest now, decrypt later: why traffic captured today needs post-quantum key exchange before quantum computers exist, not after.
7 min read
Why a VPN is not full anonymity: the GDID case (2026)
A VPN hides your address but not the identifiers your OS sends outside the tunnel. A real 2026 case and what anonymity actually requires.
7 min read
Sybil filters in airdrops: how wallets get linked
What links wallets to one person beyond the IP address, why shared exit nodes hurt, and how filtering decisions are actually made.
8 min read
What is Xray-core, and how is it different from V2Ray?
Xray-core is the proxy engine behind VLESS, Reality, VMess, Trojan and Shadowsocks. What it is, how the V2Ray fork happened, and whether you need to touch it at all.
8 min read
VPN subscription links: what they are and how to handle
A subscription link is a live settings channel and a credential at once. What it carries, why it updates, and how to treat it safely.
8 min read
Can my ISP see my VPN traffic? What stays visible in 2026
What your provider can and cannot observe once traffic goes through a tunnel: addresses, volumes, timing — and what stays hidden.
8 min read
DNS leak test: what the result actually means, and what it misses
A DNS leak means your address is hidden while the list of sites you visit is not. How it happens, how to test for it, and how to fix it.
9 min read
TLS fingerprinting: how clients are told apart
Every TLS client has a handshake signature. What JA3 and JA4 capture, why mimicking a browser matters, and what it does not solve.
8 min read
Why QUIC and UDP get blocked on some networks
QUIC is fast but frequently restricted. Why networks limit UDP, how to tell it apart from a broken server, and what to fall back to.
8 min read
MTU and fragmentation: the hidden cause of slow VPNs
Pages hang while the speed test looks fine: how a wrong MTU quietly breaks a tunnel and how to find the right value.
8 min read
VPN device limits: how HWID binding works and what it cannot stop
Why services cap simultaneous devices, how the counting usually works, and what to do when a limit hits at the worst moment.
6 min read
What your VPN client leaks locally (2026 findings)
The 2026 Xray client findings: an open control interface and an unauthenticated local proxy. What is fixed and what to check yourself.
6 min read
WebRTC Leak Tests: What They Actually Measure
A leak test prints several addresses and only one of them answers the question. How ICE candidate types, mDNS, and your routing table decide what a page sees.
6 min read
Your browser clock vs your exit address
Why sites flag you: the IANA time zone and locale your browser reports for free, why they contradict your exit IP, and what that costs you.
7 min read
IPv6 Leaks and Why Leak Tests Disagree
A red IPv6 leak result and a green one can both mislead. How dual-stack routing, Happy Eyeballs, and tunnel policy decide what actually leaks.
7 min read
Encrypted Client Hello, explained plainly
ECH encrypts the hostname in a TLS handshake, but only when DNS, the site's provider and your browser all cooperate. What it hides and what it does not.
7 min read
Private Wi-Fi Address: What It Hides, and From Whom
MAC randomization hides you from passive Wi-Fi scanners, not from the network you sign in to. What it covers, what still leaks, when to turn it off.
8 min read
Where Your IP Says You Are: Why Four Databases Give Four Answers (2026)
Geolocation databases do not observe servers, they infer them — and they infer differently. Five exits checked against four sources on 28 August 2026: two agreed everywhere, one moved a French server to the Netherlands, and one put a London address in Tehran.
7 min read
How a Website Decides You Are Using a VPN (2026)
Detection is not one check but a stack of them, ordered by how cheap they are: address ranges, geolocation mismatch, resolver position, TLS fingerprint, timing and account history. What each signal can and cannot see, and which of them you can influence.
7 min read
VPN, Proxy or Tor: Which One Fits Which Job (2026)
Three tools that hide an address and share almost nothing else. What each one moves, who can still see what, what it costs in latency and throughput, and the tasks where picking the wrong one is not a small mistake.
Everyday use
7 min read
VPN with a Russian IP Address: What It Unlocks, How It Works and What It Costs (2026)
Why a European or US server does nothing for RuTube, VK Video, Gosuslugi or a Russian bank, how a Russian exit address in Moscow works, what it costs on the PRO plan and how to set it up so Russian sites actually go through the tunnel.
8 min read
How to Watch RuTube and VK Video from Outside Russia
RuTube and VK Video keep part of their catalogue locked to Russian IP addresses. Why an American or European VPN server does nothing for this, what a Russian exit node costs, and how to set one up in Happ step by step.
7 min read
Which Russian Websites Block Foreign IPs in 2026: A Measured List
We opened 30 Russian sites from 9 data-centre addresses in Moscow, Europe, the US, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Which ones accept a foreign IP, which need a Russian one, and which refuse even Moscow.
5 min read
Mobile Proxies: Why They Cost Four Times More and When That Pays (2026)
Mobile proxies in numbers: where the trust in carrier addresses comes from, why a gigabyte costs four times a datacenter one, how rotation and sticky sessions differ, and the tasks where paying the premium buys nothing.
6 min read
Seed phrases on public Wi-Fi: how people lose wallets
How wallet access is really lost on shared networks, which risks a tunnel removes and which it does not, and what to do before you connect.
6 min read
How to Set Up a VPN for Your Parents When You Live Far Away: Sign-In by Code From Your Dashboard, No Password or Card of Theirs
How to set up a VPN for a mother, father or grandmother from a distance: the device lives in your dashboard and is paid from your balance, and all they do is install the app and type 8 characters. What you press, what to tell them on the phone, and how to help afterwards.
6 min read
One VPN Subscription for a Phone, a Computer and a TV: How Many Devices, How to Add Them and How to Move to a New Phone
How devices work in ProxysVPN: each one is its own card in the dashboard with its own code and its own payment, up to 100 on one account. How to add a phone, a computer and a TV, what it costs, and what to press when you change phones so the paid period and PRO are kept.
6 min read
The VPN Turns Itself Off on iPhone: 6 Reasons and How to Keep It On
Why a VPN on an iPhone switches itself off — another VPN profile, an update or a restart, a change of network, memory in games, an expired TestFlight build, an empty balance — and which iOS and app switches bring it back without you.
5 min read
How to Block Ads on an iPhone Without Separate Blockers: iOS and Safari Settings, and a Filter in the VPN
What an iPhone's built-in settings remove — pop-ups, Apple's personalised ads, tracking between apps — and what only a filter removes. How to turn on the ad filter in ProxysVPN and the Safari blocker, and why ads in YouTube stay.
8 min read
Self-hosted VPN vs a service: the real trade-offs
What running your own server actually costs in time and attention, where it wins, and when buying a subscription is the honest answer.
7 min read
Why VPN users get CAPTCHAs: IP reputation explained
Challenges follow the exit address, not your protocol. How edge services read ASN class, abuse history and request rate, and why sharing an exit has a cost.
6 min read
How Free VPNs Make Money: The Bandwidth Resale Model
Free tunnels get paid for somehow. The mechanism behind bandwidth resale: an SDK, a control connection, and your home address as someone else's exit.
7 min read
Why your VPN speed test comparison is meaningless
A browser speed test picks its own server from your apparent location, so it changes targets when you switch exits. What to measure instead.
7 min read
Windows 7 and 8.1 in 2026: What Still Works — Browsers, Telegram, Games and VPN
Can you still use Windows 7 or 8.1 in 2026? Which browser still gets updates, whether Telegram works, what happened to Steam and which VPN still runs. Checked dates, and what to do so an old computer lasts longer.
4 min read
Mac Stuck on Big Sur: Which Models, and What It Means for Your Apps
Which Macs Apple stopped at macOS 11 Big Sur (MacBook Air and Pro 2013–2014, MacBook 2015, iMac 2014–2015), why newer apps will not install on them, and what to do.
4 min read
App Won’t Open on an Old MacBook: 5 Checks Before You Write to Support
ProxysVPN does not start on an Intel MacBook or iMac: five checks in order, the macOS version, the processor, the open confirmation, a fresh download and the sign-in code.
7 min read
Best VPN for Android in 2026: check it yourself in 5 minutes
How to pick a VPN on Android: seven checks any app passes or fails in five minutes — does it work on your network, what it collects, what permissions it asks for, whether it leaks, whether it survives in the background. And an honest table of how our app does on each.
7 min read
Free VPNs from Google Play: what they collect about you, in their own words
We opened the “Data safety” section of 13 popular free VPNs on Google Play: who shares device identifiers and location with other companies, who collects browsing history and whose data cannot be deleted. And what researchers found.
6 min read
Why VK, MAX and banks on Android ask you to turn off your VPN
Since April 2026 Russian apps check whether a VPN is on the phone. How they see it on Android, why the “outside the VPN” mode does not always help, and what works: the quick toggle in the shade, split tunnelling, a VPN on the router.
8 min read
Public Wi-Fi in cafés, airports and hotels: what the network owner sees and when you need a VPN
What the owner of a Wi-Fi hotspot can actually see, why some networks ask for your phone number, which public Wi-Fi risks are real, what a VPN closes and what it does not, and how to connect step by step.
6 min read
How to Call Family in Russia from Abroad, and Back (2026)
What to call with between Russia and other countries in 2026: what works (ordinary calls, VK Calls, Yandex Telemost, MAX), what is limited and since when (WhatsApp, Telegram, FaceTime, Viber, Signal), what a VPN changes and how to agree on a backup.
6 min read
Ways to Connect Through a Server in Another Country: A Comparison
The service’s own app, a client with a subscription link, your own server, a proxy, Tor and a free app: whom you trust, what you do and the catch. We make ProxysVPN.
8 min read
VPN in Russia in 2026: The Ways to Get One, Where Each Stops and When You Do Not Need One
Which VPN fits Russia in 2026: a service with an app, a client with a subscription, your own server, a proxy. What limits each, how to check the network first and when a VPN is not needed.
8 min read
Telegram Not Connecting in Russia: Does a VPN Help, Which Kind, and How to Check (2026)
Telegram stuck on “Connecting…” or loading media slowly in Russia: a table of what you see and what to do, how to check whether a VPN reaches Telegram, why an old proxy breaks it and what a VPN will not fix.
9 min read
Claude Account Suspended or Asking for ID: How to Appeal
Where to appeal when Claude suspends your account, flags your age or asks for ID: the right form for each account, a template, refunds. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
7 min read
Does a VPN Add Ping? The Arithmetic, With Numbers From Five Servers (2026)
Latency added by a tunnel is not a mystery: it is the detour in kilometres, plus a few milliseconds of processing. Where the delay actually accumulates, why the second leg is nearly free, and how to measure the difference honestly instead of guessing from a speed test.
6 min read
Does a VPN Drain Your Phone Battery? Where the Power Actually Goes (2026)
Encryption is not what costs you power — the radio is. Why keepalive intervals and NAT timeouts matter more than the cipher, which settings genuinely change consumption, and how to measure the difference on your own phone instead of trusting a number from a review.
6 min read
Turkish IP Address: What It Actually Gets You, and What It Does Not (2026)
What changes when your traffic exits in Istanbul, why regional pricing follows your payment card rather than your IP, how to switch the server on in a minute, and the one network path where this location does not work.