Why Hotspot Shield VPN Won’t Work on My Mac
Hotspot shield VPN is one of the most popular VPN applications on iOS and Mac OS X. The free version supports up to three devices and has a dedicated portal where you can access servers around the world and choose which countries you want to protect your data from. But there are some small yet important details that you need to know about this app if you’re going to use it:
It Only Supports Certain VPN Protocols
Hotspot shield VPN does not officially support all VPN protocols. In fact, not even the free version does. The paid version of the app supports five VPN protocols: SSTP, L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN, LZO, and RC4.
These protocols are already supported by Mac OS X and iOS — and you don’t need a specialised VPN client to use them. So while you can connect to servers supporting these five protocols with Hotspot shield VPN, using other protocols — like PPTP or Socks5 — will not work without some extra steps.
You Need To Enable Remote Management For It To Work
Another issue with Hotspot shield VPN is that you need to enable remote management for it to work. You can’t just open the app and start using it like usual. To enable remote management, you must click the “Settings” button at the bottom of the app and opt in to allow remote management.
This option is not available by default, and it will show up as a red banner at the top of the Settings screen. You must click on this banner and opt in to allow remote management before you can use the app. If you forget to do this, the app will display the “No Remote Management Mode Available” alert every time you start it up.
It Doesn’t Work With Proxy Servers
Hotspot shield VPN doesn’t officially support the use of proxy servers, and it won’t let you define a proxy server in the app. If you want to use a proxy server with the app, you will need to do it manually. Open your web browser and type https://m.hotspotshield.com into the address bar. This will open a dashboard of the app where you can see your active VPN connections and choose which country you want to connect to.
From there, click on the gear icon at the top right of the screen and choose “Use a Proxy Server.” Enter your proxy server’s IP address and port number and click on the “Connect” button.
From now on, whenever you connect to the internet via Wi-Fi or on a cellular network, your traffic will be tunnelled through the specified proxy server. As a result, your IP address will change, and all the websites you visit will think you’re coming from a different country.
It Can Be Dangerous To Use If You Live In A Country Where Your ISP Supports Throttling
If you live in a country where your Internet Service Provider (ISP) throttles file-sharing, it can be dangerous to use an application like Hotspot shield VPN because it will almost certainly slow down your internet connection if you’re using it to stream video or download large files. This is not something the developers of the app consider when they design it, so it’s not a supported use case.
ISPs in some countries will throttle users who are sharing too much bandwidth, so if you’re not from one of these countries and you have an active VPN connection to another country, you could easily get into trouble with your Internet Service Provider.
The Developers Of The App Aren’t Objective-C Experts
Objective-C is, by far, the most popular programming language on macOS and iOS, and it’s used to create Hotspot shield VPN. As a result, the developers of the app aren’t very experienced in terms of working with native iOS APIs, and many of the problems people encounter when using the app are due to a lack of knowledge about how iOS and OS X work.
If you’ve ever tried to use an application for the first time and encountered a lot of problems, chances are you’re not the only one. If you’re reading this and thinking it might be a good idea to try out this VPN application, but you’re worried about the small amount of documentation available and the apparent lack of knowledge about Objective-C among the development team, you’re probably best avoiding using this app.
When it comes to using VPN apps on Macs and iOS devices, there aren’t many options available, and even fewer that work well. Hotspot shield VPN is one of the more popular options because of its easy to use interface, but it also happens to be one of the worst when it comes to working with VPN servers and VPN protocols. Not only that, but the documentation for the app is minimal at best, and many people use outdated documentation.
If you’re serious about using a VPN app on your Mac or iOS device and want something that works well, you’re better off either installing and setting up a dedicated VPN client like the excellent Wirecutter, or using a VPN provider’s website instead of an app.
Wirecutter is a free app that was designed with security in mind and doesn’t require any special installation procedures. You can use it on both Macs and iOS devices and access all the servers your provider has to offer, with all the encryption you could want.
If you’re interested in trying out new types of VPNs or need an easy way to connect to a bunch of servers at once, the Wirecutter app is probably the best choice. There are also a few VPN providers that offer dedicated servers for Wirecutter users, so you can take advantage of this feature and cut out the app’s middleman status entirely.
Now, if you want to use a VPN app on Mac OS X specifically, you have a couple of options, and they both have their pluses and minuses. On one hand, you can use NordVPN’s Safari extension, which will automatically connect you to a VPN server when you visit a website that’s using their CDN. On the other hand, you can use IPVanish’s VPN client, which is one of the more popular VPN apps on the market. While the look and feel of VPN client for Mac OS X is quite similar to that of Hotspot shield VPN, the functionality is very different. In general, it’s a very powerful tool when it comes to connecting to VPN servers and using encryption.
Where Can I Buy VPN Acess For My Mac?
If you want to buy a VPN that works well with your Mac, your best bet is by searching for the ‘best VPN for Mac’ on a popular review website or forum. The problem is that not all VPNs that work well with your Mac are created equal. Some companies that produce VPNs for iPhones and Androids are just as likely to break down or malfunction if you use them with your Mac. As much as possible, you want to purchase a VPN that was specifically designed for and tested on Macs.
This brings us to our next point…
Only Use The Free Version If You’re Okay With Limitations
Hotspot shield VPN is one of the more popular and well-known VPN apps on the market, and one of the reasons behind its popularity is the fact that it’s free. While we don’t recommend using the free version for any purpose, it’s perfectly capable of doing what it was designed to do: provide internet privacy for users via a VPN connection.
If you have a need or want to try out a VPN app and don’t require any specialized features, the free version of Hotspot shield VPN should be your top pick. Just keep in mind that it has its limitations. Specifically, it only supports up to three devices, it doesn’t allow for remote management, and it lacks certain features found in paid versions of the app. So, while it might be free, you’re getting less than what you’re paying for.
If You Do Install The App, Use The Help Of Others
We can’t advise you on how to use any application, including this one, but if you do install the app and decide to give it a whirl, it’s important that you seek out help. There are a few different places you can go to get help, including forums and blog posts where other users have documented their experiences with the app. Just remember: if you contact the developers of the app and explain your situation, they might be able to help. Sometimes getting the app to work can depend on finding the ‘optimal’ settings for your computer or mobile device, so they might have to take some time to see if they can figure it out.