Hotspot Shield is a free program that allows you to secure your connection while surfing WiFi hotspots and to access sites not normally available outside of the USA, like Hulu and Pandora.
How does it work?
To secure your internet connection, Hotspot Shield creates a Virtual Private Network (a secure connection, usually abbreviated to VPN) between your computer and the Hotspot Shield developer's website, Anchorfree, based in the USA. This connection makes websites think that you are based in the US.
Everything is done in an extra tab open in your browser, so there's no need to configure anything. A green and red shield in your system tray indicates when Hotspot Shield is or is not connected. The VPN is encrypted with 128 bit SSL encryption so you can surf safely without worrying about others intercepting your data.
Accessing blocked sites
The major reason why users are flocking to Hotspot Shield is because it allows you to view US websites that are usually restricted to people who don't live there. This is particularly useful for video sites such as Hulu or region-restricted restricted videos on YouTube.
Hotspot Shield generally works very well. It is ad-supported, however, and be warned that it tries to install a toolbar, although you can opt out of this. If you've got Expat Shield installed, you'll also need to remove it before installing Hotspot Shield. Bear in mind that surfing with Hotspot Shield is noticeably slower than normal, but it's fine for streaming video from video sites such as Hulu.
Hotspot Shield now includes malware protection meaning that while using it, you shouldn't get infected by anything that may damage your system.
If you'd like an app that allows you to access other types of blocked and banned sites, check out the rest of our VPNs and access apps here.
Hotspot Shield is easy to install and a useful way of accessing sites and protecting your privacy.
