Hotspot Shield is a free program that allows you not only to secure your connection while surfing the net, but also to access sites not normally available outside of the USA such as Pandora and Hulu.
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.
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 and is not connected. The VPN is encrypted with 128 bit SSL encryption so that you can surf safely without worrying about others intercepting your data.
The major reason why users are flocking to Hotspot Shield though is because it allows you to view sites in the USA that are usually restricted to outside users. This is particularly useful for video sites such as Hulu or restricted videos on YouTube.
Hotspot Shield generally works very well. However, you do have to put up with an ad banner at the top of your browser although you can close it. In addition, it tries to install a toolbar at the beginning although you can opt out of this. If you've got Expat Shield installed, you'll also need to remove that first before installing. Also, 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.
Hotspot Shield is an easy to install and use way of accessing sites that are blocked in your region.
