VPN Reviews

iPortal VPN Review – Unlock US and UK Based Premium Services

By Paul Liu
Thursday, August 8th, 2013

iPortal is a UK based VPN service provider. Launched in 2009, the company has positioned itself as a provider that allows people to access premium location restricted content from anywhere. In this thorough iPortal VPN Review, we will evaluate all the features of the service and decide if it is worth the subscription price.

Server Locations and Site Access

iPortal has VPN servers in United States and United Kingdom. While the choice of server locations is indeed limited, the service allows people to unlock premium web services that are available only within US and UK as well as bypass ISP and network based firewalls. Once you subscribe to the service, you would be able to unlock Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Demand 5, iTV Player, NBC, CBS, Amazon Prime, NFL, MLB, 4OD, Lovefilm, Dramafever, MTV, HBO Go, Fox TV, Xfinity and Vudu from any corner of the world as well as access your favorite sites like Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, YouTube, Gmail, Google Voice and Skype from your university, organization or a country like China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Brazil. The country provides country specific VPN service so it is not possible to unlock content from both US and UK with one VPN subscription.

VPN Speed and Bandwidth

iPortal does not impose speed or bandwidth restrictions on its customers. The service is ideal for online activities that require high speed and bandwidth such as streaming of TV shows and movies, downloading, VOIP and online gaming. The service doesn’t support P2P activities so it cannot be used for securing bittorrenting sessions.

Privacy Settings

iPortal delivers 128 bit encryption through PPTP and L2TP/IPSec protocols. Although these two protocols are considered less secure than the OpenVPN protocol, they will help you to secure your browsing, FTP, mailing, messaging and VOIP activities. The company also offers a hotspot protection facility to protect your passwords, banking details, social accounts and identity from hacking and theft while you are connected to low security Wi-Fi networks at airports, malls, public parks, coffee shops and hotels. The company does not monitor users’ browsing sessions and it will not hand over customer information to anyone unless compelled to do so by the legal authorities.

Supported Operating Systems

The iPortal VPN service is compatible with Windows (7, XP, Vista), Mac OS X, Linux, iPads, iPod Touch, iPhones and Android based Smartphones and tablets. The company offers a custom VPN client for Windows based computers but other operating systems and devices require manual configuration. The setup process is easy thanks to the detailed instructions provided by the company.

Customer Support

The company offers customer support through live chat and email. The support staff even provides remote assistance through teamviewer but you need to fix prior appointment for such sessions. The company has published troubleshooting information for common VPN errors so you should be able to fix many errors on your own.

Pricing Options

iPortal’s country specific, unlimited bandwidth plans are available from 5 EUR per month (50 EUR per year). The company offers a 24-hour free trial to all new customers which should give you an idea about the capabilities of the service. The company offers discounts to students and senior citizens and for customers buying multiple accounts but they are available only on annual subscription plans.

Final Verdict

iPortal is clearly a decent choice for customers who wish to unlock US and UK based premium content. While the service does not offer too many server location choices or a provision to switch servers, it is affordable and offers discounts for special cases. We recommend checking out the 24 hour free trial to see if the service meets your privacy needs. For more information, please visit: www.iportal.me.