Questions about VPN protocols and Clients using in China

VPN
1

Hi everyone! I’m from China and I’m currently using SurfShark VPN to bypass the Great Firewall (GFW). However, I’m experiencing some issues with the SurfShark app on both my mobile devices and desktops/laptops. As a workaround, I’ve resorted to using the manual setup method, which is working perfectly fine for me.

On my iPhone and M1 Mac Mini, I’m currently using the IKEv2 protocol, while on my work PC desktop, I’m using OpenVPN.

When I reached out to SurfShark tech support, they informed me that OpenVPN is recommended for macOS devices instead of IKEv2. They suggested using Tunnelblick on macOS to manually set up OpenVPN. However, I have personally tried using the OpenVPN Connect application, and it works flawlessly.

I have a few questions regarding the differences between OpenVPN and IKEv2. Why is OpenVPN recommended for macOS over IKEv2? Does using IKEv2 or macOS pose a higher risk of data breaches? Additionally, I’d like to know why I should use Tunnelblick for the manual setup of the VPN client instead of OpenVPN Connect.

Thank you for your assistance!

2

Why china have so much restrictions on internet. Internet is a basic human rights.

3

Hi. I’m Chinese user of surfshark. Both of my Mac air and iPhone use IKEv2 protocol manually. And it works. I don’t use OpenVPN and Tunnelblick.

4

Hey there!

Thanks for your post. Here is a short response from our side regarding your questions:

  • We recommend using IKEv2 protocol on mobile devices primarily, as smartphones don’t have the hardware resources of PCs and laptops.
  • Regarding data breaches, all 3 protocols within Surfshark’s servers have similar (high) security levels to protect the data.
    More info about all protocols is available here: https://surfshark.com/features/surfshark-vpn-protocols
  • As for the use of Tunnelblick instead of OpenVPN Connect - it’s mostly a preference thing :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: You can use Surfshark on all applications that are built to support OpenVPN protocol client connections, though.
5

Because in any non-democratic state the authorities have to create a monopoly on information so they would stay in power and brainwash their citizens for as long as possible

6

Thank you so much for your detailed response! I really appreciate the valuable information you provided.