In case you are looking for a free tool to hide your IP address, here is a good news: recently, a new proxy tool was released – Free Hide IP. It’s a small tool that changes your browser proxy settings and redirects your Internet traffic through various proxies.

According to the developer, “It is a lightweight and useful software designed to protect your privacy when surfing the Internet by changing your IP address. The software will protect your Identity and Prevent tracking of your online activities.”

Free Hide IP Features

• Protect and hide your identity through hiding your IP address.
• Changes your IP address.
• Unblocks restricted websites

The usage is very simple: after the installation, a small window is shown that allows you to hide/show you real IP address and to update your proxy list. It easily configures Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Free Hide IP Tested

I have tested it for about an hour and I think it has some potential. It’s simple to use, but there still bugs to be fixed and features to be added.

My main concerned is related to the fact that Free Hide IP uses open proxies, so it’s NOT 100% safe to use it. Open proxies may hide your IP address, but you never know who owns them and whether they monitor the traffic or not.

Before using open proxies you should also read Risks of using a proxy site. As it is said, “Better safe than sorry“.

Update 4/9/2010: After installing the tool, I had trouble with an adware/spyware called MyWebSearch. I’m not 100% sure that it came with Free Hide IP, but it’s highly possible. So, take care with this application.

>> Free Hide IP – No longer available

SmartHide main features

SmartHide exposes 2 core features:

1) It protects your identity by hiding your IP address;
2) It encrypts your current network connection.

The application is not intended to change IP address many times, but to hide IP address using one of the secure servers to give every user a protected anonymous surfing.

What is SmartHide Free Trial Edition?

The new SmartHide Free Trial Edition allows evaluating the power of SmartHide Service. In order to access the trial, all you need is to download SmartHide Free Trial Edition and install it on your computer.

The installation is smooth with no confirmation E-mail, no multiple forms to fill, or secure passwords to remember. All you need to do is enter your E-mail during the installation, and SmartHide will do the rest. Just a few clicks and SmartHide is ready to use.

Trial SmartHide account is alive for 3 days after the registration. As soon as the trial period expires, one can register a full version of SmartHide.

Limitations of the SmartHide Free Trial Edition

Here are the limitations of the new SmartHide:

• 1 USA shared server (used by all trial users);
• No ability to send emails using SMTP protocol;
• It is impossible to visit HTTPS websites;
• Time in use limitation (periodical disconnections with a trial server);
• The option “Automatic connection” is not available for the trial server;
• The option “Reconnect” is not available on the trial server.

How to install and use SmartHide

SmartHide has a very easy-to-use interface and is very simple to set up. The first step you need to do is to register for one of the available packages:

• Personal Subscription ($14.95/month)
• Prepaid License – ($9.95 – 1 month)
• Regular Subscription ($9.95/month)

Then, you need to access the Members Area. After the authorization, you can download the latest paid version of Arovax SmartHide. During the install, you will be required to enter your login and password.

As I previously said, the user interface is very intuitive. You need to choose an IP address/location and then press Make me invisible. When you need to return to the normal browsing press Make me visible button.

The available IP addresses are from United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Malaysia. The last ones did not work for me, but the US servers are quite good (as you can see below in the speed test results). I was able to even watch Hulu smoothly.

Speed test for US server:

Hulu with SmartHide

Watching Hulu with SmartHide:

SmartHide allows port forwarding

Port Forwarding is a technology, which allows connecting from the Internet to your local Computer behind NAT (NAPT). The access is achieved by means of directing traffic of certain Ports from external IP address of a router to a chosen computer in the local network.

Such forwarding is necessary if you, for example, use peering networks or are in need of setting up a server with access to the internet on a local computer. Also, port forwarding is often needed for multiplayer online games (MMOG).

SmartHide Portable Edition

SmartHide Portable Edition allows you to turn ON quickly a safe data transfer in different public places and internet access points all over the world even easier than ever before!

SmartHide Portable does not require installation! Just insert your flash card and launch SmartHide and stay protected and anonymous in the Airports Worldwide, Hotels, Cafes, Wi-Fi Zones and other places to access World Wide Web. Wherever you are – it takes just one button click to get access to blocked web-resources around the World and gain complete anonymity and personal information protection.

Arovax SmartHide Portable Edition is available free of charge for all current clients of SmartHide Service and can be downloaded from SmartHide Members Area.

SmartHide Personal USA IP Service Features

Here are some core features of the Arovax SmartHide Personal USA IP Service:

• Personal Dedicated USA IP address on a powerful and extremely fast server with Unlimited traffic;
• Personal Support Manager;
• Access and Visit US-Only Restricted Websites (Hulu, YouTube, Pandora, Veoh, ABC, CW) from Outside of United States;
• Personal IP address in any spot of the Planet;
• Safe data transfer in the Airports, Hotels Worldwide and everywhere you use SmartHide;

SmartHide Mobile VPN features

New SmartHide VPN has many interesting features that make it very useful for Internet users. General features of SmartHide VPN:

1. Every active SmartHide user gets SmartHide VPN free of charge. From now on, every active and new SmartHide user can use standard SmartHide for PC or Mac, and SmartHide VPN for iPhone, iPad and for any Android device.
2. IP address stays the same. It means that SmartHide registered user will be able to use the same IP address that he owns in standard SmartHide Subscription for any tablet or Android device. This fact makes it possible to get several connections to the same SmartHide Personal IP from PC/Mac and from a mobile device. It is very useful if you surf sites connected to a particular IP.
3. As always, SmartHide protects internal and external Internet traffic through its encryption. It secures regular Internet data and the data going through the free Wi-Fi access points in public places.
4. Everyone can set up SmartHide VPN on any device that supports the PPTP protocol. It can be iPad or Android smartphone.

All in all, SmartHide VPN will help every SmartHide user to access favorite sites and apps from anywhere on the Internet on PC/Mac and smartphones/tablets without extra charges with unlimited bandwidth. SmartHide secures HTTP(S) browsing for all your apps and protects your privacy and security.

You can use SmartHide Mobile VPN all your iOS and Android devices including iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. You just need to register any available subscription and choose a preferable instruction for setting up SmartHide VPN.

>> SmartHide

Hide My IP 5.0 is the most user-friendly edition of the Hide My IP series ever produced, as announced by My Privacy Tools team.

Let’s take a look at the main features of the new version and see how you, the readers of How-to-hide-ip.info, can get a $5.00 discount.

Hide My IP 5.0 main features

• Protects your online identity more effective than previous versions
• Major interface changes and improvements to make the program easier to use and understand and reduce problem occurrences.
• Major fixes and bug eradication causing an entirely new, streamlined performance for the software and your system
• More available IP’s
• 128-Bit SSL connection encryption
• Improved location selection
• IP Randomization with SmartSwitch
• Supports all web browsers
• Select IP country and city (with Premium Service)
• Increased performance and compatibility

How to use Hide My IP 5.0

With Hide My IP 5.0, installation is simple and once installed. First, you have to go to Hide My IP site and then download the product. If you are using an anti-virus solution it is possible to get a warning message after installation.

When Hide My IP starts, click the Hide My IP button on the face of the software and you’re good-to-go!

– No need to change browser settings
– And, no need to alter any of your system settings
– More, no need to change router or WiFi settings
– Lastly, no need to modify any other programs already installed on your computer

Hide My IP 5.0 discount for How-To-Hide-IP.net Readers

My Privacy Tools team offers a $5.00 discount off the purchase price of Hide My IP 5.0 for the How-to-hide-ip.net readers. The coupon will only be good for 72 hours (3 days) from today, 27th of January.

Here is how you can get the discount:

1. Go to the order page.
2. Check on Hide My IP 5.0 and proceed with the order.
3. In the next screen click on Have a coupon code?

4. Enter the HowToHideIP coupon.

5. Proceed with the following steps.

To sum up, the new Hide My IP is what we have expected from My Privacy Tools team: better usability, higher speed, more IPs. Excellent release!

>> Hide My IP 5.0

One of the goals of this blog is to review various hide IP tools that are available on the market and offer useful guidelines for those seeking online anonymity. Today, it’s time to take a look to Hide The IP, an application that I’ve added some time ago in the list of hiding IP tools, but never had the time to evaluate it.

Hide The IP main features

Hide The IP is a nice and effective application that is able to change your real Internet address while browsing the Web. The software delivers fresh anonymous proxy servers every time you activate the program.

Hide The IP allows you to:

• Easily hide your identity.
• Select your IP location.
• Surf the web anonymously.
• Hide your IP in E-mail headers.
• Surf websites which are restricted for your country like Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, Twitch, Spotify, Pandora, Youtube.

How to run Hide The IP

Firstly, you have to download and install Hide The IP. If you are running Vista you need to have admin rights for your account. Next, start hiding your IP address.

You’ll get a fake IP address and all browsers configured to use it. The user interface lets you select the type of proxy you want to use (Transparent, Anonymous or Elite) and the speed. In the trial version you can not choose the location/country of the proxy, so you get a random IP address every time you press the refresh button.

Advanced options

Advanced options are also available:

• Surf without cookies
• Hide referer info
• Change user agent
• Disable browser cache

Pros and Cons of Hide The IP

Pros

• Effective hide IP tool
• The proxies are fast
• Works with all browsers smoothly
• There are proxies from various countries like Poland, Austria, Germany, Thailand, Serbia, Jordan.
• Easy installation and user-friendly interface.
• It has a premium service that exposes private faster speed servers.

Cons

• Only 3 days of free trial.
• During trial server/proxy changes are limited and the country location is disabled.

>> Download