VPN services are powerful tools to hide a user’s identity (real IP address) on the internet, as well as encrypt and secure their personal data. Moreover, VPNs are used by lots of netizens to bypass geo-restrictions to be able to unblock and access restricted web content. The very idea of a VPN is masking a user’s original IP address (geo-location) and replacing it with an entirely fake and different IP address that cannot be traced back to the user by ISPs or any other third parties. For example, if you are based in China and want to get access to Netflix, a VPN will provide you with a US IP so it would appear to Netflix servers that you are browsing from within the US, thus, you will be able to view and stream its content.
However, in many cases, even when you are using a VPN, websites can detect your real IP address and restricted your access through their servers. This is called IP leakage, which happens mostly when your VPN is not compatible with your internet protocol version, such as: IPv6 which results in leaking out your real IP address to the internet along with your personal data and your browsing activities. In other cases, your operating system might get mixed up sometimes and sends out requests to the DNS server operated by your ISP, instead of sending them through your VPN tunnel.
On a brighter note, there are several methods to avoid VPN IP leaks. For example, you can subscribe to a VPN that offers a DNS leak protection, IPv6 leak protection or a kill switch, or better yet, a VPN that has its own DNS servers. Moreover, if you are unable to afford an security-advanced VPN service, you can monitor your VPN’s performance by regularly running IP leak tests.
Best Websites to Check for IP Leaks
In this section, we will review the best websites out there that will help you check if your VPN leaks your IP address or not.
1- Doileak
Doileak is a super sleek and user-friendly security testing website that can help in detecting the most common leaks. In just one click of a mouse you run a leak test that does not only fish for IP leaks, but also checks your browser, connection, IPv6, DNS, SSL traffic, WebRTC IP leaks, torrent IP & DNS leaks, HTTP leaks and many more. Doileak gives accurate and detailed results which makes it one of the best IP leak testing website on the internet. However, the only downside is that it does not provide much information about browser testing.
2- Whoer
Another fantastic service to check if your having an IP problem is Whoer. Whoer is a very popular tool to conduct IP leakage tests. Once you visit their website, you will be greeted with a sheet of your test results in comprehensive details. Whoer takes pride in the services they provide as they clearly state on their website,
“The main and the most powerful side of our service is the interactive checking by Java, Flash and WebRTC, allowing to detect the actual system settings and its weaknesses, which can be used by third-party resources to find out the information about your computer.”
3- ipleak
Powered by AirVPN, ipleak is another tool to detect if your VPN is leaking your IP address or not. Similarly to Whoer, only less attractive, ipleak greets you with your test results. Not only is your IP checked for leakage, but ipleak also checks if you are suffering from DNS and WebRTC leaks.
Conclusion
There is no such thing as a perfect, flawless system. No matter how strongly encrypted your VPN service provider is; there is always a room for flops and risks. That is why it is better to be safe than sorry. By using IP leakage tests, you will be able to be absolutely certain that you are anonymous, secure and untraceable on the internet. Furthermore, we highly advise not relying on one IP test tool, but rather combine more than one tool to get as accurate results as possible.
