How to use TunnelBear

28.02.2023 13:16
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It is difficult to imagine the use of public internet portals and social networks without VPN programs. Regulatory bodies in many countries can block access to various types of websites for residents of certain countries.

It is not possible to bypass regional blocking without the use of VPNs and proxy servers. Let's take a look at one such program called TunnelBear, its features, where to download it, and how to use it.

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What is TunnelBear used for?

TunnelBear is one of the first freemium VPNs released in 2011 by the Canadian company TunnelBear Inc. In 2018, the service was acquired by the American software security company McAfee.

Currently, the service is available on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices. On personal computers, it is released as a program and as an extension for the Google Chrome and Opera browsers.

Data transmitted through the VPN service is encrypted with AES-256, and the services connected through TunnelBear routes will not recognize the user's real IP address. This allows the VPN to bypass regional blocks implemented by any country in the world.

How to install TunnelBear

First, you will need to download the TunnelBear client for your platform. The Windows client can be downloaded from our website, the official TunnelBear website, or the developer's Telegram channel. The Android and iOS applications are available on Google Play and the AppMarket, respectively.

To download the browser extension, follow these steps:

Open the Google Chrome browser and sign in to your Google account using a Gmail email address.
Go to the Chrome Web Store at “https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions”.
In the store search, enter the query “TunnelBear”. Then, select TunnelBear VPN from the search results.
On the service page, click “Install” at the top right corner. In the dialog box, click “Add extension”.
After that, the TunnelBear extension will be available in the list at the top right corner of the browser, next to the address bar.
If you want to disable the extension in the future, click the dropdown menu at the top left corner of the browser, select “More tools”, and go to “Extensions”.
In the list of available extensions, find TunnelBear VPN and toggle the switch to the off position.

To install the Windows program, you will need to run the installer, choose the installation path, and click the “Install” button. In the pop-up window, you will need to allow the program to make changes to the system and wait for the installation to complete.

How to use TunnelBear

After installing TunnelBear, it will automatically launch and prompt you to enter your account information. Since most users do not have a TunnelBear account, you will need to enter your email address and password, check the box indicating you have read the user agreement, and then click the “Create” button.

To familiarize yourself with the client's operation principles, TunnelBear will present several slides highlighting the key features of the program. Finally, you will need to verify your account by clicking on the link in the email sent to the email address you provided during registration.

To connect to TunnelBear VPN, follow these steps:

Launch the installed TunnelBear client.
The first tab with the planet icon will display a map showing the available server locations to connect to.
At the top of the program, there is an “On/Off” button to enable or disable the VPN. Next to it, you can choose the connection type based on speed. The default option is “Fastest”.
To connect, click the corresponding button - the TunnelBear client will automatically connect to the fastest server based on your provider's route.
To manually connect, you will need to select a location on the map representing the country and click the “Turn TunnelBear On” button.

After connecting, your network address will be replaced with the IP address of the country you connected to with TunnelBear. To verify that the replacement has actually been made, you can visit the website “2ip.ru” and check the “Your location” field for the country and city. The current IP address will also be displayed.

When using TunnelBear, it is important to understand that the service can significantly limit the actual connection speed. For example, your internet service provider's plan may offer speeds of up to 600 Mbps. When using a VPN, the transfer and reception speeds can decrease by half or even two-thirds (200-300 Mbps), and the latency (Ping) can increase by 10-15 times.

Main program settings

The TunnelBear settings can be found in the “Settings” tab, which can be accessed through the wrench icon. There are four main sections: General, Security, Trusted Network, and Account. In the General section, you can set the client to launch on system startup, show notifications for connection and disconnection, and switch to background mode while connected.

In the Trusted Networks tab, you can define/exclude connections to public Wi-Fi networks. In the Account tab, you will find basic information about your plan and user account.

TunnelBear pricing

TunnelBear VPN has a pricing structure that involves monthly payments to remove the limitations of the free version. The service costs $9.99 per month, $4.99 per month for an annual plan, and $4.17 per month for a two-year plan. The table below provides a detailed breakdown of the pricing plans.