Privacy & Security 6 min. read

How to get an Israeli IP address with a VPN

How to get an Israeli IP address with a VPN

Digital privacy shouldn’t be put on the back burner just because you’re traveling abroad. Below, you’ll find a guide to getting an Israeli IP address using a VPN. This not only helps hide your browsing habits, but also means you can access Israel-only services from anywhere. 

How to get an IP address from Israel in five easy steps

  1. Before we begin, you’ll need a Premium or Family Premium subscription. Head over to our sign up page to get started
  2. Download the Hotspot Shield app, making sure to add it to any device you use regularly
  3. When you’re ready, log in and select one of our Israeli servers
  4. Wait until the screen changes, indicating that you’ve connected successfully
  5. That’s all there is to it. The websites you visit will now think you’re in Israel. What’s more, your internet traffic is encrypted, meaning it’s hidden from anyone who might be watching

How can using a VPN in Israel help you?

There’s actually a fairly lengthy list of people who can tell what you get up to online. Most offices and public wifi hotspots keep activity logs that can be traced back to a specific user. Your Internet Service Provider does too, and can even hazard a guess at your activities based on the way your traffic looks. This allows it to reduce your speeds when you do things like streaming or torrenting. 

A VPN helps keep your activities anonymous by hiding you behind a new IP address. Additionally, they encrypt your data, meaning it can’t be intercepted by anyone with the (effectively uncrackable) decryption key. This can help prevent an attacker from stealing sensitive information like login details and also makes it significantly less likely that your ISP will throttle your connection.

Cybercriminals target people all over the world, but some countries are more attractive targets than others. In fact, in the first half of 2021, Israel suffered more than twice the number of cybersecurity attacks than the global average. This problem continued throughout the rest of the year too, with Israelis submitting over 600 percent more ransomware samples for analysis than the year prior. 

Hotspot Shield doesn’t just protect your browsing history, it protects your devices too. It does this by scanning sites for malware, preventing you from inadvertently infecting your system. Notably, we don’t just account for shady websites (although we block more than three million of these automatically) – our malware-prevention also checks to see if legitimate websites have been compromised. Finally, Hotspot Shield detects phishing sites for you, meaning you can login to all of your favorite services without worrying about whether the sign in page is real or not. 

Here’s why Hotspot Shield is the best VPN for Israel

Not all VPNs are built equally. In fact, there are plenty that don’t even have servers in Israel! It’s also not uncommon to run into unresponsive support staff, usage restrictions (such as a blanket ban on torrenting), or vaguely-worded logging policies. Needless to say, none of these inspires confidence. 

Hotspot Shield does things differently. We’ve specially optimized servers for streaming and gaming so that there’s as little guesswork as possible. Users are free to torrent as much as they like on any server, and our privacy policy is clearly laid out for anyone to see. We also provide around-the-clock support just in case you run into any issues.

Fast, secure servers in Israel

One of the biggest complaints users have about VPNs is that they’re too slow. This is understandable: nobody wants to deal with laggy streams or random disconnections, after all. There’s no need to worry, though; Hotspot Shield’s network has been finely tuned to provide the fastest, most efficient connections possible. We’ve even developed our own protocol, Hydra, which is quicker than OpenVPN, even over long distances. 

So how fast are we talking? Well, during Ookla’s Speedtest Awards, Hotspot Shield was actually found to increase speeds by 26 percent, whereas its rivals decreased speeds. In real terms, we were 2.2x faster than the VPN in second place, delivering an average speed of over 400 Mbps.

How to stream Israeli TV using a VPN

If you use public hotspots often, you may have noticed that certain services are inaccessible. This is because the hotspot owner is able to place whatever limits they like on the kind of content you can see. For instance, you might not be able to use Facebook at work, torrent in a cafe, or access a particular online game while staying at a hotel. 

After connecting to a VPN, your traffic becomes unreadable, which stops this kind of web-blocking from working. As such, you’ll be able to securely stream Now 14, Kan 11, Channel 13, Netflix, Sdarot, Disney+, and more, wherever you go. 

How to change your IP address in Israel (or anywhere else)

Just follow these steps to get an Israel IP address as you travel:

  1. First off, open the Hotspot Shield app
  2. Click on the arrow in the Virtual location box to open the server list
  3. Type “Israel” (without the quotation marks) into the search bar or scroll down until you see Israel in the list
  4. Click the Israel button, then hover over “israel” on the following page. Click Connect on the right-hand side of the screen.
  5. The app will now try to connect you to the best-available server. Once a connection has been established, the screen will update to show your new IP address and various other pieces of useful information like your top speed and how long you’ve been connected.
  6. You now have an Israeli IP address, meaning you can access Israel-only services from anywhere. Your traffic is also encrypted at this point, so there’s no need to worry about hackers, your ISP, or hotspot owners monitoring your activities. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I watch with an Israel VPN?

There are a handful of streaming services that require an Israeli IP address for you to watch anything, and plenty more that have entirely different content for users in Israel. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can watch while connected to an Israeli server:

  • Sdarot
  • Channel 13
  • Kan 11
  • Now 14
  • Channel 12
  • Netflix
  • Disney+
  • Amazon Prime Video

Do I need a VPN if I live in Israel?

We believe that everyone could benefit from greater online privacy, regardless of where they live. Simply, your browsing habits are nobody’s business but your own. Connecting to a VPN keeps your ISP, employer, or government from keeping tabs on your activities, which can only ever be a good thing. Further, with Israel being so frequently targeted by cybercriminals, it’s a good idea to use some kind of malware and phishing protection (both of which Hotspot Shield offers). 

What else can you do with a VPN?

VPNs are primarily privacy tools but they can help you in several other ways as well. Normally, if you login to your online banking service from abroad, you run the risk of having your account temporarily restricted. However, with a VPN active, you can make it appear as though you’re still at home, potentially saving you a call to the bank. 

Some ISPs have been caught reducing their customers’ speeds when they stream or torrent. However, a VPN’s encryption prevents them from identifying the telltale signs of this activity, meaning they’re much less likely to deliver slower speeds than you pay for. 

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