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= VPN, Internet, Blocked Websites, and SIM cards for your phone = '''The Great Firewall of China'''<br> As most people know, China censors its internet. The equipment that blocks some internet, and lets other internet through, is called a “Firewall”. There are ways around this, so that people in China (such as you!) can use any website that you like on your phone or laptop. Q: '''What is VPN?''' :“VPN” is a means of securely connecting to other computers. It can be used to get around “The Great Firewall”. Q: I have 10 proxies, 4 VPNs and Tor. Do I need this guide? :Yes: there are times where the international pipes are just too damn clogged! Relying on something overseas during those times may not help you. :To give you a sense of the scale of the problem, tested from a random cafe in Beijing, connected to a 802.11AC network with good signal: :Speedtest.net to Beijing server gives 3ms/93.9Mbps(down)/18.2Mbps(up). :Speedtest.net to US gives 224ms/1.14Mbps(down)/3.4Mbps(up). :It's not just about finding a VPN technology, it's about finding a location with good throughput. :Also, Tor is blocked and China has an army of computer science graduates coming up with automated scripts to block your VPNs. Think about this before you assume it's not blocked. Q. Do I need a SIM card / mobile internet for my phone on this trip? Can’t I use wifi? :I’m glad you asked. It is true that public wifi is available throughout China. However, it usually (not always) requires mainland phone number SMS identification. It is likely that you will have Internet at your hotel but may find it hard to get connected to wifi out and about. Also, for a group of this size, you need to be able to follow developments on the group WeChat and have access to GPS maps, or you will get left behind/lost very early! Q: What doesn't work in China? :Gmail. YouTube. Dropbox. Google Search. Facebook. Line. Twitter. Facebook messenger, Whatsapp, many news sites. :Don't save your VPN passwords and flight details solely in Gmail or Dropbox. Q: What does work in China that might surprise me? :• Most Microsoft services, including Skype and Bing. Bing is your only option for English search. Skype is a great option for calls, China's mobile network is pretty high performance. :• Teamviewer :• Most Apple services work. Apple maps / iMessage works fine, App Store works and has local servers now. Apple News is blocked, even with a VPN, and iCloud services will work. Q. Are there any tricks that will get me uncensored internet 100% of the time? :Yes! The big workaround is to get a roaming SIM card, because all SIM data traffic is tunneled to your country of origin, and you can browse websites like you are back home. Q. Oh, you mean like Google Fi or my carrier's roaming packs? :Google Fi is one option, but it’s important to realize that it may not be the fastest/cheapest. For a start to remain competitive they have to negotiate the cheapest deal possible in each country, so you may end up on a throttled data connection instead of a premium service. :Also, because all traffic is routed back to your provider, your latency may be very high, possibly interfering with using services such as Skype and WeChat voice calls. Q. What are better options? :The better option is to get a SIM card in Hong Kong that is owned by a mainland telecom provider, which routes traffic back to Hong Kong over their carrier owned (hopefully congestion free) pipes. Two such examples are China Unicom and China Mobile. Make sure you are getting a ''roaming to China'' SIM and not a Hong Kong ''ONLY'' sim. :More reading: https://www.larrysalibra.com/hop-over-the-great-firewall-with-government-help/ :There are also other "travel SIMs" that have been tailored for use in China. If it is marketed toward China specifically, then it is probably a good option. One example is the AIS Sim2Fly, but be aware that it may require in person identification in Thailand(!) to use. http://www.ais.co.th/roaming/sim2fly/landing_china.html Q. Will any SIM work in my phone? :Not always. China has historically deployed different radio spectra to other countries (different even from Hong Kong, so just because your phone works when you arrive doesn’t mean it will work in China). In recent times, the situation has gotten better, with iPhone 6 and above and many android phones supporting LTE bands on China Mobile, and China Unicom also supports a wide range of bands (but gives worse service/value than China Mobile). :Please also check if your phone is unlocked by your carrier, as it is common for many phones sold under contract to be tied to a provider. Often if you call them before you leave for China they will unlock it for you for free. Q. How do I tell which SIM card to get? :If your phone supports TDD-LTE, get China Mobile, else get China Unicom. :1. Find out the model number of your phone eg "iPhone 6S: Model A1688" :2. Google "A1688 bands” to find out what it supports :3. If your phone supports (TD-LTE) Bands: 38, 39, 40, 41, you are good to go with China Mobile! :4. Else, get China Unicom. :For more information see: http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/China Q. Can you help me buy a SIM card? :Unfortunently not. We are entering through Beijing, and thus can't buy SIM cards from HK. Q. What are the SIM cards that you recommend specifically? How much do they cost? :If your phone supports TDD-LTE, :China Mobile “CMHK 4G/3G Individual traveller Prepaid SIM Card" :It costs $68HKD($8.69 US) for the SIM, and $168 HKD ($21.48 USD) for each 2GB data pack. :''Make sure it matches the picture below'': it is likely that the cashier will get confused and try to sell you a HK-only local sim instead! :http://www.hk.chinamobile.com/en/corporate_information/Prepaid_SIM/inbound_tourists/4G3Gprepaid-services-individual.html :Before you leave HK and enter China, recharge it online using this website: https://1cm.hk.chinamobile.com/bill/prepaid-refill.html?lang=en and activate a 2GB China & Hong Kong Data Package for $168 HKD. "If your phone doesn’t support TDD-LTE, or you’re just not sure, you can get the China Unicom Cross Border King "https://www.cuniq.com/hk_en/data-card/great-china/cross-border-king-hkno.html "Sim Costs $138 HKD ($17.64 USD) "Data packages are $118 HKD ($15.09 USD) / 1 GB. [[File:HK_SIM.jpg|400px]] <br><br> Q. Where to look for these two cards? :7/11, Circle K 👌 and market stalls selling SIM cards. ''Make sure the photo matches and you are not being given a HK-only-SIM!'' Q: What about getting a local (Chinese Mainland) SIM Card: :Yes, you can do that. but everything will be blocked, and you will need real name registration with your passport and possibly a few hours to set it up. The first time I tried to do this, I thought I was getting prepaid but accidentally signed up for a 24 month plan.. and now I can’t get another due to leaving the country and not making payments. 🤦♂️ I don’t recommend this option.
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