CryptoLab VPN Installation Instructions and Documentation

Thank you for purchasing CryptoLab VPN. Below you will find the CryptoLab VPN installation instructions and some additional documentation.

Once you’ve purchased your CryptoLab VPN Service you will receive a secure email with your VPN configuration files. Use these files to set up each individual VPN connection. You will be issued 5 VPN connections for each VPN connection city. You can mix and match which files you install on which computers or mobile devices.

VPN Installation/Configuration

First, install WireGuard on the computer or mobile device you want to configure for a VPN connection.

Download WireGuard Software

Below you will find documentation on how to install your VPN connection on different types of technologies.

Each configuration file allows one connection.
Once you use the configuration file on one computer, you cannot use it on another.
The configuration files are custom to you and to the VPN it will be connecting to. These connection files do not require you to know a user name or password. The files, themselves, are the user name and password. Keep these files in a safe place after they’ve been issued to you.

CryptoLab VPN Connection Files

The emailed folder will contain 5 connection files for each VPN connection city. You can use all 5 connections yourself or split it with your friends and family. The .conf files & .png files contain your user names and passwords. You never need to use your email address or an account name to log into a VPN. Below is an example of the files you’ll be receiving.

Using the example folder above:

atlantanoads11.conf – A Text file used to create a connection on your desktop computer. This file contains all of the connection information needed to make a VPN connection to Atlanta, GA.
atlantanoads11.png – An Image file used to create a connection on a device with a camera (iPad, smart phone, etc). This file contains all of the connection information needed to make a VPN connection to Atlanta, GA.

Once you have used the atlantanoads11.conf OR atlantanoads.11.png file, do not use them again on any other computer. I recommend that you delete them or move them to a folder labeled “Used”. Do not use either of these files on another device until you remove them from the original device. Once installed, a VPN connection will not need to be re-installed unless you delete the connection on WireGuard.

Naming Convention

In the example above, I have named the files to associate with the VPN connection location. Let’s break down the file name:

atlantanoads11.conf

atlanta = city you are connecting into
noads = ads are blocked 
11 = file number you are issued
.conf = a text file to up load to a wireguard connection
.png = a QR picture to make your wireguard connection

Locations & DNS

Below are the locations of each VPN. You will see that all but the Dallas location have ad and malware blocking. This is in addition to using Quad9 as a DNS provider. You can read below why I’ve selected Quad9 as our DNS provider.

Location	Ad Blocking	Encrypted DNS
Atlanta	Yes	Yes – Quad9
Dallas	No	Yes – Quad9
Newark	Yes	Yes – Quad9
Silicon Valley (Calfiornia)	Yes	Yes – Quad9
London (UK)	Yes	Yes – Quad9
Sydney (AU)	Yes	Yes – Quad9

Why Quad9 For DNS?

Quad9 is a free, recursive, anycast DNS platform that provides end users robust security protections, high-performance, and privacy. It is designed to provide an extra level of end user protection. Quad9 helps to protect users from attacks by automatically blocking against known malicious domains. This prevents your computers and IoT devices from connecting to malware or phishing sites.

From a privacy point of view, Quad9 is specifically committed to protecting the users’ privacy and its service doesn’t retain request data. As mentioned in their FAQ: “When an entity or an individual is using the Quad9 infrastructure, their IP address is not logged in our system”.

Why Would I Want To See Ads?

No one really wants to see ads. But sometimes you have to, to play the game, see the news or just visit a site. VPN connections are not perfect and they can be identified. There are times when websites show you content that might be blocked by ad-blocking technologies. To get around this, you can simply change your VPN connection to the Dallas location. The technology that we use to block ads is not like the ad blockers in your browser. The technology that we use is more in line with how a Pi-Hole works.

What Is A Pi-hole?

You can think about a Pi-hole as a DNS blackhole. I’ll be completing that article shortly and give you the down-and-dirty on how a Pi-hole can help the privacy of your home or work network. But if you want a sneak peak.

How Do They Know I’m Using A VPN?

If you’d like to understand why companies know you’re coming from a VPN, check out my article. It’s hard to obfuscate your IP address when all the data about every IP address lives in a distributed network. Yes, the internet might seem centralized at times, but it really isn’t.

Real IP

What is Real IP? It is a project I’ve been working on conceptually for the last 6 months. It is currently in Alpha testing. Beta testing is not far behind.

Real IP is a concept that might allow us to trick the companies of the world into thinking we are not coming from a VPN, when we actually are. The research I did for the article How Do They Know You’re On A VPN birthed the idea.

This is exciting! I know it can happen; I know it can be done. We can play by their rules and trick their systems. Real IP might become an add-on to the CryptoLab VPN Service, but it will not be part of the current service. This concept is much more capital intensive than the current service. We will see if any investors might be interested. Either way, I like the idea. It’s also one way to see if people make it to the end of some dry documentation. 🙂