Help
Links
Here you can find setup information for your chosen VPN and also how to fix any problems you might encounter.
You can use the Table of Contents on the right hand side of this window to navigate between the different sections.
This guide is out of date, it is being updated.
Please contact us for configuration files that support Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04
Step 1
Download StreamVia OpenVPN Config Bundle, using the link below:
Step 2
Retrieve your VPN username and password, if you are a new member this is contained in the StreamVia Account Information email you received after ordering.
Step 3
Click the Ubuntu icon and a search box should appear, type Terminal in the box then click the Terminal icon
Step 4
Enter the below command inside the terminal window then press enter on your keyboard
sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn-gnome
Step 5
Enter your Ubuntu/computer password when prompted, this is not your StreamVia VPN password. There will be no characters or *'s shown on the screen this is normal, when entered press enter on your keyboard.
Step 6
When prompted with Do you want to continue? enter Y then press enter
Step 7
When OpenVPN has finished installing you will be returned to a screen like the below, click the red cross in the top left of the Terminal window to close it
Step 8
Find the StreamVia OpenVPN Config Bundle that you downloaded in Step 1, it will likely be in the Downloads folder inside your home directory.
Step 9
Drag the StreamVia OpenVPN Config Bundle onto the word Home under the Places menu, this will move the file to your home directory.
Step 10
Click Home under the Places menu, this will take you to your home directory where you should see the StreamVia OpenVPN Config Bundle zip file.
Step 11
Right click the StreamVia OpenVPN Config Bundle zip file, left click Extract Here
Step 12
A new folder will be created once the zip file has been extract called StreamVia_Config_Bundle
Step 13
Click the Network Manager icon in the top right of your screen, it will either appear as 2 arrows or a Wi-Fi icon. Select VPN Connections, then Configure VPN…
Step 14
Click the Add button
Step 15
Select Import a saved VPN configuration… from the list
Step 16
With Import a saved VPN configuration… selected, click Create…
Step 17
Navigate to the StreamVia_Config_Bundle folder, in your home directory if you followed our earlier advice in Steps 9 - 10. Double click the StreamVia_Config_Bundle folder to enter it
Step 18
Select the VPN configuration profile you wish to import, all VPN configuration profiles end in .ovpn then click Open
Please try all options as the Reliable connection can be quickest in some situations.
To try another connection, first disconnect any that are already connected.
Step 19
Enter your VPN username and password, this can be found in the StreamVia Account Information email, it is case sensitive so please copy and paste. Then, click Save…
Step 20
Your imported VPN should show in Network Connections, click Close
Step 21
Click the Network Manager icon in the top right of your screen, it will either appear as 2 arrows or a Wi-Fi icon. Select VPN Connections, then the VPN that you imported
Step 22
The VPN will attempt to connect, a lock icon will appear on the Network Manager icon in the top right once connected successfully. If you receive an error about secrets, then you have entered a mistake in your password - please copy and paste the password.
Step 23
Repeat Step 21 but choose Disconnect when you are finished using the VPN. Please note, to connect another VPN you must first disconnect any connected VPNs first.
Step 24
Please make sure you experiment with the Faster and Reliable options, you will also see Location 1 and Location 2 these are different VPN locations, with different network connections, so you may find that one provides a better connection than the other. Repeat Step 13 onwards to import another VPN profile.
To try another connection, after importing another VPN profile, first disconnect any that are already connected - you should have only 1 active VPN at a time.
The username and/or password is wrong, the VPN password is separate to the Client Area password you use on the StreamVia.com website so it may not be the same. The VPN password is randomly generated by default.
We ensure our servers are NEVER overloaded, so this is not the issue if you are receiving poor performance; please get this out of your mind now
Your network, your ISP and their network have as much an impact on the speed you will receive as we do. Some of you will be connecting to a VPN server half way around the world, so degradation along the way is inevitable.
Quick tips
Location 1, Location 2 (Site 1, Site 2) etc
Each different VPN Site is a separate VPN location, you should experiment to see which works best for you. There may be a massive difference, some difference or no difference for you in speed. But you should experiment to see ;)
Browser cache/cookies
Always clear your browser cache/cookies/history after connecting VPN, you need to reset the browser for your change in location. Failure to do so can result in poor performance.
Wi-fi vs wired ethernet
Using a wired connection instead of wireless often has the biggest impact on speed. The best speed and reliability with always be seen when using a network cable rather than wireless, wireless networks cause latency which causes the speed to drop. If you are having speed issues, please try with a network cable rather than wireless.
Your broadband
Just because you have XYZ speed broadband, does not mean you should expect this speed over a VPN. All networks deteriorate in speed the further away you are, so whilst someone connecting in the UK or a country close by will be able to achieve close to maximum speed to a UK server, those in Australia will not.
Also, if you or someone else is heavily using the broadband connection (even if not over the VPN) then you will notice a performance drop. For best performance ensure others are not downloading/streaming on the same connection as you.
Reboot everything
Try restarting both your computer and your broadband router, sometimes this can work wonders!
Alternative DNS
For best performance - especially from China, UAE etc - we recommend that you configure alternative DNS servers on your computer, as some countries will filter DNS which can cause problems for your connection ie inability to connect at all, or unstable connections with frequent disconnects. You need to configure these on your wireless or ethernet adapter - ie the physical network interface you use to connect to your network - details are contained in the below links:
This is usually a fairly easy fix and is usually caused by stale cookies/cache/history within your web browser.
Step 1
Connect the VPN
Step 2
Clear all cookies/cache/history from your browser
Step 3
Close all open browser windows, ie close Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc, completely
Step 4
Re-launch the required browser program, we strongly recommend using Firefox for best speeds
Step 5
Verify that the VPN is working, by visting DisplayMyHostname.com ensuring that you no longer see your ISP's hostname. If you do still see your ISP's hostname, this article will not fix your problem. Please contact StreamVia Support - including your operating system version - advising that the DisplayMyHostname check failed.
Step 6
Attempt to view your desired site again.