IP2 S5 Manager

Users who wish to hide their online identity can use a VPN, but that's not the only available option. As a sort of alternative to VPNs, Socks5 proxies can do largely the same thing, though with some very important caveats to heed. Most users will find themselves able to bypass geo-blocking with either of these solutions, as well as hide their real IP address.

The fine print about these proxies pertains to encryption, or lack thereof. While it's true that VPNs are more secure in that regard, users might nevertheless be tempted by what a tool like IP2 S5 Manager can provide.

Socks5 proxies are known to be easy to configure and beginner-friendly, but it's true that they require some additional steps to get everything up and running. The developer provides a succinct guide on how to go about the process, but it basically boils down to clicking the Open button in the interface, assigning a proxy to your preferred port, then heading into your Network Settings under Control Panel. From there, navigate to the Proxy menu, and set up a proxy server: input the Local Proxy address from the interface, as well as the port you assigned in the app.

That's all for the setup, which is simpler than it looks. You'll then be connected to your new proxy, which will mask your real address, and going to IP checking sites will corroborate that.

You're bound to experience some drop in internet speeds upon connecting to a proxy. It should be fine for some light web surfing, but nothing more than that. Your latency will also be increased as a result, so playing multiplayer games isn't ideal here.

What's to be appreciated is the program's approach to managing proxies. Free users get to select 3 IPs, which they'll be able to connect to without a problem. You can connect to your selected IPs as many times as you want, though you'll have to redo the manual proxy setup when switching to a different address.

IP2 S5 Manager is an intuitive app, which can familiarize beginners on the workings of Socks5 proxies, while simultaneously offering them the ability to bypass some geo-blocked content on the web.