What is RA4W VPN?
RA4W is a USA-based VPN provider that is gaining quite the status in the marketplace for its low prices and high-speed servers. It supports OpenVPN protocols and follows a zero logs policy. However, it lacks in offering brilliant security. There is a poor level of encryption, no support for kill switch, and DNS leaks are quite evident. Read this in-depth RA4W Review for more information about the provider:
|
Pros |
Cons |
| 1. Supports OpenVPN
2. Cheap pricing |
1. Variable server performance
2. Basic Windows Client 3. No “Kill Switch” 4. No free trial 5. DNS Leaks |
RA4W VPN Pricing Review
Our RA4W review discovers that the service offers only one plan to its customers, divided into monthly, quarterly, and semi-annually options. The monthly package is available for $2.99, which is quite inexpensive, as compared to other VPNs in the marketplace.
The quarterly plan (3 months access) starts at an extremely low $7.99. If you opt for the semi-annual plan, you only have to pay $13.75 every six months. Regardless of what you choose, you get OpenVPN support, free Port Forwarding, encrypted connections, unmetered bandwidth, and mobile access.
RA4W VPN Lifetime Subscription
According to our RA4W review, the most impressive plan of all though is the “Lifetime” subscription. Since browsing internet without a VPN is like stepping into a minefield, this option from RA4W is no less than a salvation. It defends you against all digital vagabonds planning to steal your data for a tremendous 500 months period. You can leave your VPN connection on for 41 years with this veritable plan!
There is a new offer running on StackSocial that can get you the Lifetime subscription for $19.99. This means, you can establish a connection to one fixed server (or multiple for different devices) and route your traffic through secure protocols for an extremely low price. Then again, is the plan indeed of value? Do you truly gain superb security? Keep reading this RA4W review to find out.
RA4W VPN Setup/Signup Process
Our RA4W review indicates that signing up with the service is easy. Simply visit the register page. Enter a username, email address, and password. If you have a license code, make sure to type it. Move on with the process by agreeing to the Terms of Service and clicking on the “register” tab.
The site will redirect you to a page showing the below message. Upon receiving the email, click on the validation link. This will complete the sign up process and create your account.
To start using the service, click on the “Purchase” tab from the dashboard. Choose a plan that best suits your needs and budget requirements. Hit the purchase button and you will see “Payment Settings”. Select your payment type, complete the checkout process, and enjoy using RA4W! You can even purchase an unlimited ports add-on, which is an extra $5.00.
The Account Dashboard Layout
After creating an account, you will get a “dashboard” for your profile, above the RA4W website page. On the main tab, you will find information about your username, data for connection (login and password), plan selection, expiry date, and current IP address.
Next is the “purchase” tab, where you can easily renew your VPN subscription, in case your package expires. After that, you will see the “Ports” tab, which enables you to configure Port Forwarding on servers. For downloading the Windows client or OpenVPN configuration files, click on “Download”.
The “Notifications” tab is empty. There was no welcome message. No alerts about working/non-working servers. It seems to be still in development process. In the future, you may receive all kinds of notifications though. If you go next to your username, you will see options like edit profile, referrals, invoices account settings, and logout tabs.
Settings in this user control panel are scanty. Some options are still in completion process. For instance, if you click on the “Edit Profile” tab, you will receive a message telling you “This feature is not yet functional, and will be completed soon”. If you want to change your email and password, you will find the main settings on the “Edit Account Information” tab. Although the notifications bar does not work, you have options of enabling/disabling security and system emails.
Accepted Payment Methods
Our RA4W review discloses that the VPN does not provide much information regarding the accepted payment methods. However, if you purchase a plan, you do have some options available. These include:
- American Express,
- MasterCard,
- Visa,
- PayPal, and
- Bitcoin.
RA4W VPN Refund & Money Back Guarantee Review
Unfortunately, RA4W VPN does not offer a money back guarantee or refund of any kind. However, according to our RA4W review, it is quite understandable. The vendor does offer amazingly cheap pricing for its premium plan. For a low $2.99 per month, you can gain access to servers in 25 countries.
RA4W VPN Servers Review
Our RA4W review unveils that the provider offers servers in five continents. There 30+ servers in more than 25 countries, among which include the United States, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Switzerland, Singapore, Netherlands, Moldova, Germany, France, and many others you can check out here.
Upon purchase of a plan, you gain access to all these servers with the capability of connection to them, as many times you want. The provider does not throttle bandwidth or impose data limits. Periodically, RA4W VPN adds new server locations to encourage more users from across the world. Listed on the home page under the name of each server, you can see its real time status. However, many users have reported experiencing connectivity issues with some servers.
Privacy and Security
As a USA-based VPN provider, RA4W VPN is subject to following certain data retention laws. However, there was no mention on the site regarding logging any sort of information. This means, you can leverage good anonymity over the internet.
Problems start arising though when you look at the outdated 128-bit encryption ciphers used by the service. The application also failed to pass the DNS leak test we performed. Although its SSL certificates are good, our RA4W review exposed the site housing numerous trackers too.
Therefore, it is safe to say that the provider offers a very basic level of protection. While you can easily gain access to geo-restricted and blocked sites, the privacy you receive will be meager. This means, if things go south, your IP address is traceable back to you. Nobody would want to take such a risk!
RA4W VPN Protocols Review
Our RA4W VPN discovers that all servers only support the OpenVPN protocol. You can create connections only on TCP 443 and UDP 1194. Although these protocols offer good security, relying on them entirely would be foolish. The best VPN providers always make sure to add L2TP, PPTP, IPSec, IKEv1 and IKEv2 protocols with high level AES-256 ciphers.
All servers of RA4W use the Blowfish 128-CBC cipher encryption with SHA1 authentication and 2048-bit RSA key. This level of encryption is sufficient, but not the strongest. The outdated SHA1 hash is risky, as it is provable that this algorithm can be hacked easily. We would definitely like seeing an improvement in protocols, along with higher-level of encryption.
RA4W VPN P2P/Torrenting Review
According to our RA4W review, the provider allows P2P/Torrenting on all its servers, expect for those in the US. All locations in the country are restricted from downloading via Torrents. Nevertheless you can connect to other locations to access blocked torrent sites by your ISP, bypass internet censorship, and geo-restricted websites like HBO, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Spotify, etc.
How safe is RA4W VPN?
In terms of logging, it is a no brainer that recording session/connection data is not healthy for VPN users. Yet, many top-tier services store this information, reducing their credibility. RA4W states on its website that it boasts a strict zero logs policy. They say no session/connection data is stored within the service, but they do record other information.
For granting private internet access, sending payment confirmations, subscription information and promotional offers, the site logs email addresses. For managing cancellations, invoices, and handling client signups, payment data is stored. However, this alone is not enough to guarantee the safety of the provider. During our RA4W review, we came across some conflicting statements on Reddit.
Some users have exposed the service for logging session/connection data, along with other metrics. You can read more about this in the RA4W VPN Reddit Impressions section.
DNS Leak Issue
While performing our RA4W review, we evaluated the VPN’s anonymity by performing a DNS leak test. We randomly selected the ‘Belarus’ server for testing. If you happen to see the flag of Belarus anywhere, it means the service does not pass the leak test.
The results you see above conclude the DNS leak test failed. This means, your connection will not be anonymous when using the service. Users can fix the leak themselves by setting the DNS server manually. Make sure to follow the steps below:
- Open “Network and Sharing Center” and click on “Change adapter settings”
- Select the connection you want to configure
- Right click on the connection and go to ‘‘properties’’
- Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
- Click on “Use the following DNS server addresses”
- Add Preferred DNS server or Alternate DNS server
If the manual configuration is proving to be tough, you can use the “block-outside-DNS” option for OpenVPN version 2.3.9 only. If that does not work:
- Download the ‘fix-dns-leak-32.dll’ or ‘fix-dns-leak-64.dll’, depending on your operating system
- Add ‘’plugin fix-dns-leak-32.dll’’ to your OpenVPN configuration file
- If you are using a 64-bit system, add “plugin fix-dns-leak-64.dll”
This plugin blocks all IPv4 and IPv6 DNS queries, except on OpenVPN’s TAP interface. It acts like a temporary firewall, blocking all leaks and clearing its rules upon crash or termination for protecting your IP and connectivity information. Not only does this increase protection, but it also makes it difficult for ISPs to monitor internet activity and individuals to hack/unlock your connection.
RA4W VPN SSL Certificate Test
Every website that accepts credit card information, usernames and passwords and stores it in a database for later processing must have a powerful SSL certificate. When installed, it activates the https protocol and padlock for secure connections. During our RA4W review, we performed a SSL certificate test.
As you can see, RA4W uses certificate grade A+. This means, the security on the website is not bad at all, even though its VPN service definitely requires an upgrade. You can feel assured your sensitive personal information is safe and sound on the website.
RA4W VPN Tracker Test
Since we live in a fast-paced world dominated by digital information, every single click we make online could result in our internet activity being traceable to unknown authorities – thanks to the use of cookies. We do not have to elaborate the implications of such a creepy act.
Things get even more frustrating, as many internet users do not know that websites steal valuable activity information. This is no different from being watched/stalked in the real world. To get a better idea on the VPN for our RA4W review; we decided to conduct a Tracker Test.As you can see, both Privacy Badger and Ghostery detected five trackers on the RA4W website. This poses great risks to anyone using the website. All your information logs within seconds, unless of course you use a blocker software.
RA4W Support Review
According to our RA4W review, the VPN provider does not have a very active or cooperative support team. Judging by the FAQs page, it may take an entire day for you to get a reply. Most of the times, the responses do not prove much helpful. Information on the site itself is quite scarce.
There is a Ticket system used for providing support. You can send emails to [email protected] and RA4W has a page on Facebook to offer assistance. However, there is no live chat available. Users also do not have access to setup guides. In short, the support is almost close to being nonexistent.
RA4W VPN App Review
Our RA4W review discloses that the VPN provider only offers a single application that is available to Windows users only. There are no custom apps for Mac, Android, iOS, or Linux. In order to use the VPN, you will have to install OpenVPN GUI. This software makes it possible for RA4W users to add configuration files, enter their credentials, and connect to the VPNs servers.
RA4W Windows Client Review
According to our RA4W review, the Windows Client looks utterly cluttered and boasts almost no settings. You cannot switch from UDP to TCP. There is no way for you to configure connections. It might just be better to use OpenVPN, instead of opting for the Windows Client.Upon launching the app, you will notice the main tab showing your current IP address. To connect to a server, select any location of your choice, and click on the “connect” button. You will now be able to see connection statistics, which include upload data and download data.
If you click on the “statistics” tab, you will receive real-time updates regarding your connection in the form of a connection logs and a graph. You can use this information to judge the consistency and performance for different servers.Upon clicking on the “settings” tab, our RA4W review found that configuration options are completely missing. You can only delete, verify, update or create the TAP adapter. Switching to a different protocol is not possible and the configuration manager is useless.
RA4W VPN Mobile (Android) Review
As mentioned earlier, RA4W VPN does not have a dedicated Android application. Users do have the capability of connection to servers via OpenVPN. Follow the steps below for connecting to RA4W servers on your Android device:
- Download and install OpenVPN from Google Play Store
- Go the RA4W VPN website and download the configuration files
- Start the OpenVPN application
- Tap on the “import” button
- Find and select the configuration .ovpn file
- Close import dialog after tapping on “Done reading config file”
- Select a server of your choice
- Enter RA4W username and password
- Check the “I trust the application” box and tap on “Ok”
- Enjoy using RA4W VPN on your Android device
RA4W VPN Mac and iOS Review
Our RA4W VPN finds that the service is compatible with Mac. Instead of using OpenVPN software though, we recommend using Tunnelblick. It is a free, open-source software, which works perfectly for creating custom VPN connections on Mac. Upon downloading and installing the application, you just need to add the OpenVPN configuration files from RA4W VPN for connecting to different servers.
The process for using RA4W VPN on iOS is quite similar to Android. You just need to download and install the OpenVPN Client from the Apple Store. Download the configuration files from RA4W VPN, import them in the VPN software, select any server of your choice, and enter username and password. You will notice a green check mark upon successfully establishing VPN connection.
RA4W VPN Download
Our RA4W review unveils that you can only gain access to the download center, upon creating an account with the service (regardless of whether you pay for a plan). Once registered, simply click on the “download” tab on the user dashboard. You will get two options. Download “VPN Client for Windows” or “OpenVPN Configuration files”.
RA4W VPN Client for Windows
Once you have downloaded the application, you need to unpack the zip file. Since the VPN client is portable, it requires no installation.
RA4W VPN OpenVPN Configs
Upon downloading the configuration files and extracting the zip file, you will see two folders. One with VPN settings for TCP protocol and the second for UDP protocol. TCP uses port 441 for restricted networks and UDP uses port 1194.
How Many Devices Can You Use RA4W VPN On Simultaneously?
According to our RA4W review, you can use the VPN on as many devices as you like. However, please note that it is important to use different servers for each device. This means, if you connect to Server X from your computer, you must avoid using the same server for your mobile.
RA4W VPN Reddit Impressions
Since it is our job to do in-depth research regarding all VPN providers, we could not help to dig a little deeper into the service. Our RA4W review found many Reddit users being completely dissatisfied with the provider. One concerned customer has been facing a tough time reaching support regarding issues concerning server unavailability.
Another customer seems to be pissed off at the slow speeds of the servers, demanding a refund only after two months of usage. Although RA4W has not mentioned it offers any refunds, it still seems to avoid responding. The customer has not received any response from the team and goes on reporting the provider as a fraud service.
In another thread, a shocking revelation is uncovered. A Reddit user wants to learn more about the service due to its exceptional pricing. One of the top replies is a user claiming someone from Hack Forums owns the VPN service. The user goes on to tell how the forum is a home to Black Hat hackers, who sell tools for creating Crypters, RAT’s, and Botnets.
The most surprising of all the threads on Reddit is the one exposing the VPN’s empty promise of a zero logs policy. The user claims that RA4W keeps connection and ports detected logs and further proves it by posting a link. Seems like the user spent a lot of time gathering this information by exploiting weak points in the service. There is also a taunt directed to RA4W, telling them not to use open-source software.
Final Verdict
Our RA4W review establishes that the provider is only suitable for those individuals who need a budget VPN at their disposal and will not be bothered by inconsistent connection speeds. The low pricing is definitely an attractive trait. However, the service fails to compete with other VPNs in the marketplace.
With its limited selection of protocols, lack of encryption choices, average customer support, and DNS leaks, it is highly unlikely you will receive top security and anonymity. Combine these flaws with the Reddit impressions; you may want to think twice before subscribing to the VPN.
The Good
- Lifetime subscription available
- OpenVPN protocol support
The Bad
- Lacks support for Android, Mac, and iOS
- No setup guides available
- Basic encryption ciphers
- DNS leaks on servers
- Poor Windows Client
- Unreliable servers
