Simply use Cyberghost VPN – step by step explanation

Frank Ziemann

Cyberghost VPN is a VPN provider based in Romania. The Cyberghost VPN software is largely developed in Germany. It is in German and its use is usually not a mystery. It is available for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.

Linux, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TVs are also supported. You can find our review of Cyberghost VPN here. In the following we will show you how you can implement certain projects with Cyberghost VPN. We explain the procedure using examples on Windows and Android; it works very similarly on other platforms.

Set up Cyberghost VPN on Windows

After installing the software, you can basically get started right away. However, it can be useful to go through the settings and adjust them in one place or another. Under Windows you can specify under “General” whether the Cyberghost software should be loaded automatically when Windows starts. If you want to use the VPN frequently, this can be useful, for example if you often use WiFi hotspots with your notebook while traveling. You can also check here whether software updates are available.

Set the VPN protocol to be used under the menu item “Cyberghost VPN”. You can replace the preset automatic with the selection of Wireguard, for example, if you want to try out and use this new, slim and fast VPN protocol. Under “Smart Rules” you will find options for special applications. For example, you can specify that Cyberghost establishes a VPN connection to a selected VPN server when a certain program, for example your web browser, starts.

Set up Cyberghost VPN on Android

Setup works very similarly on Android devices. However, apart from streaming, the various server categories are missing. You can also switch the automatic protocol to Wireguard in the mobile app under “VPN”. You can also activate the content blocker to block domains that are used for advertising, trackers or malware. The so-called app split tunnel enables you to specifically exclude certain apps from VPN use or to only use the VPN with certain apps, such as your browser. Under “WLAN” you can specify whether Cyberghost VPN should protect your device when using certain or all WLAN hotspots. For example, you can exclude your home WLAN and activate protection for external networks.

Cyberghost VPN: A VPN for all purposes

Use streaming services

In order to be able to use streaming services abroad, such as Netflix US, you have to trick the streaming portal into thinking that you are in that country. Cyberghost offers dedicated streaming servers, each specialized in a streaming service. Netflix and Co are in constant competition with VPN providers. You are trying to detect and block VPN servers. VPN providers keep following suit, changing IP addresses and adapting their servers.

So if you want to watch a US series that Netflix does not offer in Germany, select “United States – optimized for Netflix US” as the location in the “For Streams” category in the Cyberghost VPN software. Proceed in the same way if you want to watch Formula 1 in the live stream of the Austrian broadcasters ORF or Servus TV. Cyberghost VPN offers a special server for both of them. If the video stream is jerky, it is mostly due to the load on the streaming server, not the VPN.

Call up local media libraries while traveling

When traveling abroad, the same problem often arises if you want to watch certain videos in the media libraries of German TV stations or your usual Netflix series. For legal reasons, much of the content cannot be accessed from abroad. The solution is therefore very similar: You select a suitable cyberghost server as the VPN location. The server list in the Android app is unsorted, so it helps to mark frequently used servers as favorites. You can then find them more quickly in the favorites list. This option is also available in the Windows software, where the server list is shown sorted by country.

Online banking on vacation

While on the move, whether in Germany or abroad, connecting directly to your bank’s server via a third-party WiFi hotspot is not a good idea. Even if the actual data connection is encrypted via HTTPS, an attacker, as a “man in the middle” (MitM) with a fake hotspot, could push himself between you and your bank in advance and tap data. An alarm could also be triggered at the bank if there is account access from abroad. To rule out all of this, first establish a VPN connection to a cyberghost server in Germany, no matter where you are. Only when the connection is established do you connect to the bank server. If you do online banking with your smartphone via the cellular network and your banking app, the situation is less critical.

Remove Bit Torrent throttling

P2P downloads via BitTorrent are a gray area. Using the BitTorrent protocol is not in itself illegal, but it is ambivalent. For example, the Document Foundation also offers its LibreOffice office suite via BitTorrent. But pirated content is often distributed through it. Some Internet providers therefore throttle or block BitTorrent data traffic in order to reduce their liability risk. If you use BitTorrent, you can make yourself suspicious, even if you download legal content.

In order to be able to use BitTorrent unrestrictedly without arousing suspicion, a VPN helps. Cyberghost also offers dedicated VPN servers for this. The category “For torrents” is only available in the desktop software, not in the mobile apps. For maximum throughput, select an appropriate VPN server in your area. Then start your BitTorrent client.

Online gaming

A VPN can also be useful when gaming online. This allows you to cross national borders, avoid throttling by providers and protect yourself against DDoS attacks. DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service) on online gamers can paralyze the router and thus affect everyone in a household who access the Internet via it. Especially in the time of the pandemic-related home office, it can be important to protect yourself from such attacks.

Cyberghost offers separate VPN servers for online gaming, which you can find under Windows in the “For Gaming” category. This category does not exist in the Android app, but the servers are available in the country selection, even if they are not recognizable as gaming specialists. You can currently choose from VPN locations in Frankfurt am Main, Paris, London and New York. To protect against DDoS attacks, choose a German server with a low ping time and load. Any DDoS attacks then hit this server, which can handle them better than your router. For games and DLCs (Downloadable Contents) that are not available in Germany, choose a server in the USA, for example.

Maximum privacy protection

A special situation is staying in a country with a restrictive regime that restricts its citizens’ internet use and blocks access to certain services such as Twitter or Facebook and monitors and filters access to certain websites. To get around such restrictions, a VPN can be helpful. However, its use alone can arouse suspicion or be illegal. This can also apply to the Tor network, which was created specifically for such situations.

Cyberghost operates special “NoSpy servers” that are supposed to offer maximum protection of privacy from government surveillance. They are housed in a specially secured data center in Bucharest (Romania) and have their own internet connections. In contrast to Germany, Romania belongs neither to the “5-Eyes” nor to the “14-Eyes” states, whose secret services work closely together in monitoring communications and exchange information with one another.

If you want or need the best possible protection from government surveillance for your online activities, select a server in the “NoSpy Servers” category that is not too busy. These servers are also suitable for torrenting. Less busy servers offer higher speed, more heavily used servers offer more anonymity. The NoSpy list is not explicitly available in the mobile app, but the NoSpy servers are available in the country list under Romania and can be recognized by their name.

To ask?

Cyberghost offers instructions on various aspects of VPN use on its website, also in German. These still refer to version 7 of the VPN software, but are usually also helpful for the current version 8. You can also submit questions by email or chat directly with support.

Cyberghost VPN for only 1.89 euros per month