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Browsing proxy ZenMate now also available for Firefox

ZenMate, the popular virtual private network extension for Chrome and app for Android, is now also available as an add-on for the Mozilla Firefox web browser.

VPNs are used for a variety of purposes and while browser extensions are limited to the environment of the browser, offer the same features as private networks that you connect to on a system-wide level.

Virtual Private Networks encrypt all traffic and by doing so protect the traffic from prying eyes. Since you connect to the server of the service first, it is this server that Internet sites and peers connect to which means that the IP address of the computer that you are using is not revealed.

In addition to improving privacy and security, VPNs allow you to access contents that are restricted to select regions or countries. If you are abroad and want to watch Internet TV at home, you can't do so usually because these contents are region locked most of the time.

Note: Other software running on your system or in the browser may leak your computer's IP address. If you check on Cloakfish for example, you will notice that your original IP gets leaked if you have Adobe Flash enabled even if you connect with ZenMate.

When you are connected to a VPN however, it is the server IP that is used to communicate with the TV site and not the local IP address of the computer you are using.

zenmate firefox

After you have installed the extension from the developer website -- it is not available on the Mozilla website right now -- you are required to enter an email address on the page that opens when you click on the ZenMate icon in the Firefox toolbar.

After you have done that you receive a password which you can change. There does not appear to be any kind of verification of that email address though.

A second click on the extension icon displays information about the server you are currently connected to, an on/off switch to connect or disconnect to the VPN, and an option to change the server location.

Bandwidth is unlimited during the launch phase according to the ZenMate team. Traffic will become limited eventually though for free users. For now though, nothing seems limited and everything can be used to the fullest extent.

The add-on for Firefox works in the same fashion as the Chrome extension. A quick test on popular sites such as Pandora and Hulu was successful as both services worked as expected after the installation of the add-on.

Some sites on the other hand took a long time to load but a reload fixed that every time this occurred.

Closing Words

ZenMate will become a popular add-on for the Mozilla Firefox web browser, there is no doubt about that. It is unclear if it will be uploaded to the official store as well as it would improve the exposure of the add-on and improve the trust factor as well.

Since bandwidth is not limited right now, it is an excellent option to access streaming media sites.

This article was first seen on ComTek's "TekBits" Technology News

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