Once kings of the smartphone world, most notably in the field of secure business communications, and famously sported by none other than the President of the United States, Barak Obama, the BlackBerry line remains popular despite the recent successes of its rivals. Between June 2010 and September 2012, 100 million BlackBerry devices were sold, and 80 million people subscribed to BlackBerry Internet Service.
Built with business use in mind, BlackBerry has always had a reputation for being very secure, with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) middleware software solution allowing you to synchronise your Personal Information Manager between your desktop PC and your BlackBerry, and to direct emails and messages via enterprise networks for use with office collaboration software such as Novel GroupWise and Microsoft Exchange.
However, it has to said that RIM seems to have fallen somewhat behind the times when it comes to VPN. Older versions BlackBerry phones had a PPTP capable client built-in, but this functionality has been dropped.
Installing VPN on a Blackberry
Newer BlackBerry devices, including the BlackBerry Playbook and the new line of high-end BlackBerry 10 (Z10 and Q10) smartphones, do have a VPN client, but it only supports the following VPN gateways:
- Check Point® Software Technology
- Cisco® VPN Gateway Type 3000
- Cisco Secure PIX Firewall VPN
- Cisco IOS with Easy VPN Server
- Cisco ASA
- Juniper IPSec VPN (SRX Series)
- Juniper IPSec VPN (NetScreen Series)
- Microsoft IKEv2 VPN Server
- Generic IKEv2 VPN Server
Unfortunately, support for these is very limited in the consumer VPN world. Providers we know of who do support BlackBerry’s are VPNReactor ( with setup guides for Blackberry Z10 and Blackberry Q10), and PureVPN (with setup guides forBlackberry and Playbook). Both use the Microsoft IKEV2 VPN Server gateway.
Alternative methods
There are, as the old saying goes, more than one way to skin a cat. The easiest way to connect to the internet via VPN, using any BlackBerry device (or indeed any WiFi enabled device that doesn’t have VPN capability built-in) is to connect to a WiFi hotspot that is secured with a VPN connection. This also has the big advantage of being able to use any VPN service.
There are number of ways to do this:
Use a flashed router
It is possible to buy router that has had its firmware (i.e. built-in programming) replaced with much more capable firmware that allows, among many other groovy things, you to set it us so all devices that connect through it use a VPN service. This process is known as ‘flashing’, and you can do it yourself or buy routers that have been pre-flashed. It is even possible to buy routers that have not only been pre-flashed, but have VPN already set-up on them.
The necessary firmware comes in two flavors, DD-WRT and Tomato. We have written guides for choosing a DD-WRT router and a good VPN provider for DD-DRT, as well as a guide for choosing a VPN provider who supports Tomato. These articles also include lots of useful links for those interested in flashed routers.
Share your desktop (or laptop) computer’s VPN over WiFi
Setting up a PC to act as WiFi hotspot that shares your VPN connection is fairly easy, and like the flashed router solution above, it lets you connect any number of WiFi enabled devices to the internet using VPN.
Rather than repeat ourselves, check out this article, where we show you how to share VPN using WiFi in Windows 7 and OSX.
Summary
| RANK | PROVIDER | STARTINGPRICE | REVIEW | LINK |
1 |  | $9.95/mo | ||
2 |  | $9.99/mo | 9.9 Review Pending | Visit Site |
3 |  | $7.00/mo | 9.8 Read Review | |
4 |  | $9.00/mo | 9.6 Read Review | |
5 |  | $9.90/mo |
Here’s a section about each provider and why we chose them:
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Winner. PureVPN
Positives: supports BlackBerry and Playbook, P2P: yes (on some servers), ‘up to’ 256-bit SSTP and OpenVPN encryption, 2 simultaneous connections, iOS app, Android app, 3 days money back guarantee, no usage logs,
Negatives: Keeps connection logs (but based in Hong Kong)
Well, it supports Blackberry. Yay! PureVPN keeps connection logs, but as it is based in Hong Kong this is likely not a huge threat, and it has no problems with P2P downloading (using selected servers). The iOS and Android apps are very nice, as is the ‘up to’ 265-bit OpenVPN encryption. There is a 3 day money back guarantee, but be warned that we have received many complaints about customers not getting a refund for this, and receiving poor customer service. PureVPN runs servers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
2. VPNReactor
Positives: supports Blackberry Q10 and Z10 devices, and the Microsoft IKEv2 VPN Server gateway, 256-bit OpenVPN encryption (Max plan), no logs, SSTP support, 7 day free trial
Negatives: Based in US, few details on privacy policy supplied
VPNReactor gets into number two because it is only other provider we know of to support BlackBerry. We have yet to review VPNReactor’s service, so watch out for a full review in coming days (when we will also update this section of the article). Edit: Sorry, his slipped our minds – look out for review soon).
Please note that none of the providers below support Blackberry directly, and are only recommended for Blackberry users who wish to share their desktop VPN connection or use a VPN enabled router when connecting their Blackberry’s to the internet.
3. Mullvad
Positives: accepts Bitcoin, no logs, good speeds, cheap, client features internet kill switch and DNS leak protection, P2P: yes, source code for software available
Negatives: No flash router support
This small Swedish company have resolved a few teething troubles to become one of the most fully featured VPN services on the web… and fast too! The Windows, OSX and Linux VPN clients features DNS leak protection, an internet kill switch, port forwarding and server load information, while on the privacy front Mullvad keeps no logs, and will accept payment not only by Bitcoin, but also in cash by post! Although Mullvad had no support for flashed routers, it does provide the source code for its VPN client, which it says should work on almost any platform. Whether this applies to BlackBerry OS’s we can’t tell you. Oh yes, and like PIA, Mullvad lets you connect up to 3 devices at the same time.
4. AirVPN
Positives: No logs, accepts Bitcoin, transparent service, fast, excellent attitude to privacy, VPN though SSL and SSH tunnels, Tor over VPN, P2P: yes
Negatives: None
AirVPN was set up by Italian Pirate Party activists and hactivists, and it shows. Using super-secure 256-bit AES encryption (with support for VPN over Tor and VPN through SSL and SSH tunnels), Air VPN supplies beautifully presented detailed server information to provide ‘transparency’, accepts Bticoin payments, keeps no logs, and subscribes to various EU privacy directives and codes of best practice (but not the Data Retention Directive which does not apply to VPNs in Italy). Support for DD-WRT routers is available in the form of a setup guide.
5. VPNArea
Positives: No logs, based in Bulgaria (no DRD), 5 simultaneous devices, uses shared IPs (although currently there are not enough people to share them with), good speeds, great Windows client, great customer service, accepts Bitcoins, 7 day money back guarantee, P2P: yes
Negatives: new company so may experience teething problems
VPNArea has impressed us mightily thanks to a completely no logs policy, good performance results, up to 4 simultaneous connections, it accepts anonymous payment via Bitcoins, has a fantastic Windows client with DNS leak protection, a per-app kill switch, auto-IP changer, and server statistics, while also having one of the friendliest and most helpful support staff we have come across.
IPs are shared, which will be great for privacy when VPNArea attracts more customers, and P2P downloading is not a problem. For such a small start-up company, this Bulgarian VPN has a very sizable international presence, including servers in Germany and most other European (and many non-European) countries.
IPs are shared, which will be great for privacy when VPNArea attracts more customers, and P2P downloading is not a problem. For such a small start-up company, this Bulgarian VPN has a very sizable international presence, including servers in Germany and most other European (and many non-European) countries.
Conclusion
The truth is that BlackBerry devices are not very well set up for use with commercial VPN services. This is a shame, and it is something we would like to see addressed in future versions of the BlackBerry OS. In the meantime there is PureVPN and VPNReactor, or it is possible to benefit from the protection VPN affords by connecting to the internet over WiFi, using other devices’ VPN connections.
About authorhiiii......, this is ajay, woking as a technical engineer, a tech geek, enjoys ethical hacking
Hi! I am Ajay Kumar Kalva, Currently serving as the CEO of this site, a tech geek by passion, and a chemical process engineer by profession, i'm interested in writing articles regarding technology, hacking and pharma technology. 
