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SmartPlay by NordVPN: What is it, and how does it work

SmartPlay is a NordVPN feature that helps you securely access content that would otherwise be unavailable. It does so by combining the best features of the VPN and Smart DNS technologies.

How does SmartPlay work?

NordVPN has a huge server network all over the world, but this is not always enough to ensure the best possible experience for our customers. That’s why we use SmartPlay technology.

SmartPlay is based on DNS rerouting and uses an additional pool of IP addresses to improve the connection when users try to access certain websites. This technology is not new and is used by almost all major VPN service providers. Here’s how it goes: 

  1. We purchase services that provide pools of IP addresses.
  2. There are two types of pools. The first one consists of IPs purchased from ISPs directly. The second one consists of the IPs of people who have voluntarily downloaded specific applications on their devices. The sole purpose of these applications is to reward the end user for voluntarily sharing part of their bandwidth with various services. Each individual who has the app downloaded is fully aware of this purpose and receives a reward for the traffic sent and received through their device.
  3. These IPs are only used initially when forming a connection. Regular browsing data and user IPs are never sent this way.
  4. The owner of the IP address can’t see any identifiable individual personal data because no such data is ever sent. 

This method is fast and allows us to bypass censorship and provide access to different services all over the world. 

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