qikfox VPN
How qikfox VPN works
A VPN is easy to sell and hard to explain, which is why so much of the category is described in slogans. This page walks through what actually happens to a request when qikfox VPN is on.
One request, five steps
1. Your device encrypts the traffic
Before anything leaves your device, qikfox VPN wraps it in encryption. Everything above this point is readable only on your device.
2. The local network carries it blindly
The café Wi-Fi, hotel router or mobile network can see that encrypted traffic is moving and how much of it, but not the contents or the destination addresses inside.
3. A qikfox server unwraps it
The tunnel ends at a qikfox VPN server, which decrypts the traffic and passes it on to the site or service you asked for.
4. The destination sees the server
The site you visit sees the qikfox server's address rather than the one your Internet provider gave you.
5. The reply comes back the same way
The response travels to the qikfox server, is encrypted again, and is only readable once it reaches your device.
Who can see what
Your Internet provider
Sees encrypted traffic going to a qikfox server. Not the sites inside the tunnel.
The local network
Sees the same as your provider: an encrypted connection and its volume.
qikfox
Operates the server that unwraps the tunnel. What is retained is described in the privacy policy.
The site you visit
Sees a qikfox server address, plus anything you tell it by signing in.
What a VPN does not do
These limits are real for every VPN, including ours.
- It does not make you anonymous. Services you sign in to still know who you are.
- It does not stop a deceptive page from working - that is browser safety.
- It does not remove harmful files from your device - that is qikfox Antivirus.
- It does not hide activity from software already running on your device.
Frequently asked questions
Related qikfox pages
qikfox VPN
The product page, platforms and features.
Privacy at qikfox
What we retain and why.
Guides
More plain-language explanations.
All products
How the four products divide the work.
Ready to turn the tunnel on?
qikfox VPN is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.