Obfuscation in one minute
Every VPN encrypts your traffic, so nobody on the network can read it. But encrypted VPN traffic still has a recognisable shape: how a connection starts, the sizes of its packets, their rhythm. A network that wants to stop VPNs does not need to read anything; it only needs to recognise that shape and drop it.
Obfuscation changes the shape. The VPN connection is made to look like the kind of secure web traffic every network has to let through, because without it banking, shopping and email would stop. The contents stay encrypted exactly as before; what changes is whether the network can tell that a VPN is there.
Providers give it different names: obfuscated servers, stealth mode, camouflage. The labels say little about how well it works, which is why it is worth knowing what it should do.
How a network spots a VPN
| What the network checks | What a plain VPN shows | What an obfuscated VPN shows |
|---|---|---|
| The first packets of a connection | A known VPN handshake | A connection that looks like ordinary secure web traffic |
| Packet sizes and timing | A regular VPN rhythm | Sizes and timing closer to normal browsing |
| The port and transport used | One fixed VPN port | Ports every network keeps open |
| The server address | A known VPN server | Obfuscation cannot change this one; another route has to help |
How Teal Secure does it
Teal VPN’s connection, Teal Secure, is obfuscated on every connection, for Free and Pro, on every app. There is no stealth mode to find in the settings, because a VPN that only works after you know which switch to turn is a VPN that fails when you need it.
When a network still closes the way in, the app does not just show an error. It tries other routes by itself, in an order that has worked before on that kind of network, including routes that travel like ordinary secure web traffic. You see Connecting for a few seconds longer; you do not have to change anything.
We do not publish the details of each route. Every detail written down is a detail a filter can be built against, and the people who rely on Teal in the countries below are better served by a connection that keeps working than by a technical description.
When you need an obfuscated VPN
At home on an open connection, you do not: obfuscation costs a little speed and gains nothing there. It matters where a network or a country restricts VPNs.
Travel is the most common case. Countries that restrict or filter VPN traffic include China and Iran; hotel, airport and public Wi-Fi elsewhere can also refuse VPN connections. Install Teal and sign in before you travel: app stores and sign-in pages can be harder to reach once you are there.
Always check the law and the network rules where you are. A VPN changes how your traffic travels; it does not change the rules that apply to you.
What obfuscation does not do
It does not make you anonymous to an account you sign into, remove browser trackers, or guarantee that a website accepts a VPN address. A network can still notice that you send a lot of encrypted traffic to one place, and filters change over time.
No provider can honestly promise that every connection works everywhere. What a good obfuscated VPN promises is that it keeps trying sensible routes for you, and tells you plainly when a network is closed.
Keep reading
References
Need help with Teal? Contact support.
Questions
What is an obfuscated VPN?
A VPN whose traffic is disguised as ordinary secure web traffic, so a network that filters VPNs cannot easily recognise it. The contents stay encrypted as with any VPN; obfuscation makes it hard to tell that a VPN is being used.
Is obfuscation the same as encryption?
No. Encryption stops anyone reading your traffic. Obfuscation stops a network recognising that the traffic is a VPN. A good VPN for strict networks does both.
Do I need to turn obfuscation on in Teal VPN?
No. Teal Secure obfuscates every connection on every plan, and the app tries other routes by itself when a network closes one.
Does an obfuscated VPN work in China or Iran?
It is the kind of VPN that has the best chance there, because it does not look like a VPN. No provider can promise every network in every country; install and sign in before you travel, and check the local rules.
Does obfuscation slow the VPN down?
A little, because the traffic is wrapped one more time. On most connections the difference is hard to notice; on a network that blocks VPNs it is the difference between connecting and not.