Comparison
PacketMole vs a privacy VPN
People looking for “a way to keep my home IP while traveling” often try a commercial privacy VPN first: Cloudflare WARP, NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN. PacketMole is also an encrypted tunnel, but it leads somewhere different. A privacy VPN sends your traffic out through the VPN company's servers. PacketMole sends it out through your own home internet connection. That changes the one thing that matters here: the IP address the rest of the internet sees.
The short version
- A privacy VPN shows the provider's IP. PacketMole shows your home's. With a commercial VPN, websites see an IP address belonging to the VPN provider, usually shared with other customers (NordVPN sells a dedicated IP as an add-on, and Proton VPN offers dedicated IPs on business plans). With PacketMole, websites see the public IP of your home internet connection, so you appear to be on your home connection wherever you are.
- On some home connections, that home IP is shared too. Starlink, 5G home internet, cellular and some apartment networks usually use CGNAT. On those, your home's public IP is the carrier's shared address and can change. PacketMole still makes you appear to be on your home connection, but that address is not yours alone.
- Cloudflare WARP doesn't move you to another country. Cloudflare says WARP replaces your IP with a Cloudflare IP that represents your approximate location, so on a trip it shows roughly where you are, not where your home is. NordVPN and Proton VPN let you pick a server country.
- You can use both, one at a time per device. A privacy VPN running on a laptop or phone takes over that device's exit, so websites see the VPN's IP, not your home's, while it's on. A corporate VPN on a work laptop does the same for the traffic it carries.
Detailed comparison
| Feature | PacketMole | A privacy VPN (Cloudflare WARP, NordVPN, Proton VPN) |
|---|---|---|
| IP that websites see | Your home internet connection's public IP (on CGNAT, the carrier's shared address) | The VPN provider's server IP, usually shared; dedicated IPs cost extra (NordVPN add-on, Proton VPN business plans) |
| Location that IP suggests | Your home | WARP: your approximate current location. NordVPN / Proton VPN: the server country you choose |
| What it's for | Appearing to be on your home connection | Privacy from the network you're on; choosing a server location |
| Services that recognize your home IP | Uses your home IP; service rules still apply | Uses the VPN provider's IP |
| Region or eligibility checks | May help with IP-only checks; not guaranteed | Provider region/IP; not guaranteed |
| Encrypts traffic on public Wi-Fi | Yes, from the Away unit to your home | Yes, from your device (or router) to the VPN server |
| Who can see which sites you reach (besides the sites) | Your home internet provider (traffic exits there) and Cloudflare's DNS service for connected devices' lookups; not the venue Wi-Fi | The VPN provider; not the venue Wi-Fi |
| Devices that can't run a VPN app (TVs, consoles) | Join the Away unit's Wi-Fi; nothing to install (the Home unit is wired only) | Possible by setting up a compatible router yourself; both NordVPN and Proton VPN publish router guides |
| Recurring cost (read 2026-10-19) | No PacketMole fee. Needs your own Tailscale account (Tailscale's Personal plan is free) | WARP: free. NordVPN Basic: $3.49/mo intro on a 2-year plan ($94.23 for the first 27 months, then $139.08/yr). Proton VPN: free plan, or VPN Plus $3.49/mo intro on a 2-year plan ($83.76 for the first 24 months, then $83.88/yr) |
| One-time hardware cost | $349, free US shipping (US only) | $0 |
| Run both together | Yes, but a VPN on a device sets that device's exit IP while it's on | — |
Why a privacy VPN shows a different IP
A commercial VPN's purpose is to replaceyour IP with one of theirs. With Cloudflare WARP your traffic exits from Cloudflare's network; with NordVPN or Proton VPN it exits from one of their VPN servers. Services you reach see the provider's address, usually one many other customers are also using.
That suits privacy. It doesn't help if a service compares your IP with the one it normally sees from your home, because the VPN doesn't have your home's IP. PacketMole does, because the tunnel ends at the Home unit, a small wired router that stays plugged in at your house. If your home connection uses CGNAT, the IP it shows is your carrier's shared address, which is still what that service sees when you're actually home.
VPN addresses can also be recognised. Cloudflare lists, as a known issue, that apps and sites relying on location to enforce content licensing (some streaming and games) may not work properly with WARP, and NordVPN pitches its dedicated IP as a way to avoid CAPTCHAs. Using your home connection's IP avoids appearing from a VPN provider's range, but services can still challenge it or rely on other signals, so access is never guaranteed.
When a privacy VPN is the better choice
We'll be straight about it. A privacy VPN is the right tool if:
- You just want privacy on untrusted Wi-Fi.You don't care what IP you show; you only want the coffee shop or airport network not to see your browsing. A VPN does this well, it's free or cheap, and there's no hardware to buy.
- You want to appear somewhere other than home.To look like you're in a different country, use a VPN that lets you choose a server country, such as NordVPN or Proton VPN. (WARP keeps your approximate location, and PacketMole shows your home connection.)
- You need a fixed IP and it doesn't have to be your home's.A dedicated VPN IP stays the same and can become the address a service or employer allowlists. If your home connection's IP changes (common on CGNAT), PacketMole can only show whatever your home connection has at the time.
- You don't want to own anything.A VPN is an app. PacketMole is two small routers. If you want zero physical footprint, a VPN wins on that alone.
When PacketMole is the better choice
- You need to appear on your home connection.Streaming “home network” checks, banking that notices unfamiliar IPs, or an IP-based work check may treat you as home when you use your home connection's IP. Service rules and other location or account signals still apply.
- You keep hitting VPN challenges.If services keep flagging you as “using a VPN or proxy,” your home connection's IP avoids that particular provider range, though it cannot guarantee the service will grant access.
- You want devices covered without setup on each.Smart TVs and game consoles often can't run a VPN app. They can join the Away unit's Wi-Fi and go out through your home connection with nothing to install. A work laptop running its own corporate VPN is different: that VPN carries its traffic to your employer's network, which sees the connection arrive from your home connection.
- You want one-time pricing.$349 once, no subscription from us, and no account with us. You sign in to your own Tailscale account, currently free for personal use.
What about running a privacy VPN too?
You can run one on a device connected to PacketMole, but not both effects at once on that device. PacketMole decides which IP the world sees(your home connection's). A privacy VPN switched on in a device takes over that device's exit, so services see the VPN's IP instead, until you switch it off. Other devices on the Away unit's Wi-Fi keep showing your home IP. More on how the tunnel works on the How it works page, and the FAQ covers the work-from-home case.
Want to use your own home connection on the road?
$349 one-time. Free US shipping (ships within the US only). Ships within 2 weeks. 30 days; $50 restocking fee if opened or used.
Secure checkout · Powered by Stripe
Note on accuracy:Read 2026-10-19: Cloudflare's WARP client FAQ (developers.cloudflare.com/warp-client/known-issues-and-faq/: WARP uses a Cloudflare IP representing your approximate location, and location-licensed content may not work); nordvpn.com/pricing (Basic 2-year intro price and renewal; dedicated IP sold as a checkout add-on); protonvpn.com/pricing (free plan; VPN Plus 2-year intro price and renewal); proton.me/business/vpn/dedicated-ip (dedicated IPs on Proton VPN business plans); NordVPN and Proton VPN router setup guides; tailscale.com/pricing (Personal plan is free). Intro prices are for new customers, exclude sales tax, and change often; monthly-plan prices were not read. Cloudflare WARP, NordVPN, and Proton VPN are trademarks of their respective owners; PacketMole is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
See something we got wrong? Email support@packetmole.com.