You may have experienced website being blocked while browsing through different websites. These websites are blocked for various reasons, such as government policies, security issues, spam requests, or malicious activities.

Some websites are blocked by the firewall but can still be accessed by the users in different ways. Here are five different ways in which you can access blocked websites.

Using the IP address of the website

Some firewall works by blocking the domain name of the sites. The domain name of the website is the text that you type in your browser. When you type the domain name of the website, if it is present in the firewall’s blacklist, you cannot open the web page. Instead of typing the domain name of the site, you can type the IP address of the website directly.

This works as only the domain name are blocked, not the IP addresses. To find out the IP address of different websites, you can go to a website like IPVoid to find out the IP address of different websites.

Also read: A beginner’s guide to Torrents: Everything you need to know

Restarting the Modem

Restarting your modem can also allow you to view blocked websites. When you restart modem, it gets a new dynamic IP address which can be useful if the server has blocked your previous IP address and you aren’t able to access the website.

But there’s a catch a well, if your ISP provides a static IP address to you, the IP address will be permanent, and it won’t change even by restarting the modem.

Also read: Difference between a modem and router; Why you should use a router

Using proxy or VPN

Do you have a static IP address and want to access blocked web pages? You can use a proxy or VPN for this job. They do the job by hiding the real IP address behind a fake address.

Once you start proxy or VPN, it assigns a new IP address, and when a request is sent, it appears to come from the new IP address, and the page is displayed.

If the website is blocked in your geographic location, then you can connect to a VPN server of a different location and access the site.

Also read: Are free VPNs secure? Should you use them?

Using Tor Browser

Using the Tor Browser is one of the most efficient ways of accessing blocked web pages. It hides the location of users and allows them to browse through different websites without restrictions. It works similarly like a VPN or proxy.

The only issue with the Tor Browser is that it is not compatible with every device such as iOS. Tor browser works fine with desktop and Android devices.

Also read: What is Doxxing? Should you be worried? Precautions

Viewing the Cached version of Website

You can also use the cached version of the website that is blocked, and you can’t access it. The cache is an older version of the website that Google keeps as a copy of the site isn’t working, or the server is down for regular maintenance or otherwise.

A cache is suitable for websites that are not updated frequently and don’t require you to be logged in. To view the cached version of the site, do a Google search for the site. Below the title of the website, next to URL you can find a link to the Cached version of the website. Click on the link to view the cached version.

Also read: What is no-verity-opt-encrypt? Why is it used?