Questions

Answers

  • What is Dynaweb, what is it for?
     Dynaweb is an Internet-based anti-censorship portal supported by a network of hundreds of dynamic mirror sites. Established in March 2002 by Dynamic Internet Technology, Inc., Dynaweb aims to help Internet users in China and any other country where the Internet is censored to freely surf the web. Millions of Internet users in China and Iran already benefit from Dynaweb. Our user population is growing in tandem with China's Great Firewall, because Dynaweb is very effective at circumventing China's ever-intensifying Internet blockade. Since its inception, Dynaweb has received widespread acclaim from the global Internet community. As of May 2008, Dyanweb has had over 150 million user visits.

  • What is Freegate, what is it for?
     The most convenient access to Dynaweb is through Freegate, our popular anti-censorship software client. Freegate is a free anti-censorship software for secure and fast Internet access. It is a Windows application that runs on most Windows platforms from Windows 98 to Vista, as well as on Linux and MAC through Wine. Download Freegate here.

  • How do I install and run Freegate?
     You may download and run Freegate without any installation. Just double click the Freegate executible. Your IE browser will launch and open the Dynaweb homepage. You can fill in the address of the website you want to visit in the input box and click "Anonymous Surfing".

  • How do I uninstall Freegate?
    All you need is to delete the Freegate executible.

  • I set my default browser as Firefox, but Freegate opens IE instead.
     By default, when Freegate runs in Proxy Mode, it automatically sets the proxy of IE to 127.0.0.1:8580, and opens Dynaweb homepage in IE, regardless of your default browser setting. You can conveniently visit any website by typing the address on the IE address bar directly, just the same way as when you are not using Freegate.

  • Can I use Freegate with Firefox or other browsers?
     Yes, of course. You just need to manually set the browser HTTP proxy to 127.0.0.1:8580 before you can surf the Internet. If you use Firefox, you can install the GProxy Add-on and use it to conveniently set the proxy.

  • I don't want Freegate to open IE everytime, as I use Firefox or other browsers.
     After you launch Freegate, please click "Settings" tab and check the option "Do not auto open browser when program starts".

  • My anti-virus software reports Freegate as Trojan.
     Some anti-virus and firewall products mistakenly identify Freegate as a back-door Trojan. Freegate is not a Trojan or virus of any kind. We are contacting the software vendors to correct this mis-classification.

  • Every time I download Freegate, the executable is different in size and md5sum.
     To circumvent some anti-virus and firewall products' mistaken identification of Freegate as a back-door Trojan, we have provided multiple variants of the same Freegate software for download. The download links are displayed one at a time. All variants of Freegate are functionally identical. In the meantime, we are contacting the software vendors to correct this mis-classification.

  • How to verify signatures on released files?
    Please see our instructions for details.

  • What is the difference between F2 and F3 tunnel?
     Freegate has two secure, encrypted tunnels, F2 and F3, meaning second generation and third generation tunnels. A tunnel is simply the figurative name of our proprietary technology that lets you penetrate the Internet blockade. When F3 is used, IE's proxy is set to 127.0.0.1:8580. When F2 is used, IE proxy is set to 127.0.0.1:8567. By default, Freegate automatically chooses a tunnel, though F3 is favored. F3 tunnel supports not only HTTP and HTTPS, but also SOCKS5. After setting SOCKS5's proxy to 127.0.0.1:8580, you may safely use all kinds of communication software, including instant messenger and non-http-based real-time audio/video.

  • What is the difference between Proxy Mode and Classic Mode?
     Freegate has two running modes, namely Proxy Mode and Classic Mode. In Proxy Mode which is the default, the program automatically sets IE's proxy. You can directly enter any URL in the Internet browser's address bar and securely visit that website. In Classic Mode, you do not need to setup a browser's proxy and can directly access Dynaweb's home page. You can then securely visit any overseas website via Dynaweb's home page. In Classic Mode, layout and formatting of some websites may not be correctly displayed. We recommend Proxy Mode for best surfing experience. Some users prefer to classic mode to be reminded that he is surfing through Dynaweb.

  • What is Stunnel tunnel?
     Freegate also works with the third party product Stunnel client as one of the encryption tunnels. Users need to download the sproxy.zip packge from the Dynaweb download page and unzip the content into the same folder as Freegate. This feature is obsolete.

  • Does Freegate support protocols other than HTTP?
     Yes, Freegate running F3 tunnel supports other protocol as a SOCKS5 proxy.

  • Does Freegate supports multiple languages?
     Beginning with version 6.76, Freegate supports multiple languages. Four languages are currently supported: they are Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, and Farsi. Upon program start, Freegate automatically sets the interface language to the default language on your computer. The user may also manually change Freegate's language setting.

  • Besides using Freegate, is there any other ways to get on Dynaweb?
     You may also use our published IP, domain names, and email service to obtain the latest IPs to gain secure and uncensored access to the Internet. Plesae read our support page for details. Dynaweb proactively monitors the blocking status of each of its mirror sites, so as soon as blocking is detected, Dynaweb will automatically update the affected IP(s) and DNS domain name(s).

  • Can I use Freegate on Linux or MAC?
     Yes, you can run Freegate on Linux or MAC through Wine. Please visit http://www.winehq.org/ for more information about Wine.

  • Can I use my own proxy server when using Freegate?
     Yes, please make sure your proxy server is working. After Freegate is launched, please go to "Server" tab, and click "Proxy Settings" button, a new window pops up, click "Manually Set Proxy + Freegate", and fill in your proxy server address and port. Next time when you launch Freegate, you will see this window and can fill in your proxy server for Freegate to use to connect to the Internet. Encrypted traffic will pass through the proxy server you set.

  • What shall I configure in my Firewall to be able to use Freegate?
     Freegate needs to connect out in order to work. If you have a firewall installed on your computer, when you launch Freegate, your firewall may pop up a window asking if you allow Freegate to connect. Please choose allow. If your firewall does not pop up and Freegate cannot find servers, please check your firewall rules and make sure it does not block Freegate.

  • Is it safe to use Freegate to surf the Internet, and will the surveillance systems be able to detect me?
     Yes, it is safe to use Freegate to surf the Internet. All Internet communications are encrypted. Local surveillance systems cannot detect what you are doing.

  • When I use Freegate, is my IP exposed?
     Freegate will hide your real IP when you surf the Internet.

  • Why does Freeate pops up a window and asks me to upgrade?
     Freegate has auto-upgrade functionality. If there is a new version available, it will be saved into the same folder as your Freegate executible. Your current version of Freegate will not be overwritten.

  • Freegate can not find servers
     There are three possible reasons (1) Your firewall and/or anti-virus software stopped Freegate from connecting to the Internet. Please temporarily disable your firewall and/or anti-virus software and try again. (2) Temporarily blocked, please try again in 15 minutes. (3) New blocking requires Freegate upgrade. Please try Emergency Mode or try again later."

    If you use proxy server to connect to Internet, please also make sure your proxy server is working.

  • When I start Freegate, IE does not automatically launch
     Plesae click "Settings" tab and make sure the checkbox beside "Do not auto open brower when program starts" is not checked.

  • Freegate interface does not display my default or selected language correctly.
     If your default or selected language does not display correctly, please 1) download the dynamic link library (.dll) file from the Dynaweb download page, 2) place it in the same directory as Freegate's executable (.exe) file, and 3) restart Freegate.

  • After I exits Freegate, my IE can not connect to the Internet any more?
     If you exit Freegate abnormally (for example your computer shuts down abnormally or program crashes), Freegate is not able to clear the IE proxy settings and therefore IE can not connect to the Internet. You just need to run Freegate again and click the "Exit" button to exit normally. Or you can go to the IE proxy setting page (Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections -> Lan Settings -> Proxy server) to clear the proxy settings manually.

  • I still have questions.
     Please email us at dwebhelp@gmail.com for technical support. Please provide detailed information on your operating system, network environment, feedback information, and screen shot(s) if possible.