IEPL Dedicated
Best for persistent connections, cross-border work, and evening streaming.
Route directory and tier guide
Global server nodes
VPNSM provides cross-border connectivity across 120+ countries / 250+ routes. Routes are organized into IEPL dedicated, relay, and direct options. Choose based on the task first, then the destination—there is no need to stay on one route all the time.
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SPEED MODE
Switch routes by task
120+ countries / 250+ routes
Relay routes
Balances connection paths, regional coverage, and everyday use.
Direct routes
A direct path for regular browsing and backup connectivity.
Route types describe connection paths; they do not mean every region will perform identically on every network. Test routes against your local network and target service.
REGION DIRECTORY
Browse routes by region
The table below maps regions, cities, and route tiers. It is a sample of the coverage structure, not a live monitoring panel or a statement about current performance. The Streaming column indicates whether a region offers routes intended for viewing; actual content availability depends on the target platform, account region, and local licensing rules.
| Country or Region | City | Route Type | Streaming Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific | |||
| Hong Kong, China | Hong Kong | IEPL dedicated | Supported |
| Singapore | Singapore | IEPL dedicated | Supported |
| Japan | Tokyo | Relay | Supported |
| Japan | Osaka | Direct | Supported on some routes |
| South Korea | Seoul | Relay | Supported |
| Taiwan, China | Taipei | Relay | Supported on some routes |
| North America | |||
| United States | Los Angeles | Direct | Supported |
| United States | San Jose | Relay | Supported |
| United States | Seattle | Direct | Supported on some routes |
| Canada | Toronto | Direct | Supported |
| Canada | Vancouver | Relay | Supported on some routes |
| Europe | |||
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | Direct | Supported |
| Germany | Frankfurt | Relay | Supported on some routes |
| United Kingdom | London | Direct | Supported |
| France | Paris | Direct | Supported |
| Sweden | Stockholm | Direct | Supported on some routes |
| Other Regions | |||
| Australia | Sydney | Relay | Supported |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Direct | Supported on some routes |
| Brazil | São Paulo | Direct | Supported on some routes |
| South Africa | Johannesburg | Direct | Supported on some routes |
ROUTE MODES
Three Route Types
The three tiers address route selection under different connection conditions. Cost, coverage, and suitable tasks vary, so no single type fits every region or time of day. Understanding how routes are organized is more useful for consistent access than looking only at location names.
A
Priority tier
IEPL Dedicated Route
IEPL dedicated routes reduce reliance on unpredictable public-network paths for cross-border connections. Traffic first enters through a designated gateway, then travels via an organized international route to the destination region. The value is not a longer list of locations, but a clearer path between entry and exit points, reducing the impact of ordinary public-routing changes on persistent connections.
These routes suit cross-border work, remote documents, ongoing meetings, code repository access, long AI Tools sessions, and evening streaming. Such tasks often require a connection to remain active rather than completing in a single request. When paths change frequently, a page may appear open while syncing, playback, or the session later drops, so the priority tier emphasizes continuity.
Dedicated resources generally require more organization than relay or direct routes, making them better suited to critical tasks. There is no need to use the priority tier for ordinary web browsing at all times. Separating important sessions from general browsing makes route selection more targeted.
B
Balanced tier
Relay Route
A relay route connects to a suitable gateway first, which then forwards traffic to the target region. It adds a layer of routing flexibility between direct paths and dedicated resources. When the direct path from the local network to a remote exit is poor, a relay gateway can improve the connection direction and expand the available regional choices.
Relay routes suit everyday browsing, regular streaming, AI Tools access, and switching between regions. They are often easier to adapt to complex local networks than direct routes, while being better suited to routine tasks than dedicated routes. Start with a geographically nearby gateway, then change the exit region according to the target content.
More relay steps do not automatically make a connection better. An effective relay should reduce unnecessary path fluctuations rather than stack additional routing layers. If several relay nodes are available in one region, keep the options that work in the client as regular routes.
C
Standard tier
Direct Route
A direct route reaches the target exit through the local network without additional gateway routing. Its simple structure suits web browsing, research, messaging, and backup connectivity. It can also help determine whether an issue comes from the local network, gateway routing, or the target service.
Direct performance depends more on the local network and public international routing. The same city may produce different results on different access networks, so a nearby location is not necessarily the better connection. If pages load incompletely, long sessions repeatedly reconnect, or video buffers, compare a relay or IEPL dedicated route in the same region.
Direct locations offer flexible coverage for services tied to a particular region or as additional exits for farther destinations. For tasks that do not require a persistent session, verify the target region with a direct route first, then move to a higher tier if needed.
TASK BASED ROUTING
Choose routes by use case
Route selection should not rely on country names alone. The destination, session duration, account region, and local access network all affect the result. The guidance below suggests an order for common tasks, making it easier to narrow choices in the client.
Everyday Browsing and Research
Start with a direct or relay location near your current network. Everyday pages usually load many images, scripts, and APIs together, and an exit far from the target service can cause different parts of a page to fall out of sync. A nearby region helps reduce unnecessary cross-region paths and makes it easier to distinguish issues with the browser, website, and route.
If a page opens but the login state, images, or attachments do not load completely, keep the target region unchanged and switch only the route type. Move from direct to relay first, then try an IEPL dedicated route based on the importance of the task. This avoids changing the region and route at the same time, which makes the source of an issue harder to identify.
Streaming
Streaming availability depends first on the content region. Confirm the account region and target library, then choose the corresponding region marked as supporting streaming in the table. Routes in the same city may serve different tasks, so the client’s streaming label is more useful than the city name alone.
Once playback starts, sustained transfer matters more than whether the home page opens. If the beginning plays normally but buffering occurs later, switch within the same region from direct to relay or IEPL dedicated. Stop the current playback before switching, then establish a new connection and reopen the content so the old exit information is not retained.
AI Tools and Development
AI Tools, code completion, and command-line tasks often depend on persistent sessions. An input box loading does not mean generation, uploads, and streaming responses will remain stable. For these tasks, start with a relay or IEPL dedicated route, keep the exit region consistent, and avoid switching during a session.
If the same tool is used in a browser, editor, and terminal, confirm that all programs use the same connection method. Routing only the browser while the editor still uses the local network can cause mismatched login regions, failed callbacks, or timed-out requests. After making changes, verify with a short task before resuming a long session.
Gaming and Interactive Connections
Gaming depends more on path continuity than on fast web downloads. Prefer a route in or near the game service’s region, rather than choosing an exit whose city name looks closer but whose actual path is more complex. Use a relay route for comparison when direct is unstable; for critical interactive tasks, try an IEPL dedicated route.
Re-enter the game session after switching routes so the connection is fully established through the new exit. Switching in the background may leave existing connections on the old path, making the test inconclusive. Downloads and gameplay can also be handled separately: use a standard route for update files and a more stable tier for interactive sessions.
Cross-Border Work and Remote Collaboration
Remote documents, meetings, business dashboards, and file syncing often run at the same time. If the route changes mid-session, a page may still look normal while uploads, notifications, or collaboration status have stopped. Work tasks should therefore favor a relay or IEPL dedicated route with a stable exit and consistent region.
Business services may apply their own security rules to login regions. Confirm your usual region before starting work, connect first, and then open work applications; avoid changing regions during work. If a change is necessary, save local content, finish active uploads and meetings, then reconnect and sign in again.
SWITCHING METHOD
How to switch routes
Reliable route testing requires controlled variables. Change one condition at a time so you can tell whether an improvement came from the region, route tier, or target service. This process applies to Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux.
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Set the Target Region First
Choose the exit region based on the service you are accessing, the account region, or your collaboration partners. Do not start by switching back and forth between multiple countries. If the target service has no specific regional requirement, begin with a nearby region and then compare farther locations.
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Keep the Region Fixed and Compare Tiers
Within one region, try direct first, then relay; use an IEPL dedicated route when a persistent connection is needed. After each switch, disconnect the old connection and establish a new session so the browser or app does not continue reusing the previous network connection.
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Verify with a Real Task
For web tasks, test login, images, and attachments; for streaming, test starting and continuing playback; for AI Tools, test a complete response; for work, check syncing, uploads, and meetings. A successful connection indicator alone does not mean the target task is working normally.
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Keep Regular and Backup Routes
Keep a regular route and a backup route for common tasks. The regular option handles everyday connections; the backup is for quickly adapting to changes in the local network, target service, or regional gateway. Ideally, use different tiers for the two routes rather than merely switching to a nearby city.
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Reassess After Conditions Change
Home, office, and mobile networks use different access paths, so the same route may not perform consistently in every environment. After changing networks, run a brief check again instead of applying conclusions from the previous environment.
COVERAGE NOTES
Coverage and node labels
VPNSM covers 120+ countries / 250+ routes. These figures describe the scale of available regions and routes; they do not mean users need to try every option. In practice, maintaining a set of regular routes matched to your tasks is more effective than constantly chasing new cities.
Region Name
A region name identifies the country or area where the exit is located. For content tied to a specific region, match the target area first; without a regional requirement, start with a geographically nearby region. If an account is already associated with a regular region, keeping the exit consistent usually makes sessions easier to maintain than constantly changing locations.
City Name
Cities further distinguish exits within the same region. Distance is only an initial reference; the actual connection also travels through local carrier networks and international paths. Under different network conditions, a farther city may be better suited to the current task than a neighboring one.
Route Tier
IEPL dedicated, relay, and direct routes describe how connections are organized. A higher tier is not necessary for every task. Web browsing, persistent sessions, streaming, and remote work have different requirements, so assign routes by task instead of using one location for all traffic.
Streaming Label
The streaming label indicates that a region offers route options intended for viewing. The target platform still determines visible content based on the account region, licensing, and its own policies. After connecting, reopen the target app so the region is assessed through the new network session.
VPNSM ROUTE POLICY
The Route Directory Is for Selection, Not Performance Claims
The location page lists only regions, cities, route types, and streaming suitability. Verify connection results on your own network and with the actual task. When issues occur, checking the region, tier, and app connection method in order is more likely to find a suitable path than changing city names alone.