In this article I’ll share a some insight regarding what WinQ server is doing and why you might use it.

Introducing the WinQ server

It’s been a month since PlayBlockz released the WinQ server. Recently some questions popped up in the community channels asking what this service is all about, what the purpose of it is and what it’s usecases are.

WinQ

So WinQ is the dApp that enables Android users (iOS version is available but still has restrictions) to share your WiFi or VPN setup as a virtual asset, among other WinQ users. If you’re not using WinQ yet, you can download it on Google Play store. Better do that right away!

The struggle for keeping your assets (VPN) shared

Previously, sharing a VPN came down to sharing it from the WinQ dApp. Many users got frustrated by this since it resulted in battery drain (the dApp sent a heartbeat on the network) and also seemed to consume a reasonable amount of bandwidth. Also Android devices put WinQ in sleep mode, resulting in unstable sharing of the VPN configuration.

So if users want to connect to your VPN, you needed to be online with your portable device (phone) in order to send the configuration file. This was all done using a peer-to-peer direct transmission.

So far so good — so what is the WinQ server?

WinQ server is actually a service that shares your VPN online. This means you are not sharing from WinQ dApp any longer.

classic setup WinQ VPN sharing

Using the WinQ server (Linux) you actually share your VPN configuration on a server, permanent outside your mobile phone.

VPN sharing setup using WinQ VPN sharing

Let’s set it up…

All you need is the distribution, some docker knowledge and a running Unix OS connected to the internet (port 18888 and port 33445 need to be open).

According to what I read on Github you can just install a VPN on your server and use it in WinQ server. Alternatively you can share your .ovpn configuration file if the VPN server is hosted elsewhere. I’ll go for option 2.