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PacketStream Review: A Risky Passive Income Opportunity

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PacketStream is a company that’s said to be the “first of its kind peer-to-peer proxy network.”  As a “packeter” with the company, you can get rewarded for sharing your bandwidth with users from around the world.  Simply put, you allow the company to tap into your internet bandwidth and they then share it with others so that their traffic can be encrypted.

This is a company I have mentioned in my make money with computer power post but I never reviewed them in depth.  So, today, I will do so.

If you like the idea of a passive income, let’s see if PacketStream is something to consider.  Is it safe?  Is it a scam?  As always, I’m 100% honest and only recommend what I feel is worth your time.

What is PacketStream?

PacketStream was founded in 2018 and is what’s known as a peer-to-peer proxy network, which allows customers to surf the internet using IP addresses such as yours.  When you share your internet, you can get rewarded for every GB you share.

Is PacketStream legit?

Yes!  The company is based in Los Angeles, and from my extensive research as always, the company is 100% legitimate.  In fact, they have quite a reputation online.  Many customers and packeters share their love for the company, but there are some downsides.  I will get into this later.  While the company won’t make you rich and they don’t make any claims in doing so, it could make for a decent passive income opportunity.  However, like the so many make-money guides I have created, just because it’s legit, doesn’t mean it’s worth your time.



Signing Up for an Account

If you’re interested in joining, you will have to be 18 years old, and from the looks of it, there’s no worldwide restriction, which means just about anyone can just.  However, earnings, like most sites that work like this, will be heavily dependent upon where you live.  Some countries will make much more than others.  Be aware of this.

Also, to use PacketStream, you will need to install the Packetstream special software, which is available on Windows, macOS and Linux.  Your IP must also be supported.  Supported IPs, according to the website, include residential, mobile, school and even portable hotspot IPs.  You cannot use a VPN when signing up.

Lastly, a PayPal account is required as this is the way they send out their payouts.

The sign-up process is very simple, as all they ask for is a user name, email and password.

Upon doing so, just let them know you want to “earn money” and then download the PacketStream app to start earning.

Is PacketStream Safe?

So, you may be wondering, “I have to share my bandwidth.  How safe is this?”  Trust me, I would have the same concerns as well.

Looking into what data the company collects, I was able to find out some information.

First, the company collects your user data, such as your username, email as well as your PayPal information. This seems to be standard on most money-making websites.

As for “sharing” your information with third parties, the privacy policy strictly states that they don’t share your information with third parties for commercial purposes.  They believe your information should be kept private; however, if you were to share your information, they would ask for consent.

In terms of protecting your personal information, they seem to do a good job.  When you sign up, they don’t ask for much and the privacy policy seems to reassure you that.

Remember, though, that PacketStream is looking to share your bandwidth, not sell your personal information.

That’s where I’m concerned.

When you share your IP address, other people are going to use your IP as a proxy of sorts, which means they can use it for a variety of activities, from accessing region-blocked content or comparing prices.  In some cases, however, they may use your IP for suspicious activities.

It’s hard to say what people are doing with your bandwidth, so your guess is as good as mine.

I just want to note that sharing your IP address on the network could get your IP blacklisted, which means you may be prevented from accessing a slew of surveys.  If it’s marked as spam, it’s going to be tough to surf the internet.

While the company says they do a good job banning users from participating in shady activities, this isn’t always the case.

How PacketStream Works

When you sign up and download the software, the company will connect packeters, which is someone like you, to the customers paying to use the service.  As mentioned, people who use the service want to use your IP as a proxy for a variety of reasons, such as browsing privately for whatever reason or accessing region-blocked content.  Think streaming services.

Whenever you turn on your software, you can see exactly how much you’re bandwidth you’re sharing with users.

You can see the last 14 days of activity on your dashboard.

How Much Does PacketStream Pay?

For every GB of bandwidth you share, you will get $0.10 per GB.  It’s not much, but there are factors involved.

How much you earn will depend on a variety of factors, which mainly include your geographical location, the number of IP addresses you want to share, your network speed as well as when you log in. Remember that you get to choose when you want to turn the software on.

In my research, I think you will make about $1 to $2 a week at most.  This is passive income and all that’s expected of you is turning on the software.  You can increase this amount, however, if you were to share your referral link.  For every friend you refer, you can earn about 20% of what they earn.

Once you hit $5 in rewards, you can cash out via your PayPal account.  Payments can take up to seven days to receive.  This is the only payout option at the moment.

What is the Internet Saying?

Reddit had a ton of reviews.  In fact, they have a subreddit dedicated to the company, but unfortunately, much of what I read wasn’t all that great.

One Reddit user said he uninstalled the app and he noted why we all should.  In his review, he noted that the company advertises on a shady website called BlackhatWorld and even contacted support to confirm it.  Their response was that their platform works on all sites and they didn’t seem to care what it’s being used for.  This user used the website and found his account got banned on some survey sites because others used his IP to gain access to the survey site.

Another review noted that they were blacklisted from sites as well.  They noted that the site runs nicely, however, it isn’t worth the hassle.  This seemed to be the case in a lot of reviews.

Final Thoughts

2/10While making $5 to $10 in passive income may seem worth it, I find it to be not worth the hassle.  You have NO idea who you’re sharing your IP address with nor do you have control over what’s being done.  While they say they ban people from using shady practices, I’m not too fond of the company advertising on BlackhatWorld.   If you’re using survey sites, for example, you’re risking suspension as other people can use your IP to access the same site as well.  They could also use social media sites to run illegal programs that end up getting your IP address blacklisted.

You have to ask yourself if all of this is worth $5 a month?  Probably not, right?

In the end, there are A LOT of risks, and I don’t find it to be worth it.  If you want to risk your IP being labeled as a VPN, then go for it.  If not, there are many other ways to make an easy $5 in a month.

That’s going to do it for now.

As always, if you want to comment on your experience, feel free to do so in the comments below.

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

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