In this current world of working from home, working from anywhere connected to anywhere else, it is necessary for some to appear to be in the UK. That does not mean they are ‘breaking rules’ or committing any crime other than benefitting from the technology currently available.
It does not suggest that you can do work for UK companies and hide in France not declaring employment or taxes in France - that is something some have concluded from the wording of the advert for the product offering.
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Yes, I see what you mean… so, if one declares everything (for taxes and social charges etc) upfront here in France … and there is no legal reason why one cannot use a VPN… it should be OK.
A virtual private network is just that. A start point connects to an endpointthat using encryption and specific routing, or tunnelling. The endpoint faces, or allows access to the public facing internet. Other than being materialized by a physical box, and a local wifi access point as the entry to the tunnel, how is the device any different? It is still a VPN, albeit a very select one, isn’t it?
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One would hope also that the advert, and product, doesn’t fall foul of Art. 6(3) of EU Directive 2001/29 relating to circumvention of technological protection measures?
There’s nothing inherently illegal about a VPN, it’s entirely how it is used.
Andrew’s service is obviously set up to be easy to use - I’m not clear if it is a separate wireless AP that he supplies or a configuration on the existing router/AP - no doubt that convenience will appeal to a lot of people and I’m sure some are already customers.
For myself “our own proprietary tunnelling technology” raises a bit of an eyebrow, why reinvent that particular wheel (and where security is concerned proprietary implementations are usually not seen as a good thing) and I think it would be wise not to seem to be pushing the “hidden expat” angle in advertising material - but I’m sensing from his post that Andrew realises that (but I don’t find the gun analogy terribly helpful).
I’m sorry Andrew - not trying to be rude or knock your service but VPN & Tunnel are interchangeable as far as I’m concerned.
Odd comment why would your ISP restrict users on your servers?
IPv4, IPv6 or both? If only IPv4 what are you doing about IPv6?
Interesting - I know which ISP I’d use for this as a personal thing - are you using a retail ISP or a wholesale provider?
Yes, a good selling point for non-techies; but, then, as Jane pointed out most other VPN providers try to make things easy to use.
As I said I’m not trying to knock your service, I wouldn’t buy it of course as I have my own solution but that’s not to say it is not a worthwhile thing.
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What’s the difference between your solution and a VPN Andrew? A fixed UK IP address?
Sorry, I’ve now actually read the thread 
but I can perceive no advantage in a Sofa vs a VPN, apart from a fixed IP address, which I suspect one can rent from a VPN provider if you really want one.
If Sofa takes off, and I wish you well Andrew, how are you going to manage capacity and contention?
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I think it’s just a hardwired VPN Paul. Saves people downloading a client to their devices or adding a VPN to their existing router, which I’ve never bothered to do. I find NordVPN fast and flexible, though the BBC play a constant catch up on their UK IP addresses 
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Looking at their website they give you a wireless AP/Router with a preconfigured SSID of UKSofa - which is then presumably connected to one end of a tunnel back to the UK. I could fairly easily replicate that (in fact very nearly do), as could anyone with a bit of technical knowledge and access to a UK internet connection with fixed IPs.
Given the need for infrastructure in the UK the price is OK. I could undercut it, but not while still making a profit.
This looks like a useful gizmo for visitors and I think that is how you
should advertise it.
In real life how often do colleagues or clients bother checking up on
whereabouts their business contacts are at this precise moment? Why would
they waste their time, why does it matter? Which then raises the issue
that if there is a legal reason why you should be in the UK, then this
device would be being used fraudulent purposes. I do not think that is a
great selling point, it does not reflect well on you if that was your
motivation in designing this product and it might put honest customers off
dealing with you. A further point is, If there is no compulsion for you to
be in the UK but the person checking up on you expects to see you
operating from your office in London for example, and you are identified
as being up on the Yorkshire moors, how is that very different from being
in France?
Just my opinion. You have developed quite a nifty priduct and it deserves a respectable niche.
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Thanks. I love your last comment. We’ve found we attract people who like to be able (covid permitting) to pop over to their French home yet when working want to remain in contact with their UK customers, but at the same time don’t want to flaunt their ability to afford a second home in France.
As for those who criticise us for promoting illegal activities, who amongst you have used a VPN! Just my opinion
Oh don’t you start too about VPN’s and their illegal activity 
Not me.
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Me neither
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Having read a few posts, I feel I’ve disappeared down a rabbit hole.
My mistake has always been curiousity…
It took me years to find out what VPL meant…
& now this.
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