Is Your VPN Not Connecting? Here’s Why

VPN 2023-02-21 09:36:41 - by Rachel Lee

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a helpful technology used to help facilitate secure access to an organization's network from outside the organization. This is done by creating a safe, encrypted tunnel between the remote user's device and the organization's internal network. This encrypted tunnel prevents anyone from being able to eavesdrop on any of the data sent over it.

However, there can be issues with establishing VPN connections due to the various configurations for different VPNs. This can have a variety of reasons, such as:

Incorrect VPN configuration settings
Outdated or incorrect DNS server information
A firewall or antivirus blocking the connection
Network outages or Internet service provider (ISP) problems
The VPN server may be down or experiencing overloads
Your Internet connection speed may be too slow

How to Fix Your VPN Connection

Here we provide you with the most common solutions to fix your problem.

Check that the internet connection’s stable.

Your VPN will only work properly if the internet connection keeps dropping in and out. And also, constantly switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data might break down your internet connection.

Here are some solutions to avoid such problems:

Disconnecting and connecting to your Wi-Fi network
Restarting your router
Checking your router's ethernet cable to see if it's connected
Contacting your internet provider to restore your internet connection

Restart your VPN software.

Restarting your VPN software or browser extension is the quickest way to solve most problems. So, always consider restarting the software as the first action to take.

Reinstall your VPN app.

Consider reinstalling your VPN software to the latest version to eliminate most bugs and glitches.

Check whether your VPN software is up to date.

Outdated versions of VPN software might cause various problems So, make sure to get all updates for your VPN software.

Keep your Browser updated.

You might face problems because of the incompatibility between your VPN browser extension and earlier versions. So, try to keep your browser updated.

Make sure the VPN server is working.

Sometimes you might be rejected by overloaded servers, and the problem is with the VPN provider. Most of the time, VPN providers allow you to access various servers. So, whenever you're struggling to connect to a server, you can easily disconnect and connect it to another.

Use the appropriate protocol.

A contributing factor to your VPN connection is your protocol. There are two data transfer protocols you can use: TCP and UDP.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol): This protocol sends the data packets sequentially. Although it’s slower than UDP, it’s highly reliable. TCP is commonly used for sending emails, file transfers, and web browsing.
UDP (User Datagram Protocol): This protocol sends the data packets in large volumes in a random manner. Although this protocol is faster than TCP, it’s not as reliable and will likely corrupt the data. UDP is best suited for real-time communications and streaming. This protocol works better with slow or unstable internet connections compared to TCP.

Keep your VPN updated.

VPNs can also crash and experience bugs and glitches like other software. Keep your VPN software updated to the latest version to avoid such problems. Also, if the problem persists, always consider resetting and reinstalling the software.

Make sure your firewall isn’t blocking your connection

Sometimes your firewall might block the VPN connections. To fix this issue, you can easily put VPN software on the list of exceptions, or the Whitelist, in the firewall settings.

Contact customer service

If none of these solutions helps, you can contact your provider's customer support and ask them to help you.

Final Words

VPNs create a secure tunnel between a remote user and the end-point.
VPNs could fail to connect for numerous reasons, such as your firewall settings, browser version, and your chosen protocol.
The two data transfer protocols are TCP and UDP.
TCP is best suited for file transfer, emails, and browsing because it’s reliable and stable. But it requires a fast and stable connection.
UDP is best suited for streaming and real-time communications but could corrupt your data. This protocol works great with slower internet connections.

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