How to check if your VPN is working

While many VPNs may claim to offer water-tight protection, these VPNs are far less secure than they admit. Rather than take chances with your online security and safety, a few tests can confirm if your VPN is working. You can also test for compatibility with streaming services and malware. Once you can check if a VPN is working, you will have everything you need to evaluate the best VPN.

A VPN test will reveal if your Virtual Internet Private Network is providing a free service or if it’s providing the level of security you are paying for. You can also test to see if your activities online are as anonymous as promised.

If you’ve never used a VPN before or are unsure how to test one, this article will explain the basics of checking if your VPN is working.

Basic VPN Testing Procedures

There are a few key things to test for when checking your VPN connection:

  • Ensure your VPN is connected and you can browse the internet usually. One way to do this is to visit a website that you know should be accessible only with a VPN. If you can access the site without issue, your VPN is likely working correctly. It can be any web source blocked in your country.
  • Check your IP address before and after connecting to the VPN. You can do this by visiting a site like whatismyipaddress.com. If your IP address changes after connecting to the VPN, it’s likely the VPN will work correctly.
  • Try accessing a site that you know is blocked in your country. If you can access the site after connecting to the VPN, the VPN is most likely working as it should.

If you run into any issues while testing your VPN connection, contact your VPN provider for help. Your service provider should be able to troubleshoot any problems you’re having and get you up and running in no time.

Speed Test

One of the critical states of a functional internet connection is its speed.

The first and most straightforward way to test your VPN is to do a speed test. This will show you how fast your connection is with and without a VPN. To do this, simply:

  • Connect to a VPN server and then visit a speed test website. We recommend using Speedtest.net.
  • Once you’re connected to a VPN server, take note of your connection speeds. 
  • Then, disconnect from the VPN and recheck your speeds.

If you see a significant speed difference, your VPN works as it should.

Types of VPN Leaks You Can Track with Checker

Types of VPN Leaks You Can Track with Checker

There are three of them:

  1. IP leak: Your IP address reveals a great deal about you, including your location and the websites you browse. A VPN shields you from snoopers attempting to get this information from you. Thus, the VPN’s function is defeated if your original IP address leaks. This is frequently caused by the incompatibility of two internet protocols: IPv4 and IPv6.
  2. DNS leak: Your IP address may remain concealed while your DNS address surreptitiously discloses your location. This may result in a DNS hijacking assault. The DNS server converts URLs from plain text to numerical IP addresses. If you do not use a VPN, your ISP and their servers manage this procedure, and they may monitor websites visited by people. If your DNS leaks, anyone eavesdropping on your traffic will have access to your information.
  3. WebRTC leak: Most major browsers include Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) (i.e., Firefox, Opera, Chrome, and Brave). It enables real-time interactions such as audio and video chat and exposes VPN users to a new threat.

Some websites can use WebRTC by injecting a few lines of code to look past your VPN and uncover your true IP address. This is especially handy for websites that deliver or prohibit material based on geographic location.

How to Test for VPN Leaks

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be instrumental. It allows you to browse the web anonymously and securely from anywhere in the world. But how do you know if your VPN is working? This article will show you how to check if your VPN is operating properly. But you can’t trust it without testing. Use the following methods to get the best performance.

IP Leak Test

Check to see if your VPN service is leaking your IP address. This simple test will tell you if your VPN is working.

If you are using a VPN or Virtual Private Network, you want to ensure that it is working as intended. One way to check this is to perform an IP leak test.

An IP leak test will show whether your VPN is leaking your IP address. If it is, your privacy and security are at risk.

There are many ways to perform an IP leak test, but we recommend using the “VPN Tester” tool from Perfect Privacy. With this tool, you can quickly and easily check to see if your VPN is working as it should.

To use the “VPN Tester” tool, simply:

  • Note your actual IP address.
  • Run a VPN, and select the server that you are connected to. The tool will run a series of tests to see if your IP address is being leaked.
  • If you find that your VPN is leaking your IP address, you should take steps to fix the problem. There are many ways to do this, but we recommend contacting your VPN provider for assistance. They should be able to help you troubleshoot the problem and get your VPN working correctly again.

DNS Leak Tests

Another way to test your VPN is to do a DNS leak test. This will show you whether your DNS requests are being leaked while connected to a VPN server. To do this:

  • Connect to a VPN server and visit a DNS leak test website. We recommend using ipleak.net or dnsleaktest.com.
  • Once connected to a VPN server, run the checker, and watch the results.
  • If your DNS requests are being leaked, you’ll see your actual IP address listed. This means that your VPN is not working correctly.
  • If you don’t see your IP address listed, your VPN works as it should.

WebRTC Leak Test

To check if your VPN is working, you can perform a WebRTC leak test. WebRTC is a technology that allows browsers to communicate with each other directly without going through an intermediary server. When you connect to a website using WebRTC, your browser will request your public IP address from the website’s server. If your VPN is working correctly, the website should only see the IP address of the VPN server and not your actual IP address.

To test for a WebRTC leak:

  • Visit ipleak.net
  • Once connected to the site, you should see only the IP address of your VPN server in the results. 
  • If you see your actual IP address, your traffic is not routed through the VPN.

What to Do If You Have a Leak?

What to Do If You Have a Leak

If your data leaks despite being connected to a VPN, the following steps can help resolve the issue:

1.     Slow Speed

If you have a problem with your internet speed after connecting to a VPN, there’s little or nothing that can be done, as VPNs always require a lot of power. So, you can decide between your security or the connection’s speed. You can only slightly increase the Internet speed by switching to a different tariff from your Internet provider or by changing the country to which you connect via the VPN.

2.     IP or DNS Leaks

If your IP address or DNS leaks, then here is how to solve the problem:

  • Change your VPN provider to one that has built-in DNS leak protection.
  • Manually disable the IPv6 feature on your computer or other devices.

Note, though, that this may require additional skills and knowledge.

3.     WebRTC Issues

If your VPN has WebRTC issues such as leakage, the solution is to change the browser that does not have the WebRTC function, disable the same function, or install special extensions for your browser.

Bottom Line

Checking if your VPN works can be the difference between online security, safety and anonymity, and exposure, leaks, and online danger. By combining all the tips and tricks outlined in this article with other security measures such as strong passwords, identity theft protection, malware protection, and antivirus software, you can be on the path to browsing the internet safely and without much cost.

FAQ

  1. Is online banking safe with VPN?

    Yes, online banking with a VPN is safer than without it. A virtual private network does NOT compromise your data, protecting it when you bank over public Wi-Fi or through a home network. Generally speaking, encryption is the most important feature a VPN offers.

  2. What won't a VPN protect you from?

    It's important to remember that VPNs do not work in the same way as comprehensive anti-virus software. While they will protect your IP and encrypt your internet history, they won't keep you safe, for instance, if you visit phishing websites or download compromised files.

  3. Should you leave your VPN on all the time?

    VPNs offer the best online security, so you should leave your VPN on at all times to protect yourself against data leaks and cyberattacks, while you're using public W-Fi, and against intrusive snoopers such as ISPs or advertisers.

  4. Do I need to pay for a VPN?

    It’s not the critical option, but there are also paid VPNs. VPNs cost about $10 per month, but they can cost as much as $20 and as little as $3 per month. Most VPNs have pay-by-the-month options if you don't want to sign up for a yearly contract.