VPN Split Tunnel Home Network

pkuk

WINDOWS 10: Setting: Local Network "Allow access to devices on local network." set ON. I can't access my home server folders, printers, etc.

I don't see a way to fix this using split tunneling. Whitelist home IP's?

Thanks for the help.

Scott

Hello @pkuk

Bitdefender VPN Split-tunneling is only geared towards webpages and apps, and not home network ip addresses, as that is part of your home network connection. You would need to pause the VPN to share folders or use the network printer.

I do have a ticket into BD support regarding this who agreed with my summary, but have escalated this to the next tier and are going to confirm this with them as well. If there is any follow-up contrary to my post that is a solution or work around, I will update this thread. Otherwise, you'll need to pause the VPN as suggested.

Kind regards

Scott

Hi @pkuk

I just got a reply from support, some good and hopeful news :)

Hello, I hope this email finds you well. Thank you for reaching out and sharing your thoughts on the issue of accessing home network folders and printers while using Bitdefender Premium VPN. Your understanding is indeed on the right track. When the VPN is active, it assigns a different IP address, which can interfere with accessing local network resources. However, there's a handy feature in Bitdefender VPN that might help you resolve this issue: the Local Network option. This feature allows you to access devices on your local network even when the VPN is enabled. Here’s how you can turn on the Local Network option: Open the Bitdefender VPN application on your device. Go to the Settings menu. Look for the Local Network option and turn it on. Enabling this option should allow you to access your home network folders and printers without any issues, even when the VPN is active.

On your desktop app you will need to scroll down (right side scroll bar) the General Settings window to find the Local network option. I hope it works for you :)

Cheers

pkuk

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the follow-up. However, my very first sentence stated "Local Network "Allow access to devices on local network." set ON….

Tell them it's not working.

Thanks again.

Scott

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/342043#Comment_342043

If you want to follow-up with support, I'll let you take if from here. But, I'm thinking since they said the ip option wasn't an option, and your having enabled Allow access, there isn't much more that can be done. I guess you just need to disable the VPN to connect with your home network?

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/help/

Select, How Tos & Troubleshooting→Troubleshooting and go through the prompts until you get to the black Contact Support box. You will have the the options of Chat, Call or Email. Chat is the quickest way to get thing started, phone support is not toll-free.

Kind regards.

Alexandru_BD

Hello,

Jumping in here with a question, as there's something unclear to me. @pkuk scrolling through the comments I could not find a confirmation that you are able to access those server folders and printers when the VPN is OFF.
Is that the case?

Thanks

pkuk

Yes, with the VPN connected it takes about a minute or two and the folder opens. I'm not sure about the printer as I couldn't wait around at the time. I disconnect the VPN and it's back to normal for both.

Thanks

Alexandru_BD

I see. Well, in this case I think the investigation should continue with the Support engineers. Because by the looks of it, we're out of ideas here. You can use the link shared by Scott above and choose the chat option, as it will be the fastest way to get in touch with the Support teams.

Thanks

plotkinms

Running Windows 11: Same problem. In the VPN app I turned on "Local Network", then I turned on VPN and attempted to print. Waited over 10 minutes, nothing happened. As soon as I turned off the VPN the print job went through.

However with the VPN on and "Local Network" on I can run backupd and recover from/to the NAS and access files on another computer (I have access.)

rip32

I always have to disconnect from the Bitdefender VPN to print on my local network HP Officejet Pro 8600 printer even though I have enabled 'Local network' under the General tab in the Bitdefender VPN app. I even made sure my Windows 11 Network and Internet Settings registered my network as a Private Network. I just finished a chat session with the Support Center regarding this same issue. Support Center just recommended adding the printer application to the Split Tunnelling feature mentioned above, but they had no idea what application that might be or even where to look for it. I added every .exe that had "HP" or "print" in the filename. This didn't work, either. Can Bitdefender please address this issue? It's neither secure nor convenient to disconnect from VPN every time I need to print a document, …and it's made more frustrating by the fact that there is a 'Local network' feature in this application that is just not working the way it should.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @rip32,

I've forwarded your comment to one of our technical leads and they will get back to you on the case asap.

Thanks,

Alex

rip32

Thanks, Alexandru_BD. Shortly after communicating with you, Bitdefender Support Center contacted me to make sure I had the latest version of Bitdefender VPN. I did. Then, today, I received a VPN Diagnostic Tool (Bitdefender-VPN-tool.exe) from Bitdefender Support Center. In addition to any diagnostics it may have run, this tool automatically applied an update or fix to Bitdefender VPN. After running the tool, I was able to print to my local network printer while my VPN was connected. Thanks for your help.

plotkinms

I've thes same problem. How can I get a copy of the "VPN Diagnostic Tool (Bitdefender-VPN-tool.exe)"?

rip32

No problem, plotkinms. For the best results, contact the Bitdefender Support Center. When I contacted them, I let them know that I made sure 'Local network' was enabled on the General tab in Settings, but I was still unable to print until I disconnected from the VPN. The first thing they did was to make sure I was using the most current version of Bitdefender VPN (At this point in time, that version was 27.1.2.1(b)). Then, they sent me an email with the following steps:

1. Connect and disconnect the VPN: Even if it doesn't connect, please attempt this step. Trying to connect helps us diagnose the issue.
2. Download and run the VPN diagnostic tool:
   • Click this link to download: VPN Diagnostic Tool
   • Right-click on the downloaded file and select "Run as Administrator".
   • Please wait for the tool to finish running: The VPN window will automatically open when it's done. Avoid double-clicking the tool again or manually opening the VPN during this time.
3. Check if the issue is resolved: After the VPN window opens automatically, try using the VPN again.

Again, the best course of action is to contact Bitdefender Support Center directly so they can track how many users are suffering this issue, and, if the diagnostic tool fails, they can walk you through any other corrective measures you may need. If they disable the link above before posting this, that's exactly what you'll need to do anyway.

Going forward, I need to hold off on any other posts about VPN 'Local network' feature failure to this thread because it should be dedicated to the Split-Tunneling feature. The only reason I came here in the first place was because Bitdefender Support Center originally recommended Split-Tunneling as a workaround, …which just did not work for me because I had no idea what .exe files needed to be allowed to side-step the VPN for my printer to work.

Alexandru_BD

@rip32 thank you very much for following up here with detailed explanations. I'm glad to hear the issue was finally resolved and that I could play a part somehow. And thank you for your patience as well.
Going forward, @plotkinms you'll also have to go through Support to resolve this.

Again, your feedback is highly appreciated. 👍️

Regards,

Alex