How do I know if my VPN is connected?

Heliox
Heliox ✭
in VPN

Hi there,

I have just bought and downloaded the VPN software for windows but not too sure if it's actually doing anything! I have clicked on the Connect button and I get the Green connecting icon but then it shows this

image.png

However if i then go to the dashboard it then sows me this

image.png

Indicating it's connected??

If it's not connected then i have had this software for 3 days and it's never connected once!! WHY?

The app on my phone works OK

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Answers

  • Guilhermesene
    Guilhermesene Defender of the month ✭✭✭
    edited April 2023

    Hi @Heliox,

    Something is really strange.

    But I would say that you were not connected through the VPN for so long, after all, it is very difficult for someone to stay more than 50 hours connected and traffic only 128mb.

    Also, the first image shows that you were not connected.

    It seems to me that there is something wrong with the second image, maybe some problem related to the application's GUI.

    In any case you can contact support to learn more about what might have happened.

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

    Take care,

    Stay safe

  • Heliox
    Heliox ✭

    Thanks Guilhermesene,

    I've been in touch with Support and they are a bit confused as well so it's gone higher up the ladder so let's see if that works.

  • Alexandru_BD
    Alexandru_BD admin

    Hi @Heliox,

    Thanks for following up!

    We appreciate if you could share your findings with the community as well, so we may help other users that might encounter this in the future.

    Regards,

    Alex

    Premium Security & Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools user

  • Heliox
    Heliox ✭

    Hi Alex,

     

    Yep no problem. So the

    story so far.

     

    I have followed the instructions suggested by Bitdefender. I have:

    ·       Changed the DNS

    ·      Uninstalled and installed the software

    ·      Signed out then back in again

    ·      Restarted my computer

    ·      Checked no other proxy and VPN's are working

    ·      I have checked the NCPA.CPL

    ·      Reset the internet connection

     

    What I haven't done is to

    ·      Change networks as I’m on a vessel with only one network. However the VPN app on my android phone works on this network

    ·      I haven’t contacted the Network Administrator as I believe this is an unreasonable request. Who is going to contact the Network Administrator of a café or Hotel who’s wifi your using to get your VPN working!!

    ·       Firewall, Bitdefender suggests Check that your firewall isn’t blocking the VPN. If you’re not sure, look in your router’s manual, contact the manufacturer or your Internet provider. Here I also think this unreasonable for the same reason suggested on the previous statement. The software should work straight out of the box

    ·       Checked if port 443 is blocked. I haven’t done this as I’m not too sure how to do it. I’ve searched for it on my laptop and nothing definite comes up. I’m not that good on the background settings and workings of the software to go hunting I don’t want to start going down a rabbit hole.

     

    Yesterday I have an online chat with Bitdefender who were a bit stumped so they have escalated it and I’m waiting for them to get back to me.

     

    So that is where we are at the moment. One thing to note is that I pinned the VPN to my taskbar and when I uninstalled the VPN he icon remained. When I came to install the VPN it wouldn’t install until I deleted that icon.

  • Alexandru_BD
    Alexandru_BD admin

    Hello @Heliox and thank you for keeping the thread updated.

    Looking at the open ticket, I've noticed that the engineers replied to you with the following troubleshooting steps:

    a) If the situation is solved after restarting your router, then we would appreciate it if you could tell us the model of your router/modem, as well as the name of your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

    b) If the situation persists, please follow the instructions below to refresh your connection and add a known private

    Domain Name System (DNS) provider, Cloudflare.

    1. Here's how you can change the DNS:

    • Go to Control Panel.
    • Click on Network and Internet.
    • Click on Network and Sharing Center.
    • Click on Change Adapter Settings.
    • Double-click your active adapter (network) and choose Properties.

    Then:

    • Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then click Properties.
    • Select Use The Following DNS Server Addresses and enter the following addresses:

    Preferred DNS server: 1.1.1.1

    Alternate DNS server: 1.0.0.1

    • Click OK to confirm.

    Then:

    • Select Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6), then click Properties.
    • Select Use The Following DNS Server Addresses and enter the following addresses:

    Preferred DNS server: 2606:4700:4700::1111

    Alternate DNS server: 2606:4700:4700::1001

    • Click OK to confirm.

    2. Refresh the internet connection:

    • right-click on the Windows logo button in the lower left of the desktop
    • press on Command Prompt (Run As Administrator)
    • in the black window, type in the following commands, one by one, and press enter before attempting the second one

    ipconfig /flushdns

    ipconfig /release

    ipconfig /renew

    netsh int ip reset

    netsh winsock reset catalog

    netsh winsock reset

    Kindly reply to them with your findings and let's see if we can get to the bottom of this in a timely manner.

    Looking forward for more updates.

    Regards

    Premium Security & Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools user

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