VPN KNOWLEDGE BASE
The VPNmine blog
A hundred articles on running and fixing a VPN, grouped into nine topics: setup guides per device, troubleshooting by error message, how the protocols work, privacy and law, leak testing, speed, streaming, server locations and the security questions around all of it.
- Setup guidesInstall and connect on TVs, desktops, phones, routers, consoles and browsers.16 articles
- TroubleshootingThe failures people actually hit, and what each error message means.16 articles
- ProtocolsWireGuard, WireGuard, IKEv2, ciphers, MTU and what each one trades away.12 articles
- Privacy and lawWhat no-logs means, what audits prove, and where VPN use is restricted.12 articles
- Leaks and testingProve the tunnel works, and read each test result correctly.10 articles
- SpeedWhat the tunnel costs in throughput, latency, battery and CPU.8 articles
- StreamingHow detection works, what a VPN changes, and what it does not.8 articles
- Server locationsWhat each country changes: latency, law, filtering and retention.8 articles
- SecurityWhere a VPN fits among the other defences, and where it does not.10 articles
Latest
TROUBLESHOOTINGIPv6 leaks: how they happen and how to close themA tunnel that carries only IPv4 leaves every IPv6 site outside it. Why that leaks silently, how to test for it, and the two ways to close it.
SETUP GUIDESVPN on a Chromebook: three ways, rankedChromeOS supports Android VPN apps, a built-in WireGuard client and Chrome extensions. What each one covers, and which to pick for your device.
TROUBLESHOOTINGVPN causing packet loss in games: causes and fixesA tunnel adds latency by design and should not add loss. When games stutter with a VPN on, the cause is usually MTU, NAT type or a congested exit.
SETUP GUIDESVPN on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch: how it actually worksNo console runs a VPN app. The three ways to tunnel one anyway, what each costs in latency, and why a VPN will not change your store region.
TROUBLESHOOTINGmacOS VPN problems: extensions, profiles and permissionsA VPN that installs on macOS and silently fails is usually an unapproved system extension. The four permission and profile faults, and how to clear each.
SETUP GUIDESHow to use a VPN on Steam DeckSteam Deck runs Arch Linux, so it takes a WireGuard config directly. Import it in desktop mode with NetworkManager and it works in game mode too.
TROUBLESHOOTINGAndroid's "blocked connections" notification explainedAndroid showing blocked connections is the VPN lockdown setting doing its job. What triggers it, why the phone has no network, and how to clear it.
SETUP GUIDESRunning a VPN on your router, and when not toA router VPN covers every device, including ones that cannot run apps. It also caps your speed and gives the whole house one exit country.
PRIVACY AND LAWA VPN does not make you anonymous. Here is what it doesA tunnel removes one identifier from one observer. Accounts, cookies and fingerprints identify you regardless, and the provider knows what the ISP used to.
PROTOCOLSMTU and VPNs: why pages hang at 90 percentA tunnel shrinks the largest usable packet. When the network drops the message saying so, large transfers stall silently. How to find the right MTU.
TROUBLESHOOTINGKill switch on, traffic still leaked: why it happensA kill switch has three failure modes: it starts too late, it only covers some traffic, or the tunnel never actually went down. What each looks like.
SETUP GUIDESSetting up a VPN extension in FirefoxInstall and configure a VPN proxy extension in Firefox, then close the three leaks Firefox has by default: DNS, WebRTC and container isolation.
PRIVACY AND LAWVPN vs Tor vs proxyThree tools that change your apparent address and are not substitutes. What each protects against, what each costs, and when to use which.
PROTOCOLSPerfect forward secrecy, plainlyForward secrecy means a stolen long-term key cannot decrypt traffic recorded earlier. How VPN protocols provide it, and what it does not cover.
TROUBLESHOOTINGStreaming proxy errors: what the codes actually meanA streaming service saying it detected a proxy is reporting an address reputation match, not a decrypted tunnel. What the error means and what it does not.
SETUP GUIDESVPN browser extension vs VPN app: what an extension cannot doA VPN extension is a proxy inside one browser. A VPN app is a system tunnel. The difference decides what is protected and what quietly is not.
SECURITYTwelve VPN claims that are wrongThe recurring myths about what a VPN does, why each one is wrong, and what the accurate version of the claim looks like.
LEAKS AND TESTINGBrowser fingerprinting: the thing a VPN cannot hideYour browser leaks dozens of properties that combine into a near-unique identifier. Changing your IP does not touch any of them, and can add a signal.
PRIVACY AND LAWGDPR and VPN loggingAn IP address is personal data under GDPR. What that means for what a VPN may retain, and what rights you have over the records it keeps.
PROTOCOLSAES-256 vs ChaCha20: which cipher does a VPN want?AES wins on hardware with AES-NI. ChaCha20 wins everywhere else, which is most phones, routers and TV boxes. Neither is more secure than the other.
TROUBLESHOOTINGVPN works on Wi-Fi but not on mobile dataA tunnel that only fails on cellular usually meets carrier-grade NAT, IPv6-only networks or UDP filtering. How to tell which, and what fixes each.
SETUP GUIDESHow to set up a VPN on iPhone and iPadInstall a VPN on iOS, approve the configuration prompt, and use on-demand rules so the tunnel comes up by itself on untrusted Wi-Fi.
SECURITYWhat to do if your VPN provider is breachedA breach at a VPN provider exposes whatever it retained. What is at risk depends entirely on the retention policy you should have read beforehand.
LEAKS AND TESTINGmDNS candidates and local IP exposureSeeing .local addresses in a WebRTC test means the browser's protection is working. What the old local-IP leak was and why it mostly closed.
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