How to Know if VPN is Working?

Test 1: IP address check (the basics)

1. Disconnect the VPN. Open whatismyip.com and note your real IP and country.
2. Reconnect the VPN to a specific country (e.g. US-New York).
3. Refresh whatismyip.com. The IP and country should have changed.
4. If they're the same, the VPN is not tunneling your traffic — reconnect or change servers.

Test 2: DNS leak test

DNS translates domain names to IPs. If your DNS queries leak to your ISP (Comcast, Verizon, etc.) even with VPN on, your ISP can see every site you visit.

1. Go to dnsleaktest.com and click Extended test.
2. The DNS servers listed should belong to your VPN provider, not your ISP.
3. If you see ISP DNS servers, enable "DNS leak protection" in the VPN app or set DNS to 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google) manually.

Test 3: WebRTC leak test

WebRTC (used for video calls in browsers) can leak your real IP even with a VPN. Critical for browser-based work.

1. Go to ipleak.net or browserleaks.com/webrtc.
2. If you see a local IP (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x) — that's your internal IP, fine.
3. If you see your ISP-assigned public IP — WebRTC is leaking.
4. Fix: install the "WebRTC Leak Prevent" Chrome extension, or in Firefox go to about:config and set media.peerconnection.enabled to false.

Test 4: Kill switch test

The kill switch is your safety net. If the VPN drops, it cuts all internet traffic so nothing leaks. Test it like this:

1. Connect to the VPN and confirm the app shows "Connected".
2. Open a browser and load any website — it should work normally.
3. Force-quit the VPN app (or disconnect from the app).
4. Try loading a website — with the kill switch on, it should fail to load (no internet).
5. If websites still load, the kill switch isn't working — enable it in the VPN app settings.

Test 5: Speed and ISP throttling bypass

VPNs add overhead, but they can also bypass throttling. To confirm:

1. Disconnect VPN → run speedtest.net — note the download speed.
2. Reconnect VPN → run again.
3. Expect a 5-20% drop with WireGuard, 20-40% with OpenVPN. Bigger drops = overloaded server or wrong protocol.
4. If speed INCREASES with VPN on, your ISP was throttling that traffic — VPN is working as intended.

Common signs your VPN is NOT working

• IP didn't change: The VPN tunnel isn't routing traffic. Try reconnecting or switching protocols.
• DNS shows your ISP: DNS leak. Enable protection in the VPN app or change DNS manually.
• WebRTC shows your real IP: Browser-level leak. Disable WebRTC in the browser.
• No internet after disconnecting VPN: Kill switch is working correctly.
• VPN app says "Connected" but you can't browse: Try a different server or protocol.

The 2-minute verification workflow

1. Open the VPN app and connect to a known country.
2. Visit whatismyip.com — IP and country should match.
3. Run dnsleaktest.com (extended test) — DNS should be the VPN's, not your ISP's.
4. Check ipleak.net for WebRTC leaks — should only show VPN IPs.
5. Verify the kill switch works (optional, but recommended once a month).