Why does the VPN disconnect from the VPN server?

When we use a VPN service or a remote VPN server, one of the most annoying problems is that the connection drops and we have to wait to reconnect again. The reconnection process in services that use IPsec or OpenVPN takes a few seconds, but during this type we will not be able to surf the Internet, and logically we will notice a cut in the VPN connection. VPN clients are generally prepared to reconnect in the event of a crash, and at other times we have to reconnect ourselves. Today we are going to explain the main reasons why a VPN disconnects and we have to reconnect it to continue browsing safely.

Problems and solutions to take if the VPN disconnects

When we use a paid or free VPN service, it may be the case that we have interruptions in the connection, and we have to reconnect to continue using this service normally. Generally, VPN software allows automatic reconnection, in addition, we must bear in mind that most have a Kill-switch, therefore, we will not be able to surf the Internet while the VPN is down, in order to protect ourselves against external threats. When a user connects to their own home or office VPN server, they may also encounter problems with VPN connection outages, below, we are going to give you all the keys to diagnose the problems and how to solve them.

Internet connection speed and stability

Connecting to a VPN depends directly on our Internet connection. If the stability of our Internet connection is not very good, or we are in 3G / 4G networks that may have small cuts, the connection with the VPN will be cut continuously due to the connection itself. In this case we can do little or nothing because it does not depend on us, but on our Internet provider. In the event that your Internet connection is fixed (ADSL, cable or fiber) and you have many drops, a good option could be to change your provider for one that is more stable, in this way, you will not have these problems of connection drops VPN or your home Internet connection. In the event that you are on 3G / 4G networks and have cuts, you should find a place where you have the best possible coverage,

The speed of the Internet connection is also very important for a VPN service to function properly, although it is not directly related to the interruptions and drops of the VPN service, it will allow us to establish the connection as well as its operation. faster. If we have too high a latency when we are going to make the connection with the VPN server, it is possible that the establishment of the connection is very slow, and even that it returns some type of error because the waiting time is too high and it is canceled establishing the connection. If the VPN is set correctly, high latency can cause spontaneous outages.

Do you connect via WiFi?

WiFi networks are usually less stable than wired Ethernet networks, for this reason it is always recommended to use wired networks whenever possible. In case you have interruptions in the VPN connection when you connect via WiFi, first you should check if this is due to the wireless WiFi network itself or the VPN service. The easiest way to check is to launch an infinite ping directly to the default gateway of the router, and check if there is any packet loss, if there is packet loss then the problem is in the WiFi wireless network, which causes a cut off the VPN connection.

If you use protocols such as IPsec or OpenVPN you will have to reconnect the VPN from scratch, although the software generally does it completely automatically, however, we will notice a cut in the connection because this process takes about 2-5 seconds to connect ( It depends on many factors). In addition, you must take into account the Kill-switch that the main softwares have, something that protects us against possible attacks.

VPN cuts when you connect via cable

If you connect via cable to your router or switch and have interruptions with VPN services, you must make sure that the wired connection is in good condition and does not disconnect. In some scenarios where we have very long or bad network cables, we could have spontaneous disconnections, which cause a cut in the wired connection, therefore, we will stop having the Internet and also the VPN connection.

It is very important to check the network cabling, and verify as before that we have the problem in the local wired network, using ping to see if we have some kind of cut in this type of connection. Although it is not very common to find these types of problems when connecting via Ethernet, they exist and we should check them to rule out.

VPN protocol and service used

We currently have a large number of VPN services, which have hundreds of VPN servers spread all over the world. In the case of having verified that all of the above is correct, we should try the following:

  • Change VPN server : we can try to connect to one near our location, and not use servers that are geographically very far from us.
  • Change VPN protocol : IPsec and OpenVPN protocols are very sensitive to outages, and we will have to reconnect to the server immediately. With protocols like WireGuard we do not have this type of problem, because it is much more transparent, in addition, it allows roaming in case we change networks continuously.

As you have seen, we have to review in detail the connection to the local network and our Internet connection, to avoid or mitigate that we have cuts in the VPN network. Of course, if everything is correct, we will have to check the VPN service itself and also what protocol we are using.

by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

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