Is VPN being used

Hi all,

I have tunnelblick installed on my Mac and pay for a VPN service. Once I establish a VPN connection how do I know it being used? Is it possible that my browser and e-mail client may be communicating without going through the VPN even when it is running?

john

A VPN should route all of your IP traffic through it (IP tunnelling). Here are some steps to check if your VPN is being used.

1. Stop your VPN software

2. Go to What Is My IP ® | Shows Your IP Address. and note down your IP address

3. Start your VPN software

4. Go to What Is My IP ® | Shows Your IP Address. and note down your IP address

If the IP addresses from steps (2) and (4) are different then your VPN is probably working.

I think the only complication arises when you have a network connection to a local device on your LAN. For example, you may have a wireless printer. In such cases, VPN software will usually detect you're trying to communicate with a local device and route locally.