If your VPN connection drops, your internet access downgrades to a regular connection and you may not be able to use your device, this is why it is important to know what is a VPN and how it works before using one.

If you are using a Smart VPN, don’t worry. When connecting via your Smart VPN you will still be able to use your device.

When Smart VPN isn’t available

If you are connected via an iPhone, iPad, Android phone or other iOS device, you can use a regular VPN connection. However, if you are using an Android phone, you should use a VPN to avoid this problem.

Another option is to change the type of VPN you use. Sometimes even a VPN that is set up to allow public IP addresses and keep them private, will fail to work properly.

To do this, switch to a Smart VPN. Now if you still get a connection problem, you can switch back to an unencrypted IP and your browser will work. The connection problem will just keep occurring.

Switching to a regular VPN for public IPs

If your network uses public IPs and public servers, most Smart VPNs do not require any configuration.

Some Smart VPNs, such as NordVPN or ExpressVPN, have the option of adding a switch in their VPN settings to allow for public IPs and then configure their Smart VPN accordingly. For others such as PureVPN, you must manually change your DNS settings and choose a different IP address.

Since these Smart VPNs use IP addresses that are tied to the public Internet, they are going to need to follow some set protocols to ensure you can easily connect. These protocols include using VPN protocols such as PPTP, L2TP, OpenVPN or SSTP, and using UDP, TCP, or OpenVPN.

When we’re running different protocols to connect, we can tell Smart VPN which address they should use. As shown in the screenshot above, I selected a public IP from my home network. I would like Smart VPN to use my home IP address instead of my ISP’s IP address. In this case, I chose to open a port and connect with OpenVPN.

Now, my Smart VPN will let me connect. But, if my network is using PPTP, I’ll still be able to connect to my ISP using my regular wireless router.

If you want to change the type of VPN you are using on your Android device, you can easily do so by going to Settings Wi-Fi and then tap Advanced Setup and then adding your wireless adapter’s wireless network name or SSID. You can change the types of VPN on other phones and tablets through this menu as well.

Want to learn more about Smart VPN? Check out this page for more details.