VPN blocked by administrator? Here’s how to fix it
- The ability to bypass restrictions is one of the most important features of a VPN.
- VPNs can easily circumvent geoblocking and ISP restrictions by re-routing your connection.
- Nevertheless, even VPNs can get blocked by firewalls, ISPs, or even system administrators.
- If you're facing an admin imposed blockage, follow the steps described in this guide to unblock your VPN quickly.
A virtual private network (VPN) is one of the easiest ways to access geo-restricted sites and other blocked websites. However, administrators from companies, governments, and other institutions including media streaming sites block VPN use.
However, even with these restrictions or blockages, there still remain some ways you can easily bypass the blocks while maintaining your privacy and security.
VPN blocks are found mostly in workplaces, schools/colleges/universities, countries that want to control what their citizens consume and/or share, as well as public places with on-demand WiFi such as hotels or airports.
In order to block VPNs, these institutions use advanced software with their firewalls to perform what is known as Deep Packet Inspection that analyzes the type, and destination of packet data on the network.
It is through this technique that your internet service provider can tell the difference between the usual traffic from popular sites such as social media channels, or your web browser, your VPN, and thousands of other traffic types.
Eventually, the network restricts or blocks the traffic they’re trying to control. Most people use VPNs just so their sensitive information like location, web activity, IP address, and other online activities are not accessible to the ISP.
If you find your VPN blocked by the administrator, try the solutions below to resolve it.
What to do if VPN is blocked? (by Admin)
1. Use a VPN service with Obfuscation / Stealth / Port-forwarding technology
While using port 443 may work to help you bypass an administrator block, most VPN protocols have packet data headers that can let firewalls recognize the traffic as coming from a VPN.
Using a VPN service that has stealth technology or obfuscation helps the connection rewrite and/or obscure the packet data headers so that the fingerprint is not easily recognized by the system, thereby blocking the traffic.
Some VPNs that are known to have this feature include Torguard, VyprVPN, IPVanish, Proxy.sh, and VPN.ac, but you can always find out others which you wish to use if not these five.
Another great option to avoid admin blockages is by using a VPN that supports port-forwarding technology such as Private Internet Access.
In order to enable port forwarding in PIA, simply disconnect from the VPN, right-click the PIA Tray icon, and select Settings ->Network ->Request Port Forwarding.
Once the option is set, you can connect to one of the port forwarding enabled gateways from the list and your choice will be visible under the VPN IP address.
⇒ Install Private Internet Access
Another possible workaround that PIA provides is via a configuration file connecting through IP address instead of the hostname in conjunction with port TCP 443 via OpenVPN.
Moreover, you can establish a connection via L2TP or Wireguard protocols.
Private Internet Access
Toggle between secure VPN protocols and bypass admin-imposed restrictions with PIA!2. Edit Registry settings
- Right-click Start and select Run.
- Type regedit and press enter.
- Go to this path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEsoftwarepoliciesgooglechrome
- Delete the whole folder (Chrome) to remove all the restrictions. You can also adjust some of them if you don’t want to remove all completely
3. Run OpenVPN on port 443
This is the most commonly used port used as it is a standard internet encryption protocol and because OpenVPN already uses SSL encryption library, if you switch to this port, it will slip through rigorous firewalls with deep packet inspection.
If your VPN is a high-quality, paid service, you may be allowed to switch the port number or it may have dedicated server locations able to access port 443. Contact your VPN’s support team for help in setting this up.
Note: one of the best VPN tools right now is CyberGhost for Windows. This tool has a lot of useful security features to offer and you can customize them for maximum optimization.
If your current VPN is still blocked by the Administrator, we strongly recommend you switch to a premium tool.
For maximum privacy and unblocking ability, you can use the Tor network to run your VPN, though this makes it highly anonymous and unblockable, virtually.
The downside is the VPN will be routed via multiple proxy layers with varying speeds so you’re not guaranteed to get even 5MPBS if you go this route.
Did these solutions help? Let us know in the comments section below.
