What to Do when VPN Disconnects Frequently? Get an Unbreakable VPN Connection by Combining Starlink, Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G, and DSL with Speedify
A VPN keeps disconnecting for a few common reasons: the one internet connection under it drops for a moment, security software or a firewall interferes, or the VPN server is overloaded. You are not the only one seeing it, and most of these causes can be fixed.
Speedify is an app that combines Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite internet connections into one faster, more reliable connection, and encrypts your traffic like a VPN. With two or more connections, Speedify moves your data onto whichever connection is still healthy when another one quits, so the VPN does not need to reconnect. On a single connection, Speedify works as an encrypted VPN, can be a little slower, and cannot stay online when that one connection drops.
Seven fixes follow, from updating the VPN app and changing servers to running the VPN over two internet connections with Speedify, so a dropout no longer forces a reconnect.
Step 1 to Fix VPN Disconnects: Update the VPN App
If the disconnects come from a bug in the VPN app or its servers, the VPN provider usually fixes it in an app update.
Every VPN service should have an auto-update routine, whether it runs on desktop computers or mobile devices. To be sure, get the latest version from your VPN provider’s website or from the App Store or Google Play Store; for Speedify, use the Speedify download page.
Does your VPN still disconnect? If it does, go to the next step.
Step 2 to Fix VPN Disconnects: Check for Conflicts with Security Apps
Other software on your computer or phone can interfere with your VPN service and stop it from connecting, especially security software: antivirus apps, internet security suites, firewalls and parental controls, which you still need to protect you against online threats.
To check whether those apps cause the VPN disconnects, turn them off for a moment and see if your VPN stays connected. If it does, add the VPN app to the exceptions (allow list) in each security app so you can keep both running.
Not running any security apps? Go on to step 3 then.
Step 3 to Fix VPN Disconnects: Change the VPN Server
When using a VPN service, it is usually best to connect to the closest geographical server: you get online security and the best chance of a good connection speed. If the VPN still drops, try a couple of other servers, both nearby and on other continents.
If the VPN manages to connect to some servers and stay connected, then you should definitely contact your VPN provider about this.
Betting and sports apps are a special case: they check your real location, and some cut the session or refuse to load when they see a VPN. Check the betting site’s terms and stay on a server in the country you are in; with Speedify, you can also add the betting app to Bypass (Settings > Bypass) so it connects directly from your device. No VPN changes where you are legally allowed to bet.
If it is not the servers, maybe it is the VPN protocol: see step 4.
Step 4 to Fix VPN Disconnects: Switch the VPN Protocol Between TCP and UDP
Most VPNs let you connect over two main protocols, TCP and UDP. If your VPN keeps dropping on one, switch to the other and see whether the connection stays up longer.
You should be able to find this configuration somewhere in the Settings area of your VPN app.
VPN still disconnecting? Try another internet connection in step 5.
Step 5 to Fix VPN Disconnects: Change the Internet Connection
Wi-Fi networks can be unreliable, and some 4G/5G cellular networks show the same symptoms when you move into an area with a poor signal. If the steps above did not stop the VPN disconnects, switch to another internet connection and see whether your VPN is more stable there.
If connecting to another network solves the issue, the connection under the VPN is the problem, and using a mobile VPN that can combine multiple Internet connections simultaneously keeps you connected when one of them drops.
Still no results after you have switched Internet connections?
Step 6 to Fix VPN Disconnects: Reinstall the VPN App
Reinstalling the VPN app can fix disconnects too, on any platform: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS or Linux.
Reinstalling the app might update its settings and app permissions in the operating system, so there is a chance it works correctly afterward. If the VPN drops only when your device sleeps, see the next section; if it drops because the internet connection under it drops, step 7 keeps the VPN up.
VPN Disconnects When a Laptop Sleeps or a Phone Locks
Some VPN apps drop the tunnel when a laptop goes to sleep, the computer locks or a phone sits in standby, then reconnect when the device wakes. Speedify stays connected while a phone is in standby or sleep mode on iOS and Android, and Speedify 17.2 fixed sessions ending when a device sleeps.
Step 7 to Fix VPN Disconnects: Use a VPN That Runs on Two Internet Connections
A mobile VPN is different from a traditional VPN: it keeps your session going as your device moves between networks. The kind that stops disconnects also uses several internet connections at once with automatic failover, so if one of the connections becomes unreliable, your data switches to the others.
On your phone, for example, a VPN like that uses both Wi-Fi and 4G/5G cellular; on your laptop, it can use Wi-Fi, a wired connection (DSL, cable and so on) and a phone’s 4G/5G cellular connected by USB cable.
Speedify is a mobile VPN solution that uses Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet and Starlink together. When one connection drops, Speedify moves your traffic to the others and keeps the same public IP address, so the VPN session, video calls and logged-in sites carry on; a dual-WAN router, by contrast, changes the IP and breaks them. Speedify encrypts your traffic with DTLS 1.2, using AES-256-GCM or ChaCha20-Poly1305.
How to Set Up Speedify to Stop VPN Disconnects
- Download Speedify on the computer or phone where the VPN keeps disconnecting (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux).
- Turn your old VPN off, since two VPN apps on one device get in each other’s way. Then open Speedify and create a free account (the free tier includes 5 GB per month; Linux needs a paid plan), or sign in.
- On a phone, tap Allow when your phone asks to add a VPN configuration.
- Give Speedify a second internet connection: on a phone, keep Wi-Fi and 4G/5G cellular both on; on a computer, add Ethernet or a phone tethered over USB.
- Speedify connects to a Speedify server automatically and sends your traffic over both connections, so if one of them drops, the VPN stays connected.
Tired of your VPN disconnecting? Get started today with Speedify for FREE: the free tier includes 5 GB per month with a free account.
Speedify
Get started with Speedify today.
Speedify combines Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite into one faster, more reliable internet connection. Free to try: 5 GB a month with a free account. No credit card required.
🚀 Speed
Faster uploads and downloads, because Speedify uses all your internet connections at once.
📶 Stability
If one internet connection drops, Speedify moves your traffic to the others in milliseconds.
🔒 Security
AES-256 encryption on every internet connection, on any network you join.
15M+ downloads worldwide. 75K+ five-star reviews on iOS and Android.