{"description":"When to keep your VPN on, when you can turn it off, and how split tunneling helps with banks and streaming apps that block VPN addresses.","language":"en","latest_measurement":"2026-10-17","method":"latency-v3","method_page":"https://crackthe.net/method/","source":"https://crackthe.net/","text":"Key points\nOn public or untrusted Wi-Fi: yes. Germany\u0026rsquo;s federal cyber security agency, the BSI, advises using a VPN there. At home: your choice. A VPN hides your browsing from your internet provider, but some connections get slower. When a service blocks VPN addresses: leave that app out with split tunneling, or turn the VPN off for it. A simple decision table SituationVPN on?Why Hotel, café, train, airport Wi-Fiyesthe network operator sees only the encrypted tunnel Your home networkoptionalhides your browsing from your internet provider Mobile dataoptionalsame as at home; your mobile provider sees less Banking app blocks youleave the app outmany banks block known VPN addresses Streaming app blocks youleave the app outservices block VPNs under their own terms Online games, video callsoptionala long route can add delay The BSI\u0026rsquo;s advice for public Wi-Fi: if you must open confidential data over someone else\u0026rsquo;s network, do it through a VPN (BSI: security tips for public Wi-Fi).\nSplit tunneling: on for most, off for some Split tunneling sends only some apps through the VPN and the rest directly. It solves the most common problem with an always-on VPN: one app that refuses to work through it.\nYour devicesplit tunneling on VPN serverbrowser and most apps Websitessee the server address encrypted by the VPN not encrypted by the VPN\nApps you leave out connect directly and show your real address. Why connections can get slower Your traffic first travels to the VPN server and only then to the website. If the server is far away, every request takes longer: a reply that takes one millisecond for the round trip can come from at most about 100 kilometers away, and real routes are longer than a straight line. A server in a nearby country is usually faster.\nThis is also how this archive measures where servers are: a fast reply proves the server is near. The guide How latency locates a server explains it.\nHow to turn your VPN on or off In the VPN app: the main button connects and disconnects. This is the easiest way on every device. iPhone and iPad: once a VPN app is installed, a VPN switch appears in Settings. You also find it under General, then VPN \u0026amp; Device Management. Android: open Settings and search for \u0026ldquo;VPN\u0026rdquo;. The VPN screen lists your VPN apps; the gear next to one leads to the always-on setting. Menu names differ by phone maker. Always-on settings in the app Start on boot connects the VPN when your device starts. Kill switch blocks the internet when the tunnel drops, so your real address does not show. Auto-connect on untrusted Wi-Fi turns the VPN on for networks you have not marked as safe. Check after changing settings: open the IP check with and without the VPN to see which address each app or browser uses.\nNext step Level 2 starts with Virtual VPN locations: what it means when a country in the list is not where the server stands.","title":"Should your VPN be on all the time?","url":"https://crackthe.net/learn/should-a-vpn-be-on-all-the-time/"}