1. What the service is: what one subscription covers
VPNFH is a subscription-based cross-border network acceleration service. What you get after paying is not an installer but a subscription profile: import it into a client and international sites and overseas services on your device are forwarded through VPNFH's routes. Coverage currently spans 90+ countries and 160+ routes, with clients for five platforms — Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux. One subscription works on any number of devices, and no logs are kept.
The site also has a quick start guide that takes the shortest path: sign up, pay, get the subscription, import it, connect — five steps and you are online. This page is the expanded version and the manual you come back to when something goes wrong: every step explains why it is done that way, what you will see if it goes wrong, and how daily upkeep and advanced usage fit in. First-time users should follow the quick start guide once and return to the matching chapter here when they get stuck; if you have been using the service for a while and just want to fix one specific problem, jump straight from the table of contents above.
Keeping subscriptions and clients distinct saves most of the confusion later. A client is the program installed on your device; it builds the tunnel and moves traffic. A subscription is a piece of configuration that tells the client which routes exist, how to connect to each, and when to refresh. Clients come from the download page in the dashboard; the subscription is copied from the overview or download page after you log in. Neither is distributed as a static file from this site, because routes change: a static copy would leave the client with an outdated route list and the false impression that a paid plan cannot connect.
Routes fall into three types by path. IEPL is an end-to-end dedicated link with a fixed path and little jitter at peak hours, suited to long-lived connections and latency-sensitive work. Relay routes enter a relay node first and then forward to the target region, which widens coverage. Direct routes connect at the nearest point, giving the shortest path for ordinary browsing where latency matters. All three are labelled in the client, so pick by purpose rather than memorising city names.
| Route type | Path characteristics | Best for | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| IEPL dedicated | Fixed end-to-end path | Long AI chats, video meetings, large file transfers | First choice at peak hours |
| Relay | Forwarded through a relay node | Services only available in certain regions; less common regions | Fallback when dedicated routes are unstable |
| Direct | Nearest entry, shortest path | General web browsing, search, email | Everyday default |
The account system is deliberately simple: no email address required, just a username and password. That removes the wait for a verification email and the risk of it landing in spam. The trade-off is that there is no email on file for recovery, so keep your username and password safe; the dashboard login page has a recovery entry point that follows the on-screen steps. Avoid using your real name as a username, and do not reuse one from another site — it appears in the dashboard and in support tickets.
Payment supports Alipay, WeChat Pay and USDT. All three sit side by side on the dashboard order page; pick one and complete the flow, and the order status moves from unpaid to paid. The 7-day no-questions refund matters most to first-time users: if you are unsure how the routes perform in your region at the hours you actually use them, start with the cheapest tier for a week and request a refund if it does not fit.
A few things are worth stating up front to avoid mismatched expectations. The service is not priced per device, so there is no reason to upgrade just to add another computer. Nor does it promise that a specific site will work at every moment — routes change as target services change their policies, and the client only picks up the latest routes after a subscription update. No direct installer links are published on this site; clients and subscriptions both come from the dashboard, so versions and route lists always match. Many people searching for a way to reach international sites really want three things: opening international websites, using AI tools, and watching overseas streaming services. The later chapters of this manual organise route selection and troubleshooting around those three cases.
How to use this page: the eight chapters follow the order of use. First time through, read chapters one to six in sequence and you will have the whole flow working; if you already have an account and only need to fix one specific problem, jump from the table of contents to the matching chapter instead of reading from the start.
The manual goes into detail because most connection failures are not broken routes but a step taken in the wrong order or a switch left off: a subscription that was never updated, a client stuck in direct mode, a system proxy that never took effect, or a split-tunnelling rule that sends the target site down the direct path. All of these appear in the troubleshooting table in chapter eight. Reading the first six chapters in order saves most of the back-and-forth; if you are already stuck, go straight to chapter eight and match the symptom.
2. Choosing a plan: three monthly tiers and data packs compared
The plan structure is simple: three monthly tiers that differ only in monthly data — ¥9.9/month for 60GB, ¥18/month for 250GB and ¥28/month for 500GB. All three are identical in features: the same 90+ countries / 160+ routes, the same unlimited device count, the same 7-day no-questions refund. So the only question when choosing is how much data you will use in a month.
| Plan | Price | Monthly data | Typical usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly · 60GB | ¥9.9 / month | 60GB | Web browsing, search, email and messaging, with occasional video |
| Monthly · 250GB | ¥18 / month | 250GB | Daily video, AI tools, several devices online at once |
| Monthly · 500GB | ¥28 / month | 500GB | 4K video, large file transfers, a whole household online for long stretches |
Estimating data by usage intensity
Video dominates data use. The same content can differ several times over between standard and high definition, and 4K sits well above HD; browsing, email and messaging, by contrast, are almost negligible. So the rule of thumb simplifies to: if you hardly watch video, 60GB is enough; one or two hours of video a day, 250GB is safer; if you treat the routes like home broadband or leave several devices streaming for long periods, go straight to 500GB.
The other easily overlooked drain is syncing and updates. System updates, cloud drive sync and package downloads all travel over the routes (provided those apps are in the split-tunnelling list), and one large update can eat a noticeable amount of data. If you find yourself a little short every month, check whether background tasks like these are running before upgrading your plan.
Data packs: use them up, they never expire
Alongside monthly plans there are three data packs: ¥158/300GB, ¥358/1000GB and ¥658/3000GB. They work differently from a monthly plan — no monthly reset, valid until used up, never expiring. They suit three situations: usage with a strong seasonal pattern, where a few months need heavy research and the rest barely any; an existing monthly plan that occasionally runs short and could use a buffer; and a preference not to renew monthly but to buy a block of data for a period in one go.
| Data pack | Price | Capacity | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data pack · 300GB | ¥158 | 300GB | Valid until used up, never expires |
| Data pack · 1000GB | ¥358 | 1000GB | Valid until used up, never expires |
| Data pack · 3000GB | ¥658 | 3000GB | Valid until used up, never expires |
How data resets and how upgrades are charged
Monthly plan data resets on the day you activated, not on the 1st of each month. Activate on the 12th and the 12th becomes your reset date every month. That aligns the billing cycle with your usage cycle: no half-month charged for a mid-month start, and no case of buying a plan two days before a reset and losing a full cycle.
A mid-cycle upgrade is charged pro rata for the remaining days. Moving from a lower tier to a higher one means paying only the difference between the two tiers for the days left in the month — no need to buy a whole new month, and data already used is not wiped. The exact amount is calculated on the order page and visible before you confirm, so there is nothing to work out yourself. If you only need a little extra data, a data pack is better value than an upgrade, because a data pack does not overwrite the monthly data you have not used yet.
Data resets monthly on your activation date, not on the 1st; mid-cycle upgrades are pro-rated by the remaining days of the month; data packs are valid until used up and never expire.
A common mistake: choosing a plan by device count
Many similar services tier their plans by simultaneous devices, which breeds a habit: count your devices first, then look for the matching tier. This service has no device limit, so that dimension does not apply — one laptop and five devices online at once draw on the same subscription and the same data pool. What matters is how much data those devices use together in a month. Conversely, a single device streaming 4K every day should be on a higher tier, not the lowest.
Multi-device use has a hidden cost: usage windows can overlap. A laptop at the office by day and a TV box at home in the evening is staggered use; but if someone at home streams for hours while you are working with AI tools, the two add up. Estimate from your busiest days rather than the average — it is closer to reality.
Start on the lowest tier for a week
If you are unsure how the routes perform in your region at the hours you actually use them, the safest move is to buy the lowest tier and decide after a full week. The 7-day no-questions refund covers that trial: if peak-hour performance falls short within the week, request a refund; if the only problem is running out of data, upgrading costs less than ordering again and used data is not wiped. That order of events is less trouble than buying the top tier and regretting it, and cleaner than registering new accounts over and over.
During the trial, run through your most common scenarios: the AI tools you use, the streaming services you watch, the international sites you visit most — test each one. Checking whether a homepage opens tells you little; what shapes the experience is whether long connections drop and whether video drops resolution. The plans and pricing page has fuller tier descriptions, worth reading against your own usage before you choose.
3. Sign-up and ordering: opening an account from scratch
Account, orders and subscription all live in one user dashboard. The marketing pages explain the service; the actual ordering and delivery happen in the dashboard — so on first use, click Log in at the right end of the navigation to enter the dashboard, where both registration and login live. The dashboard and the marketing pages are two different entry points; do not mistake the free trial button on the marketing page for a registration form, it only takes you to the dashboard's registration page.
Sign-up: a username and password are all you need
The dashboard registration form asks for two things: a username and a password. No email address is required, and submitting completes the process — there is no verification email step. That matters more than it looks: no need to create a mailbox just to register, no worrying about a verification message stuck in spam, and you can order immediately with no waiting in between.
A few practical notes on setting the username and password. Do not use your real name as a username and do not reuse one from another site — it shows in the dashboard and in support tickets. Make the password long and do not share it with your everyday accounts. Because there is no email on file for the usual recovery flow, a forgotten password can only be handled through the recovery entry point on the login page, so a strong password you can actually remember is more reliable than one so complex you have to write it down. And if you do forget it, the recovery entry point is always on the login page.
Registration needs no email address — a username and password are enough. For that reason, keep both safe yourself: there is no email on the account for notifications or recovery.
Ordering: choose a tier, confirm, pay
Once logged in, open the plans page: three monthly tiers and three data packs are shown side by side, with prices and data volumes printed on the cards. Pick one and click the button on the card to reach the order page, which lists the selected plan, the amount due and the billing period; check them and then choose a payment method. Do not rush this step — confirm the amount matches the tier you meant, especially when upgrading from a lower tier, since the page may still have your previous tier selected by default.
There are three payment methods: Alipay, WeChat Pay and USDT. The first two are scan-to-pay; USDT suits users who already hold stablecoins. After payment the page returns to the order result and the status changes from unpaid to paid. If the payment page is closed midway, that is fine: the order appears in your order list, unpaid orders can be paid again, and paid ones show their status.
| Step | Where | What you should see | If it stalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sign up | Dashboard registration page | Entering the dashboard right after filling in username and password | If the username already exists, pick another |
| 2. Choose a tier | Dashboard plans page | Three monthly tiers and three data packs side by side | See the tier guidance in section 2 of this chapter |
| 3. Submit the order | Order page | Plan, amount and period listed line by line | If the amount does not match the tier, go back and reselect |
| 4. Pay | Payment method page | A QR code or a transfer address | If it times out unpaid, restart from the order list |
| 5. Confirm | Order list | Status changes to paid | Wait a minute or two and refresh; if it still has not changed, open a ticket |
Payment succeeded but the order did not update
In most cases this is a delayed callback, not a missing payment. Work through it in this order: refresh the order list once; if nothing changes, wait a minute or two and refresh again; if it is still unpaid after several minutes, open a ticket in the dashboard with the order number, payment method, payment time and the approximate transaction reference, and support can check it against those. Do not place a duplicate order — that creates two unpaid orders and makes reconciliation harder.
Another case is paying the wrong amount, which usually happens with payment methods where you type the amount yourself. Open a ticket and explain, rather than sending another payment. Keep a screenshot of the payment receipt; verification goes much faster with it.
Orders and subscriptions are two different things
An order records what you bought, how much you paid and when it expires; a subscription is how the client connects. The subscription only becomes active after payment succeeds, and it does not appear in the client by itself — you still copy the subscription link and import it into the client, which is chapter four. The separation is deliberate: one person may have several devices, each needing its own import, while the order only needs to exist once.
Once that clicks, most confusion about having paid but nothing working disappears: payment only means the account has a valid period; the device still needs the import before anything works. The next chapter starts with the subscription.
4. Getting your subscription: what the link is and where to find it
The subscription is the hub of the whole flow. It is a tokenised address that the client polls for its route list and configuration; when routes change, one subscription update in the client brings the new list, with no reinstall. In other words, install the client once and let the subscription carry all later changes.
What the subscription link looks like
It is an ordinary URL with a token at the end that belongs only to you. Example (the values are fake, only the structure matters):
https://example.com/sub?token=YOUR_TOKENThis address is equivalent to an account password: anyone who has it can read your route configuration. So do not post it in public groups, do not send screenshots of it, and do not let it appear in tutorial videos. If you suspect a leak, reset the subscription in the dashboard to invalidate the old address, then import the new one on each device. The old link stops working immediately after a reset, and connected devices fail at their next update and prompt for a re-import.
Getting the subscription in the dashboard
After logging in, the subscription is available on both the overview page and the download page. The overview page is quicker for copying; the download page gives client and subscription together: download the client for your platform first, then copy the subscription address. Some clients support QR import, and the dashboard shows the matching code — scan it in the client to finish the import, which skips manual pasting and avoids dropping characters when long-pressing to copy on a phone.
| Import method | When to use it | Advantage | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paste the subscription link | All platforms | Most universal, easiest to check when something goes wrong | Do not paste leading or trailing spaces with it |
| Scan the QR code | Phones and tablets | No typing, fewer mistakes | The code carries the token too — do not share it |
| Add a route manually | Temporary troubleshooting | Lets you test a single route | Will not update automatically when routes change |
When to update the subscription
Three situations call for an update: the route list in the client is empty or clearly short; a route that always worked suddenly fails while others in the same region are fine; or you see route changes in the dashboard. The entry point is usually labelled "Update subscription" or "Refresh configuration" in the client — one click and a few seconds. Updating uses no data and does not disturb connections running on other devices.
Conversely, there is no need to update often. The subscription holds a route list and connection parameters, not live status; tapping update several times a day will not make anything faster and briefly interrupts the current connection each time. A habit of updating once when a connection fails is enough — it is not a daily task.
How the subscription relates to the unlimited device count
No device limit means the same subscription can be imported on any number of devices. Two caveats: all devices share one data pool, so five devices streaming at once drains it very differently from one; and when the same subscription connects on several devices, each picks its own route independently, with no effect on the others and no separate purchase needed. That is also why plan choice looks only at data, not device count.
If you have many devices at home, note the order you import them: set up the main device first (the work laptop or desktop), confirm it connects properly, then roll out to phones, tablets and TV boxes. Adding one at a time makes it easy to identify which device introduced a variable; installing everything at once and then troubleshooting means eliminating them one by one.
The subscription link contains a token and works like a password. If you suspect a leak, reset the subscription in the dashboard — the old link stops working at once — then re-import the new link on each device.
5. Clients for five platforms: importing the subscription one by one
Clients for all five platforms come from the download page in the dashboard, and the flow after installation is much the same: open the client, find the import entry, paste the subscription link or scan the code, wait for the route list to load, pick a route and connect. The differences are mainly in first-install system prompts and permission confirmations, covered platform by platform below. The download entry for each platform is on the dashboard download page; log in and choose your platform.
Windows
Get the Windows client from the dashboard download page, double-click the installer and click through. After the first launch, do three things: paste the subscription link into the import box, wait for the route list to load, pick a route and connect. Once connected, the system tray icon switches to the connected state. Turning on "launch at startup" and "connect on launch" in settings saves a manual click every boot; if you travel often and do not want data used the moment the machine starts, leaving both off is the better choice.
The most common Windows problem is a system proxy that never took effect: the client says connected but the browser still cannot open the target site. Check first whether the client's connection mode is stuck on direct or rules-only, then whether the system proxy switch has been changed back by other software. Some security suites reset system proxy settings, which shows up as works right after connecting, fails a while later; with that pattern, look at the security software's proxy protection first. Fuller steps are in Windows from scratch.
macOS
The macOS client also comes from the dashboard download page. On first launch the system may warn that the developer cannot be verified; allow it once in Privacy & Security in System Settings. That prompt only appears on first install. After allowing it, open the client, import the subscription, choose a route and connect — the same flow as Windows.
On macOS, watch the network extension permission: the first time the client connects it asks to add a network configuration, and you must allow it, otherwise the connection drops immediately. If you accidentally decline, delete the related configuration in System Settings → Network and connect again to re-authorise. Also, macOS rebuilds network interfaces when switching between Wi-Fi and wired, which occasionally drops the connection; click connect once more and it recovers.
iOS
On iOS, get the client from the dashboard download page following the on-screen instructions. Open it, import the subscription, choose a route and connect; the system shows an "Add VPN Configuration" confirmation that you need to allow, possibly with your device passcode. This is system behaviour, not the client asking for extra permissions — once allowed, the configuration is stored in system settings and later connections do not ask again.
iOS power saving reclaims connections in the background, so if you find yourself reconnecting after the screen has been locked for a while, that is a system limitation rather than a route problem. If you need a long-lived connection, add the client to the background refresh allowlist and avoid swiping the app away while connected — swiping it away tells the system you no longer need it, and the background connection is cleared with it.
Android
Get the Android client installer from the dashboard download page. On first install the system asks to allow apps from this source; allow it once, and after installation it is good practice to switch that permission back off to keep the system's default security settings. Open the client, import the subscription, choose a route and connect — a connection indicator appears in the status bar.
On Android, the usual culprit is battery optimisation killing the background connection process. Add the client to the not-optimised list in battery settings and disconnections drop noticeably. Some customised systems also restrict background autostart, which needs a separate allowance in app management, otherwise the client has to be opened manually after every reboot.
Linux
The Linux client is also on the dashboard download page. Importing the subscription works the same as on other platforms; the difference is that on Linux it is more common to manage connections alongside the command line or the desktop environment's network settings. If you prefer a terminal, keep the client running in the background after importing and switch routes from the desktop network indicator, or follow the client's own command documentation.
On Linux, permissions need attention: building a tunnel usually requires elevated rights, and the client will request them; if system policy does not allow it, the connection fails with a message. Configure the appropriate permissions for the client as prompted — there is no need to disable the system's security mechanisms. Tray icon support also varies between desktop environments and distributions; if the icon is not visible, checking status from the command line is the more reliable route.
| Platform | How to get it | First-time setup | Common snags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Dashboard download page | Import the subscription after installing; enable launch at startup if you want it | System proxy not applied or reset by security software |
| macOS | Dashboard download page | Allow developer verification and the network extension | Declining by mistake drops the connection immediately |
| iOS | Get it from the dashboard download page as prompted | Allow the VPN configuration to be added | Reclaimed by the system in the background |
| Android | Dashboard download page | Allow the install source, turn off battery optimisation | Background process cleared by the system |
| Linux | Dashboard download page | Grant tunnel permissions as prompted | Insufficient permissions cause the connection to fail |
Clients and subscriptions for all five platforms come from the dashboard download page; no direct installer links are published on this site. That keeps client versions and subscription formats in step, so a route change only needs a subscription update, not a reinstall.
6. Connecting and verifying: confirming traffic really uses the route
Clicking connect and seeing "connected" only means a tunnel exists between the client and a route; it does not mean traffic on the device actually goes through it. System proxy, split-tunnelling rules and per-app proxy settings all sit in between. So after the first setup it is worth a few minutes to verify; once it passes, you will rarely need to repeat it.
Pick the right route first
Route choice has three dimensions. The first is purpose: AI services are more sensitive to exit region and long-connection stability, so prefer IEPL; streaming depends on region, so pick a route in the region the service serves; ordinary browsing is fine on direct or nearby regions. The second is route type — dedicated is stable, relay covers more ground, direct is shortest. The third is region: the same service can behave differently from different exit regions, so pinning one route per common service keeps things steadier than picking at random each time.
| Use case | Preferred route type | Region choice | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long AI sessions | IEPL dedicated | The service's main region | Long connections dislike jitter — prefer dedicated |
| Streaming | IEPL dedicated / relay | The region the content belongs to | The wrong region hides the catalogue you want |
| General browsing and search | Direct | Nearby region | Short path, fast response |
| Large file transfers | IEPL dedicated | The region of the target server | Stable bandwidth matters more than latency |
Verify the exit IP
After connecting, search for "what is my IP" in a browser and check the reported location. If it matches the region of the route you chose, traffic really is leaving through that route; if it still shows your local location, traffic is not using the route — the client may be in direct mode, or the system proxy may not have taken effect.
Note that the browser using the route does not mean every app does. A client with split tunnelling only takes over traffic on its list, and other apps stay on the local network. To confirm a specific app, run the same check inside it: open a page that is only available in that region, and if it loads, that app is routed correctly.
Verify DNS
DNS resolution decides who is asked when a domain is looked up. If DNS queries still go to your local ISP, the answers can point to the node nearest you even when traffic uses the route, which shows up as pages that load but content from the wrong region. To check, run a lookup in a terminal:
nslookup example.comLook at whether the resolver in the response is the address configured in the client. Most clients take over DNS once connected, with no extra setup; if the response still shows your ISP's resolver, check whether the DNS-related switch in the client is on. This step is especially useful when pages load but the region is wrong — it locates the problem faster than swapping routes repeatedly.
Verify per app
When the client supports per-app split tunnelling, you can route only the apps you choose. Verification is direct: open a page in the target app that only loads through the route; if it opens, the rule matched. If it does not, check whether the app is on the split-tunnelling list, then whether the rule mode is set to rules-only. Some apps have their own proxy settings and bypass the system proxy; those need configuring inside the app itself.
Connected does not mean routed correctly. Verify the exit IP, DNS and the target app, and only then is setup complete. The detailed version of these three checks is in the three-step verification method.
After verification
Once verification passes, pin that route — most clients offer a favourite or pin option. Then you do not have to hunt for it next time. If you rely on several services with different region requirements, pin one route per purpose and switch by purpose rather than by city name, which saves a lot of trial and error. For example, one dedicated route for AI tools, one route in the right region for streaming, one direct route for everyday browsing: three are enough, and there is no need to memorise a dozen city names.
It also helps to note the results down: which route, at what time of day, performing how. Route performance varies by hour, and the gap between peak and daytime can be larger than the gap between routes. A record or two gives you a basis for switching next time instead of guessing repeatedly.
7. Daily upkeep: data, devices and renewals
Once setup is done, only three things need attention day to day: how much data is left, which devices are using it, and when to renew or upgrade. All three are visible in the dashboard — no extra tools, no need to check every day.
Checking and resetting data
The dashboard overview shows data used and remaining for the current cycle. Monthly plan data resets on your activation date each month; after the reset, used data returns to zero and anything unused does not carry over — unlike data packs, which last until used up and never expire. If one month's consumption is noticeably faster than usual, check whether a device is running sync or updates in the background before upgrading the plan.
Using several devices at once
No device limit means the same subscription can be imported on phones, tablets, laptops, desktops and routers at the same time. Two habits help: pin routes on your regular devices so each one does not pick at random and produce inconsistent behaviour; and give the heavy consumer (a TV box streaming for hours, say) its own route, so when something goes wrong it is easy to tell which device is using the data.
From the third device onward, keep a simple note in the dashboard: which device, which platform, which route pinned. With many devices, the thing that gets confusing when something breaks is exactly which one is still connected, and a note saves a lot of time.
Upgrades, renewals and data packs
Upgrades happen on the dashboard plans page. Moving from a lower tier to a higher one is charged pro rata for the remaining days — no need to buy a whole new month, and used data is not wiped. Renewal is the same choose-and-order step, and the expiry date extends afterwards. Data packs are a separate line from monthly plans: no monthly reset, valid until used up, never expiring, useful as a top-up when a monthly plan runs short and for users whose usage fluctuates a lot.
| Task | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Check data used | Dashboard overview | Resets monthly on your activation date; unused data does not carry over |
| Upgrade the plan | Dashboard plans page | The difference is pro-rated by the remaining days of the month |
| Renew | Dashboard plans page | Expiry extends; devices already connected are unaffected |
| Top up data | Dashboard plans page | Data packs last until used up and never expire |
| Reset the subscription | Dashboard overview | The old address stops working; re-import on every device |
| Request a refund | Dashboard ticket | 7-day refund, no questions asked |
How to request a refund
The 7-day no-questions refund runs from your first payment. The entry point is a ticket in the dashboard: create one, say you want a refund and include the order number — no reason needed. Refunds go back through the original payment route, and how long it takes depends on the payment channel. One thing worth noting: after a refund the subscription on the account stops working, so clients on each device need to be re-imported or uninstalled, otherwise you leave behind a configuration that cannot connect and throws errors at every boot.
What happens before expiry
The dashboard shows a reminder before expiry, and connections in the client stop once it passes. To avoid a drop mid-use, renew a few days early; renewing does not disturb connections in progress and does not require re-importing the subscription. If you plan to change tiers, choose the new one at renewal — billing follows the new tier and used data is still not wiped.
If you will not use it for a while, there is no rush to renew. The account and order history are kept; renew and the subscription comes back, then each device updates its subscription once and carries on — no reinstall needed. Data packs even more so: they are not consumed monthly and do not expire while unused.
8. Advanced usage: split tunnelling, whole-home setups and troubleshooting
After the first seven chapters, everyday use is covered. This chapter is for those who want to go a step further: how to let the routes take over only the traffic they should, how to bring every device in the home onto them, and in what order to troubleshoot when something breaks.
Split tunnelling: route what should be routed, keep the rest direct
Pushing all traffic through the routes is not good value: local sites take a detour and come back slower, and they burn data for nothing. Split tunnelling draws a line — traffic on the list uses the routes, everything else stays on the local network. Clients usually offer three modes: global (everything through the routes), rules (split by list) and direct (nothing through the routes). Use rules day to day, and switch to global only temporarily when working out whether a problem is the route or the rule.
Rule lists generally come in three kinds: domain rules, IP range rules and app rules. Domain rules are the most intuitive — add the domains that should use the routes. IP range rules suit services whose domains change often but whose exit ranges are fairly fixed. App rules work by process and suit desktops. When rules conflict, the more specific one wins, so write the exception as a more precise domain rather than deleting a whole rule.
Routers and whole-home setups
Put the subscription on a router and every device in the house uses the routes without installing a client. The upside is coverage for TVs, consoles and smart home gear where a client is awkward; the cost is a higher setup bar, and the whole house shares one data pool, so one device pulling heavy traffic affects all of them.
Three prerequisites: the router itself supports the relevant plugin or feature; you can reach the router's admin panel; and you are willing to spend time tuning rules. If any of the three is missing, installing clients device by device is the easier path. A fuller analysis of the trade-offs, including which households should not do this, is in routers and whole-home setups.
Troubleshooting: work in order, do not change everything at once
The worst troubleshooting habit is changing several things at the same time. The right order is bottom-up: confirm the account and subscription are valid, then that the client is connected, then that traffic actually uses the route, and only then look at the target service itself. Each layer has a clear test, and eliminating them in turn is far faster than reinstalling repeatedly. Reinstalling the client is a last resort, not a first reaction — it clears the subscription and rules, putting back variables you had already ruled out.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Order of checks |
|---|---|---|
| The client will not connect | Expired subscription, a route temporarily unavailable, a local network problem | Update the subscription first, then try another route, then confirm the local network is online |
| Connected but the target site will not open | A split-tunnelling rule sends the target site down the direct path | Switch to global mode temporarily to test; if it opens, the rule is the problem |
| One app does not use the route | The app is not on the split-tunnelling list, or it has its own proxy settings | Add the app to the list; check the app's own network settings |
| Speeds are noticeably slower | Route congestion, background tasks using data, local network fluctuation | Compare with another route in the same region; check data use on the overview page |
| Frequent disconnections | System power saving, unstable wireless signal | Turn off battery optimisation; switch to wired or a steadier wireless network |
| Subscription update fails | The subscription address has expired, or the network is temporarily down | Copy the subscription address again; confirm the local network is working |
When to contact support
If you have worked through the checks and it is still broken, open a ticket. Include four things: platform and client, the name of the route that fails, the exact symptom (will not connect / connects but pages do not open / slow), and roughly when it happened. With all four, support can go straight to the problem instead of asking back and forth. If an order or refund is involved, add the order number.
The site's help centre also groups common questions under account, connection, speed and billing, and many answers are there directly — faster than waiting for a ticket reply. For route coverage details see global routes; route selection for AI tools and streaming is covered in AI tool acceleration and unblocking support respectively; and if your budget is tight and you want to know what this price range buys, what you can get for under ¥10 a month compares it item by item.
Keep the manual within reach
This manual covers the whole path from activation to advanced use, but you do not need to memorise it all. Three things cover most days: update the subscription first when a connection fails, check split-tunnelling rules first when a site will not open, and check background tasks first when data use looks odd. With those three, you can solve the vast majority of problems yourself; for the rest, match the table in chapter eight or open a ticket.