Kaveo
The connection icon is on, but what has actually changed? Five checks take a few minutes, but each answers only its own question: none of them alone gives a verdict on the VPN as a whole.
Before you start: three different addresses
- The public address of your provider — the one sites see without a VPN.
- The public address of the VPN — the exit address sites see when traffic goes through the VPN.
- The local address of the device — an address inside your home or work network (for example 192.168.x.x). It is not visible from the internet and is not a public address.
Compare results under the same conditions: one device, one browser, one network, and change only one action at a time, for example turning the VPN on. Then the difference can be tied to that action.
Check 1: public address and geolocation
Open the IP check page on our site before connecting and note the address. Connect, refresh the page and compare.
The address and the country answer different questions. The address shows which public IP this browser uses to reach the service. The country and city come from an IP address database and may differ from the real location of the server. The same country is also possible with a working connection, for example if you chose a location in your own country or the database is out of date.
If the address did not change, that is a reason to look further, not a final verdict. The browser or app you check with may be excluded from the tunnel; the selected client mode may send only part of the traffic through the VPN; a separate app may take a different route than the browser. Treat IPv4 and IPv6 separately: the check page asks for IPv4 first and does not show IPv6 at the same time.
Check 2: DNS
Open a DNS test service and run the extended test while connected. The name of an organisation in the results does not prove a leak by itself: the resolver may have been chosen by the settings of the app or browser. Look at who owns the resolver, over which transport the query goes and along which route. More in our article on DNS leaks.
Check 3: WebRTC
The in-browser video call technology can reveal the addresses of the device's network interfaces. A local address (for example 192.168.x.x) or a name like abcd.local (mDNS) is an address inside your network, not a disclosure of your provider's public address. The warning sign is the public address of your provider appearing in this test while the VPN is on; even then, check the client mode and exclusions. Look at IPv4 and IPv6 separately.
Check 4: Kill Switch
Whether the feature exists and how it behaves depends on the app. Check the settings of your platform and the developer's instructions, collected in the devices catalog.
Check 5: speed
Measure speed without the VPN and with it on the same network. The result depends on the network, the device and the selected country. If speed drops sharply, try another available country or another network.
How to read the results
- The address did not change — reconnect, choose another country, check whether an antivirus blocks the connection, and recall exclusions and the client mode.
- The country is the same as before — this does not mean the tunnel is down: compare the address and the geolocation separately.
- The DNS test shows your provider or a third-party service — read about DNS leaks: the name of a service alone does not confirm a leak.
- WebRTC shows a local address — normal for an internal network. A public address of your provider is a reason to review browser and client settings.
- Speed dropped — try another available country or another network.
Compare the result with the settings of the app and the browser. The name of a DNS service, a local address or a matching country does not by itself give a full verdict on how the VPN works.
How often to check
After installation, after an app or system update and when you change networks.
Related reading
Plans and 8 hours free without a card: see Kaveo plans.