Kaveo
Travelling to China for work, study, a holiday or to visit family? Be ready for the internet to behave very differently there. Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Gmail, YouTube, Facebook and thousands of other services are not directly reachable in mainland China. To stay connected, keep working and use maps, mail and messengers without stress, you need a VPN set up before you go. This is a thorough, practical guide: what stops working and why, which technologies cope with local conditions, how to prepare everything before departure, what to do if your connection drops on the ground, and how to choose the right solution. Read it before your trip — once you're there, finding answers is late and difficult.
- Set up your VPN at home, before the trip. Downloading the app and activating a subscription on the ground is much harder — download pages and app stores work with restrictions.
- One option is not enough. Conditions on trips change, so test the connection in different networks and in several available countries in advance.
- Keep a backup plan: a list of backup countries, the instruction for your platform, offline copies of key contacts, an e-SIM with international roaming, and logins written down somewhere off your phone.
- Test everything in advance. Connect at home, open the services you need, measure the speed, check the connection on different networks and in several available countries.
- Kaveo: apps for supported platforms, country selection, up to 3 devices at once and 8 hours free without a card. Test everything at home before the trip. We do not guarantee operation in a specific country.
Why China is different
Access to foreign services in mainland China is restricted at the level of the whole country's network infrastructure. This isn't a single provider's setting or a local block — the filtering works nationally and affects almost all traffic that leaves the country. In practice, travellers find that a large share of their usual tools simply stops opening, while the rest run slowly or intermittently.
It's important to understand that the restrictions affect not only websites in a browser but also mobile apps. Many apps connect to servers that are unreachable from China, so even an installed app may hang on loading, fail to receive notifications, or not start at all. This is especially frustrating for messengers and mail — the app is technically there, but messages don't arrive.
How mainland China differs from Hong Kong and Macau
If your route includes Hong Kong or Macau, the situation there is different: the internet works with practically no restrictions and your usual services are available. But as soon as you cross into mainland China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities), the national restrictions kick in. So plan for the strictest leg of your route: if any part of the trip is on the mainland, you need a VPN.
What exactly doesn't work in China
The list shifts, but the core set of unavailable services has been stable for years. Most often travellers lose access to the following:
- Google search and services: Google search itself, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Drive, Google Photos, Google Calendar, Google Translate and the Google Play store. For Android users this is especially painful — without the Play Store you can't update or install apps.
- Messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Facebook Messenger, Viber. Calls and messages through them don't go through.
- Social media: Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), plus many foreign forums, blogs and platforms.
- Video and music: YouTube, Twitch and several video and music streaming platforms.
- Work tools: some foreign cloud storage, code repositories, corporate portals and collaboration services.
- News: many foreign news sites open with difficulty or not at all.
Local Chinese services — WeChat, Baidu, Alipay, Weibo, Chinese maps — work perfectly and quickly. If you plan a long stay, it's worth setting up WeChat and Alipay: they're needed for payments, taxis, delivery and talking to locals. But if your life and work depend on familiar foreign tools, things get hard without preparation — and that's exactly what a VPN is for.
App stores in China often serve a reduced catalogue, and the download pages of many VPNs are hard to reach. So installing and configuring an app once you're already in the country is a real challenge. Do it in advance, while you're home and the internet works without restrictions.
Why an ordinary VPN sometimes fails
Network conditions in China are among the toughest in the world. Simple and outdated connection methods get recognised and stop working: traffic that clearly "looks like a VPN" may be slowed down or blocked. So the key requirement for a VPN in China is not "just a VPN", but a combination of several modern protocols and the ability to switch between them quickly when one channel stops responding. In the VolnaLink app the app does this itself: it picks the protocol automatically, and you only choose an available country.
Think of it as several different roads to the same destination. If one road is closed, you take another. A VPN with a single protocol is one road: close it and you're stuck. A VPN with a set of protocols and servers is a map with detours.
Overview of technologies: how protocols differ
This is a general overview of technologies, not a list of actions for a Kaveo user. To choose wisely, it helps to know what's behind the protocol names:
- WireGuard (a general technology, not a Kaveo feature) — a modern protocol valued for high speed and efficiency. Great for streaming, calls and gaming when the channel is working.
- VLESS Reality (used in the VolnaLink app together with Trojan and Hysteria 2) — a protocol that blends VPN traffic in well with ordinary encrypted web traffic. Technologies like this tend to keep working in difficult conditions, because they're harder to tell apart from normal browsing.
- OpenVPN (a general technology, not a Kaveo feature) — a time-tested classic. Less "invisible" than VLESS Reality, but reliable and supported almost everywhere, so it's a good backup.
This is a comparison of technologies, not a list of Kaveo features. In the VolnaLink app the protocol is chosen automatically from VLESS Reality, Trojan and Hysteria 2: you do not need to load several protocols or switch them by hand.
What to look for when choosing
- Several modern protocols, from which the client picks a working one. This is the main thing. A single protocol is a risky bet; in Kaveo the choice is automatic.
- Many servers and locations. If one server stops responding, you should be able to switch to another instantly — ideally in different countries near China (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore usually give good speed).
- Stability on poor networks. On the road you'll use hotel Wi-Fi, mobile data and public hotspots — the connection must hold even where the network is unstable.
- Split tunneling. The general idea: only the services you need go through the VPN, local apps go directly. Availability depends on the app, so check it in advance.
- Diagnostics. If something will not connect, describe the problem to support through your account.
- A clear interface and fast support. In the stressful "no internet in a foreign country" situation, it matters that the app is simple and support is responsive.
| Technology | Strength | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| WireGuard | High speed and efficiency | When the channel works — streaming, calls, gaming |
| VLESS Reality | Blends traffic in with normal web traffic | In tough conditions, when others won't connect |
| OpenVPN | Reliability and compatibility | As a proven backup option |
The table compares technologies. WireGuard and OpenVPN are general information, not features of the VolnaLink app.
How to prepare for the trip: step by step
The golden rule — everything is set up at home. Here is the detailed order of actions that saves you from the "landed, no internet" situation.
1. Open your account and sign in
Register in your personal account, set up a subscription (or use the free 8 hours) and make sure logging in works. It is best to sign in on all devices in advance so you do not have to re-authenticate on the ground — and authentication often needs access to the very services that are restricted in China.
2. Get and install the app
Get the app in your personal account and install it on every device you are bringing: phone, tablet, laptop. Do it while you are home and the download is freely available. If you are travelling with family, install the app on their devices too.
3. Sign in to VolnaLink and save the instruction
Open VolnaLink and sign in with the same email address you used in your personal account; new users do not need to copy a subscription key. Save the instruction for your platform from the devices catalog so it is at hand offline. You do not need to load several protocols by hand: the app picks them automatically. Find out which countries are available and remember two or three: closer to China for speed, and a couple of "distant" ones as a reserve.
4. Test everything
Connect, open the services you need (mail, messengers, maps), check the speed. Make sure the app connects on different networks and in several available countries. Open the exact apps you'll use on the trip — better to find and fix issues at home than at the destination airport.
5. Build a backup plan
Save offline copies of key contacts and documents. Consider an e-SIM with international roaming as an extra channel — a roaming connection sometimes behaves differently from a local network. Write your logins and passwords somewhere off your phone (on paper or in an offline password manager). And keep the saved instruction and the list of backup countries on hand.
| What to do | When | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Get the app in your account and install it | Before departure, at home | Download access is hard on the ground |
| Set up subscription and log in | Before departure | Authentication needs internet access |
| Sign in to VolnaLink and remember 2–3 backup countries | Before departure | A reserve in case one country stops responding |
| Test the connection | Before departure | Easier to fix problems at home |
| Save offline copies and an e-SIM | Before departure | Backup channel |
| Write logins off your phone | Before departure | Log in without mail/SMS access |
What to do if the VPN stops connecting there
Even with good preparation, the connection may drop temporarily. That's normal — conditions change. Stay calm and work through this in order:
- Switch the country or network. If one available country does not connect, try another or switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data.
- Switch the server or location. Sometimes choosing a different exit country is enough — for example, swapping one nearby region for another.
- Switch the network. Try mobile data instead of Wi-Fi and vice versa — they can behave differently.
- Restart the app and the device. Simple, but often effective.
- Choose a backup country. One of those you checked in advance.
- Connect at a different time. Channels can be congested at peak hours, and an hour or two later everything works better.
- Contact support through your account and describe where and when the connection was lost.
Speed and stability: what to expect
Honestly: a VPN from China almost always works slower than at home without one. Traffic takes a long path — to a foreign server and back — plus channel congestion plays a role. That's normal. To get the most out of it:
- Choose the nearest servers. Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and South Korea usually give better speed than servers in Europe or the US.
- If the app supports split tunneling, send only what you really need through the VPN.
- For video calls, choose stability over top speed. A slightly slower but steady server often beats a fast but "jumpy" one.
- Don't keep dozens of tabs and background apps open. They consume the channel too.
Security on public networks
On the road you constantly connect to other people's networks — in hotels, cafés, airports, shopping malls. These hotspots are convenient but not safe: traffic on them can be visible to outsiders, and some networks require logging in through dubious pages. A VPN encrypts traffic between your device and the VPN server. It does not protect you from phishing, malicious software or an untrustworthy website. Check the site address and HTTPS before entering passwords or payment details. That's the second reason to use a VPN while travelling — not only for access, but for the privacy and security of your data.
For banking and payments, use the bank’s official app or a verified HTTPS website. Prefer a trusted network or mobile data when available. A VPN can add protection, but does not replace checking that a service is authentic.
Common traveller mistakes
- Leaving setup for later. The most common and most painful mistake. "I'll install it there" often ends with not being able to install it at all. Set up at home.
- Relying on a single country or a single network. Without alternatives you're left offline if the main channel fails.
- Not checking the account login in advance. Authentication on the ground may fail if it needs access to a blocked service.
- Ignoring a backup channel. An e-SIM and offline contact copies save you at the worst possible moment.
- Not checking recovery methods in advance. A saved password does not replace access to email or a second factor. Prepare a backup sign-in method supported by the service before travelling.
- Expecting home speeds. Realistic expectations save you from disappointment: the goal is a stable connection, not record speed.
Special situations
Business trip
If you're travelling to work, check access to all your work tools in advance: corporate mail, clouds, team messengers, collaboration systems. Agree with your IT department on which services are critical and test them through the VPN at home. Keep a backup channel to reach colleagues in case of outages.
Study
Students need access to learning platforms, university mail and research resources. Many of these are foreign, so you'll need a VPN from day one. Set everything up before you leave and save the university's contacts offline.
Travelling with family
Install the app on every family member's device and check the login on each. One Kaveo subscription works on up to 3 devices at once. Explain a simple "if the internet drops" plan to your loved ones: choose another country, change the network, restart the app, contact support.
What to know about Kaveo before the trip
What is confirmed for Kaveo: apps for supported platforms, country selection, up to 3 devices at once and 8 hours free without a card. The app selects a protocol from VLESS Reality, Trojan and Hysteria 2 by itself. We do not guarantee operation in a specific country or network: test the connection at home before the trip, during the free period.
One subscription supports up to three devices at the same time. Setup takes a couple of minutes: register in your personal account, install VolnaLink there, sign in with the same email address and pick a country. The first hours are free, so you can test everything at home before you fly, with no card required.
Set up the app and test the connection before travelling. This can help identify problems in advance, but does not guarantee operation on a particular network in China.
Related reading
Plans and 8 hours free without a card: see Kaveo plans.