VPNBOX Tunneler — FAQ

General

What is a VPN router?

In order to use a VPN connection, each end device must be set up manually. This process is time-consuming and can easily lead to misconfiguration. By using a VPN router, you no longer need to set up the end devices separately. Every new device added to the home network is automatically redirected via the VPN.

What are the differences between the different versions?

We offer two different versions of the Tunneler. A cheaper base variant and a more powerful pro variant. Both include the same features and only differ in their performance (traffic throughput per second).

What is a Captive Portal?

A Captive Portal allows you to enable a so-called Splash Page to which every new user is automatically redirected before being able to use the network. You can fill it with custom text, such as the terms of use of your network.

Order Related Questions

Which payment methods are accepted?

You can pay with PayPal, credit card, SEPA bank transfer, and cash. We do recommend you to pay with cash or SEPA bank transfer because this way, fewer third parties will take notice of your transaction.
PayPal and secupay, which is our credit card payment provider, will run identity and credit checks. You can avoid these checks by using a different payment method.

Technical Stuff

Which VPN providers are supported?

You can use almost any VPN provider on your VPNBOX Tunneler, as long as your provider supports the OpenVPN or WireGuard protocol and allows you to download configuration files. If you are not sure about your favorite VPN provider, get in touch with us, and we will figure it out for you.

What about Netflix?

You can also watch Netflix while you are connected to the Tunneler. However, there are two different cases:

a) Your VPN provider supports streaming Netflix: You don't have to do anything else and can enjoy all series and movies right away. Find out here if your VPN provider supports streaming Netflix.

b) Your VPN provider does not support streaming Netflix: For this case, we added a function to the web interface, which allows you to exclude Netflix traffic from the VPN connection, thus preventing it from being routed over the VPN. This way, it is possible to stream Netflix with any VPN provider.

Do I still need my normal router?

Yes, the Tunneler does not replace your internet router. You can either connect the Tunneler directly to the router or indirectly with a switch.

Does the Tunneler create a WLAN network?

Yes, some versions of the VPNBOX Tunneler can function as a WLAN access point. However, to cover larger areas, we recommend you use one or multiple external access points.

Can exceptions be added for devices or websites?

Exceptions are used to exclude all or specific traffic of devices from the VPN connection. Excluded traffic is not redirected over the VPN.
Currently, entire devices can be excluded, and an exception for Netflix can be enabled. We are also working on a feature to exclude individual domains and IP addresses, which will be available with one of the next updates.

What about WireGuard?

WireGuard is supported. You can add wg-quick configuration files within the web interface.

In which way is sensitive information transferred to my device?

Your configuration, containing your provider, credentials, and country, is transferred peer-to-peer from your browser to your VPNBOX Tunneler in an encrypted format. For this, we use WebRTC. WebRTC allows us to establish a direct connection between your browser and your device without intermediate storage on a server.
In some cases, a direct connection is not possible (e.g., your NAT is blocking direct connections). Then a so-called TURN-server will be used to redirect your traffic. The TURN-server does not have access to the encryption keys, and therefore is not able to decrypt the traffic.
The use of WebRTC may come as a surprise to you because of the security issues it presents. We are currently working on a detailed explanation of WebRTC, what it is, why we use it, and how you can protect yourself against IP address leaks and fingerprinting.

Troubleshooting

My internet speed is getting very slow. What can I do about it?

While using a VPN, you are expected to encounter slower speeds than when surfing without one. This is caused by the detour all your network packages have to take to reach their final destination. But usually, this should not impact your browsing experience too much.
If your experience is markedly affected, you may be connected to a crowded VPN server. In this case, simply restart your VPNBOX Tunneler. When restarting, your provider may assign you a different, less crowded server.
Should you still experience the same problem, please manually select a different server or country.

Why can I not send emails anymore?

Some providers block port 25 to antagonize against spammers. The only provider we noticed doing this is CyberGhostVPN. Should your email client (Thunderbird, Outlook, etc.) use port 25 to deliver outgoing emails, the delivery may fail. We recommend you to check whether your email provider also supports sending emails via port 587. Many email providers do allow you to use port 587. As an alternative, you may also use your email provider's web interface, which is not affected by the port block.

Why are some providers considerably slower than others?

The VPNBOX Tunneler supports both OpenVPN 2 and OpenVPN 3. OpenVPN version 3 handles hardware resources more efficiently and, therefore, reaches higher speeds. Unfortunately, not all providers yet support version 3. Some providers still use OpenVPN configurations that are incompatible with OpenVPN 3. One example is the 'fragment' directive, which is currently only supported by version 2 of OpenVPN. Providers who are using this directive, this includes CyberGhostVPN and Perfect Privacy, can not be used in combination with OpenVPN 3.