VPN Tracker does not maintain VPN connections when the computer goes to sleep for the following reasons:
Immediately after waking up, the system may have different network settings than when it went to sleep, e.g. because the network cable was replugged while the computer was asleep, or the computer was moved to another location where a different WLAN is available, or a DHCP lease has expired and the DHCP server has to assign a new IP address to the computer after waking up because it has already given the old one to someone else, or the network interface no longer exists, e.g. if a USB network adapter was unplugged. In these cases, not only would the connection immediately stop working after waking up, VPN Tracker would also no longer be able to log off correctly from the remote peer.
VPN Tracker would also not be directly aware of some of these events, as applications do not receive network events while the system is asleep and would therefore have to compare all network configurations after waking up with those before sleeping and decide whether the connection could still work or not, because with some VPN protocols there is no way to actively test this, with others only if certain options are used (e.g. DPD). A misjudgement leads to a tunnel being kept up that can actually no longer work and the user would then have to restart it manually before it works again.
NAT gateways remember in a table how they map private IP addresses to public ones and how they rewrite ports for a limited time only. Depending on the protocol, this time span can be in the range of seconds or minutes (some gateways only remember this for 20 seconds with UDP). If such a table entry is lost, this does not result in an error, but a new entry is created for the next packet, which often results in a different mapping, which the remote station cannot cope with, because it now looks to them as if someone else is trying to hijack the connection, as the packets are suddenly coming from a different sender. VPN Tracker cannot know or check when it wakes up whether the previous table entry still exists or has already been lost and will not receive an error from the NAT gateway in the latter case, but the connection will still no longer work, which leads to the same problems as in the first case. It does not matter whether a local NAT gateway is used (as in most home routers or modems) or a carrier grade NAT gateway, which is located at the ISP and via which several customers can share a single public IPv4 address. The latter is increasingly the case, as there are no longer any free IPv4 addresses and therefore not every customer can get an own one.
VPN protocols that use some form of Dead Peer Detection (DPD) expect regular data traffic from the other side. If this fails to occur, they send DPD packets and expect these DPD requests to be answered. If they are not answered, the other side considers the connection to be dead and deletes it. VPN Tracker is also unaware of this while the computer is asleep and cannot respond to these requests. After waking up, the connection would again no longer be functional, but even with DPD in use, this would often only be noticed after about a minute and until then the system would try to continue using this connection without the slightest chance of success, so that various applications would run into errors or disconnects.
If a VPN connection is disconnected without the client logging off from the VPN gateway and without the gateway being aware of this, the client may not be able to re-establish this connection immediately or a connection error may occur the first time it is established. In the worst case, the client may even be locked out for a few minutes. This can occur in the first two cases if the network settings have changed after the sleep phase or if a NAT table entry has been lost.
The WireGuard protocol itself does not support 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) for VPN connections. However, when using WireGuard connections with VPN Tracker, you can enhance your overall security by enabling 2FA for your VPN Tracker account.
This means your VPN configuration and access are protected with an additional layer of security, while your WireGuard connections remain end-to-end encrypted for maximum protection.
Using VPN Tracker is the best way to benefit from the performance and security of WireGuard, along with modern account-level protections like 2FA.
If you're experiencing issues with your World Connect connection in VPN Tracker, here's what to do:
In VPN Tracker, go to the Help menu and select "Contact Support". In the window that opens:
These steps often help resolve temporary connection issues.
IKEv1 is still a widely used VPN protocol and remains a solid option in many network environments. While it has some technical limitations compared to newer protocols, it continues to be supported in many systems and VPN solutions. VPN Tracker offers full support for both IKEv1 and IKEv2, so you can choose the protocol that best fits your setup. Want to learn more about the newer IKEv2 protocol? Our blog post on IKEv2 VPN covers its key features.
IKEv2 consists of two main phases: authentication and tunnel negotiation. In the first phase, both sides verify each other's identity. In the second phase, the secure VPN tunnel is established and encrypted. To understand how this works in practice, check out our blog post on IKEv2 VPN.
Yes! If you're testing VPN Tracker and run into setup issues or connection problems, you can book a 1:1 consulting session with our in-house experts. We offer real-time support via phone, video call or remote desktop.
If your IKEv2 VPN stopped working after updating to macOS 26 Tahoe and uses DES or 3DES encryption, the issue is due to a change in Apple’s VPN implementation. As part of broader security improvements, macOS 26 no longer supports outdated encryption algorithms like DES and 3DES for IKEv2 VPN connections. These algorithms are considered insecure by modern standards and have been removed from the built-in VPN client.
This change affects many older VPN setups—especially those used with legacy firewalls and routers—and leads to connection errors like “No acceptable proposal found” or “IKEv2 negotiation failed.”
VPN Tracker 365 continues to support DES, 3DES, and other legacy algorithms, allowing you to connect to your existing VPN without changing the gateway configuration. Learn more and get your VPN working again by following this step-by-step guide.
IKEv2 typically uses UDP port 500 for the initial connection and UDP port 4500 when NAT Traversal (NAT-T) is required — for example, behind firewalls or routers using NAT. If you're configuring an IKEv2 connection on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, VPN Tracker makes setup easy. Learn how to connect to IKEv2 VPN with step-by-step guidance.
To get started with WireGuard VPN on your Mac, download VPN Tracker — a professional WireGuard client for macOS. With VPN Tracker, you don’t need to worry about using the Terminal or installing command-line tools. Just import your WireGuard configuration file and connect instantly. The app is compatible with macOS Sonoma and all recent versions of macOS.
➡ Get the download here: WireGuard Mac VPN client download
The best Mac VPN client is one that runs natively on macOS, is regularly updated, and supports all major protocols. VPN Tracker 365 is designed for professionals and supports IPsec, IKEv2, WireGuard®, OpenVPN, and more.
Dead Peer Detection (DPD) is a VPN feature that detects when the other side of a VPN tunnel is no longer responsive. Without DPD, your VPN connection could silently fail without you noticing. DPD keeps things running smoothly by checking the peer's status and cleaning up dead tunnels so they can reconnect automatically. For a full explanation, check out our blog post: What is Dead Peer Detection (DPD)?
Looking for a reliable WireGuard client for Mac? VPN Tracker is the best WireGuard VPN client for macOS, offering a fast, secure, and user-friendly experience. With native support for WireGuard tunnels, an intuitive interface, and full compatibility with macOS Tahoe, VPN Tracker is the ideal choice for professionals and everyday users alike.
➡ Get started here: WireGuard Mac VPN Client
VPN Tracker makes it easy to get started with WireGuard on your Mac. The built-in configuration wizard guides you through importing a config file or setting up your connection manually — fully optimized for macOS including the latest macOS Tahoe release.
Start your WireGuard setup here:
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