There are a number of possible causes for such a behavior. This FAQ will help you to find out what is causing the problem in your specific situation. In this FAQ we will be using destination device as a generic term for the device you are trying to connect to. The destination device can be anything from a normal computer, to a server, to a network printer.

1. Are you trying to connect to the destination device using a host name?

If you are using a host name, please try once using its IP address instead. If that works, the problem has to do with DNS resolution. Please make sure DNS is enabled for the VPN connection and correctly configured. Note that using Bonjour or NETBIOS hostnames is generally not possible over VPN.

2. Is the IP address you are connecting to really part of the remote network?

For example, if your remote network is 192.168.13.0/24, you should be able to connect to IPs starting with 192.168.13.x, but connections to IPs starting with 192.168.14.x will not work as they are outside the address range of traffic tunneled through the VPN.

3. Is the local address in VPN Tracker part of the remote network?

Using a local address in VPN Tracker (Basic > Local Address) that is part of the remote network is not possible with most VPN gateways. Please use a local address that is outside all remote networks. For example, if your remote network is 192.168.13.0/24, do not use an address starting with 192.168.13. If you are using an automatic configuration method (e.g. Mode Config, EasyVPN, DHCP over VPN) you may be able to assign a local address to VPN Tracker that is part of the remote network. Refer to the configuration guide for your VPN gateway for more information.

4. Could multiple VPN users use the same local address?

If multiple VPN users exist, pleas make sure no two users are using the same local address (Basic > Local Address), otherwise one of them will not be able to use the tunnel anymore whenever both of them are connected. If that field is empty in your configuration, VPN Tracker will just use the IP address of your primary network interface as local address, and of course, this can also cause an address conflict with another user, that’s why we do not recommend to leave that field empty if there are multiple VPN users.

5. Can you ping the LAN address of the VPN gateway?

You can find a ping tool directly in VPN Tracker under Tools > Ping Host. The LAN address of the VPN gateway is special in the regard that this address doesn’t need to be routed at all. So if you can ping that address but no other remote address, it is most likely a routing issue at the remote end.

6. If you can't ping anything, try re-running the VPN Availability Test

The VPN Availability Test can be found in the menu: Tools > VPN Availability Test. Then try connecting the VPN again. The results of this test depend on the capabilities of your local Internet router/modem or the Internet connection itself and they influence how the VPN tunnel is established. VPN Tracker automatically runs the test for every new Internet connection it is able to detect but even if a connection has been tested before, there are various reasons why the behavior of that connection may have changed in the meantime.

7. Is your VPN gateway the default gateway (router) of its network?

If the VPN gateway is not the default gateway, you will in many cases need a suitable routing setup in order for responses to reach you. Whenever a device doesn’t know how to reach an IP address directly, it forwards its reply to its default gateway and if that isn’t the VPN gateway, it won’t know what to do with that reply data. In that case its important to configure the default gateway to forward replies to VPN users to the VPN gateway.

8. Is your VPN gateway the default gateway (router) of its network?

For more details, we would like to direct you to the following FAQ entry.

The Pre-Shared Key (sometimes called shared secret) is basically a form of password for your VPN gateway which is set up on your device.

Configuring the Pre-Shared Key for a new VPN connection

VPN Tracker provides setup guides for all major gateway manufacturers. In these setup guides, you will also find information on how to set up a secure Pre-Shared Key for your specific device.

You can access all guides on this page.

I have lost my Pre-Shared Key - how can I get it back?

Here are a few tips for you to try and restore your Pre-Shared Key:

1. Check if you have stored the affected connection in your Personal Safe. If so, you may be able to download the connection again.
2. Check the Keychain (Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access). The Pre-Shared Key is usually saved here. Enter "Shared Secret" into the search bar to view a list of all your saved PSKs.
3. Are you using Time Machine Backup? You could try restoring an older connection with the Pre-Shared-Key.
4. Check your firewall or ask the relevant VPN Administrator. Refer to your device handbook to find out where to obtain this information on your specific firewall.

There are multiple passwords that VPN Tracker may require: Your admin password for installation, passwords needed for connecting to your VPN or accessing your Keychain, etc.

This guide shows all password prompts you may encounter in VPN Tracker, explains why they are needed and lets you know which password should be entered.

Administrator password prompts

VPN Tracker will occasionally require you to enter an administrator password - for example during the macOS installation process in order to approve the System Extension needed to allow VPN Tracker to work effectively.

Account + licensing

To log in to VPN Tracker on Mac or iOS, or to log in to your account on my.vpntracker.com, you will need to enter your equinux ID and password. This password gives you access to your VPN Tracker account where your plan, team data, connections and device information is stored.

Pre-Shared Key

Many VPN connections are secured using a Pre-Shared Key (PSK) or Shared Secret which is set on the VPN gateway during the configuration process. You need to enter the PSK in VPN Tracker in order to connect to your VPN.

If you are not the administrator of your VPN gateway, contact the admin for assistance. Tip: Admins can share pre-configured VPN connections using TeamCloud to avoid PSK confusion at enduser level.

Extended Authentication (XAUTH)

Most VPNs have a list of permitted VPN users - e.g. members of staff. Each VPN user has their own unique username and password which they need to enter in order to connect to the VPN. These are often the same credentials you use to sign in at the office. If you're not sure, get in touch with your admin who can advise you further.

• If you haven't already, you can download VPN Tracker using this link.
• After the download has completed, launch the app and click the "Login" button in the top left-hand corner of the app home page.
• Enter your equinux ID and password in the space provided. Hint: This is the login you first created when purchasing VPN Tracker in our online store.

Are you a World Connect User?

You will need to download VPN tracker World Connect. You can do so using this link. VPN Tracker World Connect must be installed using the App Store. Once you've installed the app on your device, sign in with your equinux ID and password.

If you're experiencing issues with your World Connect connection in VPN Tracker, here's what to do:

1. Contact Support

In VPN Tracker, go to the Help menu and select "Contact Support".
In the window that opens:

• Enter "World Connect Issue" in the subject line.
• Describe the problem you're having so our support team can help you quickly.

2. Try These Steps in the Meantime

• If you're using a country-specific connection (e.g. "United States"), try unchecking the "Fastest Destination" option.
• Once unchecked, you can manually choose from the available cities (e.g. New York, Los Angeles, Miami, etc.).
• Try connecting to a different city to see if the issue is specific to one location.

These steps often help resolve temporary connection issues.

Setting up VPN on your Mac

VPN Tracker is the leading VPN client for macOS and works seamlessly on all the latest macOS operating systems.
You can download and test VPN Tracker here free.

Launching VPN Tracker for Mac

The first time you launch VPN Tracker on your Mac, you may need to grant it permission to create VPN connections for you.

First please make sure VPN Tracker is in your Applications folder and complete these steps locally on the Mac (e.g. not over Screen Sharing, Remote Desktop or other remote access tool).

IMPORTANT: macOS notices when you run remote desktop systems like TeamViewer, Apple Remote Desktop, VNC or similar. and hides these buttons. You MUST be local to the Mac.

Then do this:

‣Open System Preferences

‣Go to Security

‣Click "Allow"

Now you'll be able to set up VPN Tracker.

Troubleshooting VPN Setup on macOS

If the "Allow" button can not be clicked, please make sure you are not using a 3rd party mouse or tablet input device, as these can look like remote desktop software to your Mac. If you are using e.g. a Wacom input tablet or mouse utility tool, try disabling those, reboot your Mac and then try clicking the button again.

In case the button doesn't even appear in the dialog, please note that if your Mac has a MDM profile installed, the MDM profile can forbid users to approve their own System Extensions. In that case the profile itself has to approve our extension. Please see technical notes below.

Technical note for Enterprise Rollouts:
VPN Tracker for Mac uses a System Extension to create a secure VPN tunnel and manage network traffic. macOS High Sierra and newer macOS versions now require users to manually approve all System Extensions. For Enterprise rollouts via MDM, you can also pre-approve the VPN Tracker Kernel Extension using a special profile. Our Team IDs are CPXNXN488S and MJMRT6WJ8S.
Please see Apple's Support Document for more details.

Not using an MDM managed Mac?
If your Mac is not MDM managed, please try rebooting, as macOS occasionally can get tripped up with System Extensions. After the reboot, VPN Tracker should work fine.

Stationery Pack was previously activated using the equinux ID shown in the activation dialogue. Additional Stationery Packs need to be activated using the same equinux ID.

To activate an additional Stationery Pack, please log in to the equinux ID shown using your password. If you forgot your password, please try click here

When prompted, enter the activation code you received in your order confirmation email.

If your software has already been activated using a different equinux ID, you must use this same ID to activate further stationery packs.

E.g. If you already own Stationery Pack and have recently bought Summer Spirit Cards using a different equinux ID, you won't be able to use both stationery packs at once.

If you want to use both at once, simply transfer your new stationery pack license from your new equinux ID to your old equinux ID (or vise-versa) using your equinux License Manager.

If you've forgotten your password, you can retrieve your login details here.

Alternatively, if you no longer own the previous stationery pack installed, please uninstall it. You can then install your new stationery pack with your new equinux ID.

There are two types of IP addresses:

• Private IP Addresses, and
• Public IP Addresses

Private IP addresses can be used by any person or organisation for their private network.

The two most commonly used private network ranges (range of IP Addresses) are:

• 192.168.0.x, and
• 192.168.1.x

When for example your home network and your company network both use the same Private IP Range, there will be problems because you will see multiple devices with the same IP Adress and your computer will get confused.

Your Company Network:
When setting up a company network, most companies try to avoid the above listed IP ranges, which is also recommended by us, in order to not cause conflicts with people connecting over VPN. However, there are still some companies that use one of these popular network ranges.

Your Home Network:
A lot of popular home routers like Netgear, Asus, Google, D-Link, TP-Link, Linksys, Trendnet, AVM all use an IP Range of 192.168.0.x.

If your company Network uses the same IP Range as your home network you are going to run into problems.


Here are two possible solutions:

1. Change your local network to a different range (Preferred)

   
   Possible Ranges are:
   
   • 10.250.250.x
   • 172.30.30.x
   • 192.168.250.x
   
   Advantage: Once you have made this change on your home network, you will never have conflicts in this network.
   Disadvantage: You will need to change the settings on your private network router once, this requires access and can take some time.
   What to do:
   
   • Login to your home router
   • Find the setup section with “DHCP” settings.
   • Change your router to a different IP adress (for example an address from one of the ranges listed above, for example 172.30.30.1)
   • Change the DHCP Server Settings to the same range of your router (If your router IP is 172.30.30.1, your range could be 172.30.30.10 to 172.30.30.253)
   
   After you have made these changes, there will be no more conflicts between your home and company network.

2. Force Traffic over VPN

   
   There may be situations where it's not possible to use the first option (for example if you're in a coffee shop or hotel) In this case you have the option to force the traffic over your VPN Network, this means your VPN Network (company network) will always win.
   Advantage: This setting is global, meaning no matter what network you are in you will always be able to connect.
   Disadvantage: Once you are connected to your company’s VPN, you can not access local service, like home router, local storages or printers.
   What to do:
   
   • Configure your VPN Tracker connection
   • Select the "Advanced" Tab at the top
   • In the "Traffic control" section, activate the Checkbox "Force traffic over the VPN if remote networks conflict with local networks"
   
   

Download VPN Tracker free

IPsec VPN uses a different protocol (ESP) for the actual data transfer than for establishing the connection (IKE). Since the ESP protocol does not use network ports, NAT (Network Address Translation) routers may have difficulties handling it correctly. Only NAT routers that support "IPSec Passthrough" (sometimes also named "VPN Passthrough" or "ESP Passtrhough") and where this option is also enabled, can handle ESP data packets.

To work around this problem, two alternative tunneling methods exist:

• NAT-Traversal (old, RFC draft version)
• NAT-Traversal (new, RFC standard version)

Which of these methods will work with your connection depends on two properties:

1. Which of these methods allows traffic to pass through your local Internet router.
2. Which of these methods are supported by your VPN remote gateway.

To test for the first property, VPN Tracker will automatically establish three VPN test connections to a VPN gateway hosted by us whenever it detects a new router that has not been tested before. One connection uses plain ESP, the other two either NAT-T method mentioned above. It will remember the test results for this router and take them into account whenever you start a connection from the network location. The reason we are testing with our own gateway is simply that the test requires a gateway supporting all three methods, with a known configuration and a simply way to verify if traffic did arrive at that gateway.

The second property is not tested in advance, VPN Tracker will become aware of that information when it actually tries to connect to your VPN gateway. VPN Tracker will compare the methods your gateway supports with the stored test results. If there is a match, a method that your gateway supports and that was also working during the test, this method will be used. If there is no match, VPN Tracker will immediately stop and show an appropriate error in the log, explaining the situation.

If you suspect a NAT-Traversal issue or you think the previous test results may be wrong or outdated, simply re-run the test:

‣ Make sure NAT-Traversal (Advanced tab) is set to Automatic
‣ Go to "Tools" > "Test VPN Availability"
‣ Click "Test Again"
‣ Wait until the test has completed, then connect to your VPN

The test dialog also allows you to tell VPN Tracker to not test the current location and forget any previously created test results. This is rarely needed and also not recommended but there might be situation where the test results are wrong because access to our VPN gateway is not possible (e.g. it is blocked) and thus the test result are just bogus and say nothing about the true capabilities of your VPN gateway.

After upgrading to macOS 15 Sequoia, you might notice that your Mac constantly changes its MAC address, affecting your ability to connect to your VPN. This behavior is due to macOS 15’s new privacy features, which can assign randomized MAC addresses for network connections. However, you can configure your network settings to always use a fixed MAC address, which can resolve issues with VPN connectivity, such as DHCP reservations failing due to MAC address changes.

How to Set a Fixed MAC Address in macOS 15 (Sequoia):

1. Open System Settings:
   • Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen.
   • Select System Settings from the dropdown menu.
2. Go to Wi-Fi Settings:
   • In the left sidebar, click Wi-Fi.
   • Select the Wi-Fi network you usually connect to for VPN access and click on "Details...".
3. Configure the MAC Address:
   • Look for the option labeled Private Wi-Fi Address.
   • Change this option to "Fixed" to use a fixed MAC address instead of a randomized one.
   In some cases, the Fixed Setting may still cause issues. If this is the case, change the setting to "Off"
   
   • Your network will now always connect using the same MAC address, helping maintain your VPN connection stability.
4. Re-establish VPN Tracker Connection:
   • Once you've set a fixed MAC address, ensure that your VPN’s DHCP reservation or configuration aligns with this MAC address.

This process will restore the VPN Tracker’s ability to connect reliably using a consistent MAC address, resolving issues caused by macOS 15 Sequoia’s default MAC address randomization feature.

Such a setup is called “Host to Everywhere” in VPN Tracker. All non-local traffic will be sent through the VPN. For this setup to work, it must be properly configured in VPN Tracker and on the VPN gateway:

1. The Network Topology must be set to “Host to Everywhere” in VPN Tracker
2. The VPN gateway must accept an incoming VPN connection with a 0.0.0.0/0 (= everywhere) endpoint

Once these are configured, it should already be possible to establish the VPN connection. However, it is very likely that Internet access will not yet work. For Internet access to work, several more things need to be configured on the VPN gateway:

1. The VPN gateway must route VPN traffic not destined for its local networks out on the Internet
2. This traffic must be subject to Network Address Translation (NAT) in order for replies to reach the VPN gateway
3. In many cases, a suitable remote DNS setup is necessary for DNS resolution to continue to work

Note that not alll VPN gateways can be configured for Host to Everywhere connections. Most devices designed for small office or home networks (e.g. devices by NETGEAR or Linksys) are not capable of dealing with Host to Everywhere connections.

To access volumes and files hosted on a file server, one of several available distributed file system protocols must be used. As of 2018, the most common protocols are SMB/CIFS (default for Windows and macOS 10.9 or newer), AFP (default for macOS prior to 10.9), NFS (default for Linux and most UNIX operating system), WebDAV (based on HTTP, vendor neutral). All these protocols, except for WebDAV, have originally been designed to access files hosted on a file server located in the same network as the client accessing it. This can often lead to issues when using these protocols over a VPN connection.

A VPN connection typically runs over the Internet and the Internet has quite different network characteristics than a company or home network. Local networks typically offer a high amount of symmetric (upload equals download) bandwidth, very low and stable latency, very litte packet loss, almost no data corruption and a rather high and always constant maximum transmission unit size (MTU). Contrary to that, Internet connections offer a lot less bandwidth, usually asymmetric (much more download than upload) and the Internet has a rather high, very fluctuating latency, typically at leas some packet loss, data corruption can happen as well and the maximum transmission unit size can be much lower and is subject to change at any time even during an active transmission. Some of the protocols above can cope better with these conditions than others.

Issues to expect: Slow to very slow directory browsing (because of the large latency), copying a file from remote is slow (limited by the upload of the other side), copying a file to remote is slow (limited by the upload of the local side), directly opening a file directly is even slower (caused by limited upload bandwidth but also large latency and small packet sizes can play a role), and file access failures are possible (caused by packet loss and/or data corruptions). Please note that none of these is the fault of the VPN itself, even when running these protocols over the same Internet line without any VPN, the results would only be marginally better or not better at all.

Unfortunately there is little that can be done about these problems. There is nothing users can do to improve latency. Improving upload bandwidth will always help if such an option does exist as if bandwidth is the problem, it's almost always upload and not download bandwidth. Switching the protocol may help, as especially SMB/CIFS doesn't work very well over Internet lines with bigger latency and if it has to fall back to an older protocol version (one older than SMB 3.0), it will be a catastrophe (up to not working at all anymore). A problem is that SMB and WebDAV are the only protocols that Windows supports natively, whereas macOS supports all the protocols named above natively, thus it's required to resort to third party products to teach Windows alternative protocols. In a pinch one can try to use WebDAV, but WebDAV has a rather poor performance even when used in local networks. Dedicated NAS devices usually support NFS when enabled, which could yield a better performance than SMB.

With VPN Tracker, you can easily create a dedicated Team for each client. This way, only the connections shared within that team are visible to its members, keeping your personal and other client connections completely private and separate.

Here's how to set it up →

VPN Tracker automatically stores a backup of all your VPN connections on your Mac. If you have inadvertently deleted a connection, or wish to revert to an earlier copy of a connection, you can manually restore the backup copy.

1. Turn off Personal Safe syncing

You need to deactivate Personal Safe for the connections you're trying to restore from your backup, to prevent unwanted changes being synced:

• Open VPN Tracker 365
• From the menu bar, choose: VPN Tracker 365 > Preferences > Personal Safe
• Uncheck the connections you want to restore from your backup
• Quit VPN Tracker 365

2. Restore from your Backup

• Open Finder and choose "Go" > "Go to Folder…" from the menu bar
• Enter this path and press Return:
  /Library/Application Support/VPN Tracker 365
• Rename your "etc" folder to "etc-backup" – for safekeeping
• Go into the "backup" folder

Here you'll see a number of backup folders, all organized and named by date.

• Move the "etc-date" folder you want to restore up one level into the main "VPN Tracker 365" folder
• Rename the folder your just moved to just "etc" (deleting the date)
• Open VPN Tracker 365

All of your connections will now be restored to their backed-up state.

3. Re-activate Personal Safe

• Choose: VPN Tracker 365 > Preferences > Personal Safe from the menu bar
• Check your connections, to add them to Personal Safe

Download VPN Tracker free

If you are trying to establish a VPN connection in VPN Tracker and you are getting a "Hash Mismatch" error, here is what you need to know:

Hash Mismatch usually means that the Pre-Shared Key (PSK) being used is wrong. When you get the "Hash Mismatch" error, the Hash algorithm is being rejected. However, this is not due to choosing an incorrect "Hashing" algorithm for Phase 1. If the Hashing algorithm chosen is actually wrong, then you would receive an error that would say "No Proposal Chosen" rather than a "Hash Mismatch" error. This would suggest that the client and gateway could not agree on common crypto settings. On the other hand, Hash Mismatch actually means that the hash your gateway calculated doesn't match the hash that VPN Tracker calculated (the two hashes are simply not matching). This hash is calculated out of values exchanged between the client and the gateway and the Pre-Shared Key. As all other values have just been exchanged and have been verified by both sides to be correct (so these cannot cause a different hash, not unless either side has a terrible bug). The only value that isn't exchanged and cannot be checked in advanced is the Pre-Shared Key (PSK).

No, that’s not possible. Due to how WireGuard works, each person needs their own personal connection. Sharing a connection between multiple users is not allowed and will lead to connection issues. Similarly, if an employee wants to use the VPN on more than one device (e.g. Mac and iPhone), they will need a separate connection for each device.

With my.vpntracker.com, you can manage all your connections centrally: For example, you can create 100 WireGuard connections in advance, upload them, and assign them to employees and their devices as needed (e.g. Mr. Miller/Mac and Mr. Miller/iPhone).

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.

Opening files over VPN on your Mac is easy with VPN Tracker:

1. Start your VPN connection in VPN Tracker
2. Go to the Finder > Go To >Connect to Server
3. In the Server Address field, enter the name or IP address of the server you want to connect to
4. Click on the Connect button.

Create a VPN Shortcut:

VPN Tracker offers convenient shortcut options for frequently used connections. You only have to set up the shortcut once. Afterwards you will be able to connect to your VPN and open your files with just one button click.
Find out more: {FQ1859}

Unable to save your AnyConnect VPN password in the Cisco VPN client?

Here's the fix:

• Download VPN Tracker for Mac or iPhone
• Copy your VPN connection details from the AnyConnect app
• Connect and enter your username and password when asked

That's it! VPN Tracker will store your login details securely via end-to-end encryption so you can get connected faster – for the best VPN experience on Mac and iOS.