VPN & LAN Connectivity Guide
How VPNs Affect Dashboard Diagnostics
When you activate a VPN client on your server host machine, the admin panel automatically adapts to the changes. However, certain public metrics will reflect your secure routing tunnel parameters:
| Dashboard Field | Behavior Under VPN | What it Means |
|---|---|---|
| Public IP Address | Changes to VPN IP | Displays your VPN's public IP. This is the secure address players will use if routing through your VPN. |
| Location & ISP | Changes to VPN Server | Reflects the geographic location and host provider of your active VPN node rather than your home node. |
| Connection Type & Speed | Stays Unaffected ✅ | Accurately bypasses virtual VPN network adapters to read and report your physical LAN or Wi-Fi hardware speeds. |
| Connection Quality (Ping) | Reflects Tunnel Latency | Measures round-trip ping to Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) through your VPN,
giving you an accurate latency reading. |
Note: If your local backend is unpopulated or offline, the admin panel will automatically use a cascading fallback mechanism directly contacting public endpoints to keep Location, IP, and ISP records filled out.
Fixing the "🔴 Backend Connection Failed" Issue
⚠️ LAN Traffic Blocked by VPN Client
By default, most premium VPN clients activate a
strict local firewall that isolates your server host. Because the admin panel communicates
with the backend via your local LAN address (e.g., 10.0.0.45:3000 — remember
each user's LAN address for their machine is different), this stealth mode blocks local
panel traffic entirely.
To fix this issue and keep the admin panel fully connected to the database and statistics backend while remaining securely tunneled, follow these simple configuration steps:
Open Your VPN Client Settings
Launch your VPN client dashboard on your server PC (e.g., NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Mullvad, ProtonVPN).
Enable Local Subnet Bypass
Navigate to the Settings or Advanced Settings menu and locate the local LAN sharing toggles. Look for any of the following labels:
• "Allow local network sharing"
• "Invisibility on LAN" (Set to OFF / DISABLED)
• "Allow LAN access"
• "Bypass VPN for local traffic"
Save and Reconnect
Apply the settings change. You do not need to restart your computer—simply reconnect to your VPN server and the admin panel's status bar will instantly turn green: ✓ Connected to backend.