Guides
What we have learned running the network, written up as steps you can follow.
Can't connect, slow, dropping
Which Region Is Fastest from Inside China
The same service can differ several-fold in speed between regions. Where to try first on China Unicom, Telecom and Mobile, and what to do at evening peak.
Updated 2026-09-05
Cannot Connect, Slow, or Dropping: What to Check
The checklist before contacting support: six steps for “cannot connect”, four for “slow”, three for “dropping”, and the three things to bring to support.
Updated 2026-09-18
“Damaged” on a Mac, and how to verify the installer
macOS says Hiddify “is damaged” or “cannot be verified”? The file is fine: Gatekeeper is blocking it. How to verify the installer and three ways to allow it.
Updated 2026-09-29
What macOS's Network Extension Approval Is
On macOS the client icon spins forever after login? The Network Extension approval was skipped. What it is and the full steps for macOS 13, 14 and 15.
Updated 2026-10-01
How to manually uninstall the Cisco client on a Mac
Cisco client on your Mac will not update, uninstall or stop running? Three cases: use the bundled uninstaller, run its script, or remove leftovers by hand.
Updated 2026-10-01
Cisco error “remote user is disabled”
Cisco Secure Client says “VPN establishment capability for a remote user is disabled”: Windows is in a remote session. Why it happens and how to fix it.
Updated 2026-10-03
VPN Slow? How to Run a Speed Test and Find the Cause
A VPN is always a little slower than the bare line. How to run a fair speed test, read the numbers, find the slow segment, and what to change.
Updated 2026-10-08
DNS Leak vs DNS Poisoning: How to Check and Fix
DNS poisoning returns a fake address; a DNS leak sends lookups outside the VPN. How to check your DNS and exit IP, and why IP lookups disagree.
Updated 2026-10-08
Chinese shows and getting back to China
Tencent Video or iQIYI Blocked Abroad? Fix It in 5 Steps
China VPN connected but Tencent Video, iQIYI or Bilibili still shows a region error? Almost always IPv6 or DNS leaking around the tunnel. A five-step check.
Updated 2026-09-05
How to Choose a China VPN
For overseas Chinese and students: what to check in a VPN that gives a mainland China IP — real exit, IPv6 and DNS, standard clients. With a 5-minute self-test.
Updated 2026-09-18
China VPN for Students Abroad
For Chinese students overseas: streaming, banking and 12306 without risk checks, campus-network IPv6 and UDP limits, and using the account back home.
Updated 2026-09-18
Watching Home Cameras and a NAS in China from Abroad
Reach home cameras, recorders and a NAS from overseas: a Chinese IP for vendor-cloud cameras, the private network for LAN-only devices. With privacy notes.
Updated 2026-09-18
Setting Up for Business Trips and Travel
For a short trip abroad or back to China, one client on the phone is enough: test before leaving, get past hotel Wi‑Fi portals, and pick the right region.
Updated 2026-09-18
Using foreign services in China
Using ChatGPT in China: Why It Fails and What Matters
ChatGPT fails in China for two reasons: the network cannot reach it, and the service restricts regions. What the route must get right and what it cannot fix.
Updated 2026-10-08
No Verification Code for an Overseas App? Telegram, Instagram and TikTok in China
Telegram, Instagram or TikTok failing in China has three causes: the network, SMS codes to +86 numbers, and the app’s own region checks. What a VPN can fix.
Updated 2026-10-08
How to Use a VPN in China: Set Up Before You Land
How to use a VPN in China on iPhone, Android or a laptop: set it up before you land, install two connection methods, and know what changes on hotel Wi‑Fi.
Updated 2026-10-08
VPN Not Working in China? Why, and What to Try
Why a VPN that worked at home stops or crawls in China, and the order to fix it: change network, connection method and region, then check DNS and the clock.
Updated 2026-10-08
Best VPN for China: How to Judge One Yourself
No VPN is always the best for China, and most rankings are affiliate lists. Five criteria that matter there, why free VPNs fit poorly, and where we fit.
Updated 2026-10-08
Do VPNs Work in China? What NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Others Say Themselves
Do NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN, Mullvad and Astrill work in China? What each provider says itself, what to switch on, and how to test first.
Updated 2026-10-08
eSIM vs VPN in China: Which One Do You Need?
A roaming eSIM takes your phone past the firewall on mobile data; a VPN covers every device on any network. How each works in China and how to pair them.
Updated 2026-10-08
WhatsApp in China: Does It Work and How to Set It Up
WhatsApp does not work reliably on mainland China networks without a VPN route. What gets through, what to set up before you travel, call quality, and WeChat.
Updated 2026-10-08
Google in China: Gmail, Maps and Google Play Explained
Google Search, Gmail, Maps, Drive and Google Play are unreachable from mainland China networks without a VPN route. What to prepare and how to use them there.
Updated 2026-10-08
YouTube in China: How to Watch, and Why Netflix Refuses
YouTube is unreachable on mainland China networks without a VPN route. What smooth video needs, which devices to use, offline downloads, why Netflix may refuse.
Updated 2026-10-08
Which connection method
Does Cisco AnyConnect Work in China?
Does Cisco AnyConnect (Cisco Secure Client) work in mainland China? Why it survives blocking, how to troubleshoot a failed connection, and phone setup.
Updated 2026-10-07
How to Import a Subscription Link (Hiddify, Clash, Shadowrocket)
Used to a proxy provider’s subscription link? LeoTun offers the same as a sing-box or Clash subscription or a hysteria2 share link: which to pick, how to import.
Updated 2026-10-13
What a Web Proxy Is and When to Use One
A web proxy routes only the browser: no client to install, no admin rights, no connection to drop. When to use it, when you need a VPN, and setup.
Updated 2026-10-07
What the Private Network (Tailscale) Is
The private network runs on Tailscale: log in once, switch exit region from the menu, and let your devices reach each other. Who it suits and how to log in.
Updated 2026-10-07
How to Use OpenVPN and When to Choose It
The OpenVPN section: click a region flag, download its .ovpn with credentials included, import and connect. Clients per platform, routers, NAS, and fixes.
Updated 2026-10-07
Which connection method fits which scenario
Six connection methods — private network, Cisco, OpenVPN, web proxy, Hiddify, router — matched to your device, network and use, with a pick and a fallback.
Updated 2026-09-28
VPN protocols compared: WireGuard, OpenVPN, AnyConnect, Hysteria2
What protocol does a VPN use? OpenVPN, WireGuard, Cisco AnyConnect, Hysteria2 and TLS proxies compared on restricted networks, speed, battery and devices.
Updated 2026-10-08
Routers
Choosing a VPN Router
One router in the tunnel means the TV, console and every phone at home need no setup. Flashing vs pre-flashed, which router suits you, and common faults.
Updated 2026-10-14
Flashing the Router Firmware: From Stock to Ours, Step by Step
Flash a router that still runs its stock system: build the firmware on the site in 3–5 minutes, upload it with Keep Settings off, then join the new Wi‑Fi.
Updated 2026-10-07
What the Router Firmware Does
Using a router on our firmware: log in and everything connects. Full, split and direct modes, the one-account-one-router rule, and automatic updates.
Updated 2026-10-14
For the TV and the Grandparents at Home
Grandparents who only watch Chinese series on a TV that cannot install apps: set the route once on the router and every device just joins the Wi‑Fi.
Updated 2026-09-18
How split routing works on a VPN router
Routers claim smart split routing, yet local sites get slower or the TV ignores the VPN. What those symptoms mean and how the LeoTun router handles it.
Updated 2026-10-14
What Is OpenWrt? Soft Routers, Bypass Gateways and VPN Routers for China
A soft router is general hardware running a router OS, usually OpenWrt. Main router vs bypass gateway, hardware that matters, and DIY vs a pre-flashed router.
Updated 2026-10-08
Travel VPN Router for China: Setup and Who Needs One
A travel VPN router connects once and covers every device on its Wi‑Fi. What it does on a trip to China, hotel Wi‑Fi logins, split routing, and who can skip it.
Updated 2026-10-08
Phones, computers, NAS
What to Do When iOS Cannot Install an App
App Store cannot find Telegram, Hiddify or Tailscale? The store is split by Apple ID region. How to register a non-China Apple ID without a payment method.
Updated 2026-09-05
On a Company Laptop: No Admin Rights, Corporate VPN Already On
A company laptop with no admin rights or already on the corporate VPN: the web proxy routes only one browser and leaves the corporate VPN untouched.
Updated 2026-09-05
Many Devices, One Setup, No Redo on a New Phone
Phone, laptop, tablet and home NAS each log in to the private network once and stay online, each with its own exit region. How the device limit works.
Updated 2026-09-18
Routing a Synology or QNAP NAS
A NAS cannot run Hiddify but has OpenVPN built in: import the .ovpn and Download Station, Docker pulls, Cloud Sync and Plex metadata all take the route.
Updated 2026-09-18
Routing a Linux Server and Command-Line Tools
A dev box or server pulling from GitHub, Docker Hub, pip or npm: route the whole machine with OpenVPN at boot, or only some commands through http_proxy.
Updated 2026-10-01
Dropbox and other apps want an HTTP / SOCKS proxy — what to do
Dropbox, Telegram Desktop, Steam and developer tools ignore the browser proxy. The simplest fix: Traffic Camouflage in whole-device mode, app set to “No proxy”.
Updated 2026-09-28
VPN on iPhone: which method to use and how to set it up
How to VPN on iPhone: start with Cisco Secure Client from the App Store. Which method fits which case, where each guide is, and what to check if it fails.
Updated 2026-10-08
VPN on Android: which client to use and how to set it up
How to VPN on Android: start with Hiddify or Cisco, installed straight from this site. Which client fits which case, Android-specific snags, and TVs via router.
Updated 2026-10-08
VPN on a computer: which method for Windows and Mac
VPN for Windows and Mac: start with Hiddify or the private network; web proxy on a work laptop, Cisco on restricted networks. Tutorials, snags and fixes.
Updated 2026-10-08
Before you buy
Free or Paid China VPN?
Why free China VPNs overcrowd, cap or sell your data: mainland exit bandwidth is metered. When free is enough, when to pay, and what a month should cost.
Updated 2026-10-08
Where We Beat Other VPNs
Where LeoTun is stronger than global brands, proxy line providers and free apps: one account for every device, routers that just work, and routes tuned per carrier.
Updated 2026-10-08
How to Recognise a Risky VPN App
Ten signals to judge whether a VPN app is safe to install: origin, permissions, certificates, identity checks, protocol, revenue. With a 3-minute self-check.
Updated 2026-09-05
Not enough device slots? Temporary vs long-term fixes
Hit your simultaneous-device limit (2 Personal, 4 Family, 8 Enterprise)? Check whether you need more, then switch tier for a few days or use one router.
Updated 2026-09-28
What a VPN is, what it is used for, and how to connect
A VPN builds an encrypted tunnel from your device to a server, so sites see the server’s IP. How it works, what it can and cannot do, and how to turn it on.
Updated 2026-10-08
VPN vs proxy line providers vs accelerators
Three tools get called a “ladder” in China: VPN services, proxy line providers selling Clash or Shadowrocket subscriptions, and game accelerators. How they differ.
Updated 2026-10-08
Is a VPN Safe to Use? Who Can See What
A VPN moves visibility from your local network to the VPN operator. What each side can see, what safety depends on, and what a VPN cannot do.
Updated 2026-10-08
Reach us
How to Reach Us and Never Lose Contact
The QQ, Telegram and Discord support groups, what the 24-hour AI agent can answer, when to ask a human, and a checklist for staying in touch.
Updated 2026-09-28
Using RustDesk for remote help
Use RustDesk when support needs to see your computer or to help family remotely: where to download it, importing our server settings, and permissions.
Updated 2026-09-29
How to Get Good Answers from the AI Support
Our AI support answers 24/7 in the Telegram, QQ and Discord groups. What to put in your first message, what it handles, and what goes to a human.
Updated 2026-09-28
Refund Policy and Feedback
LeoTun refunds at any time, pro rata, no reason needed. How to request one, who handles it, and how to send us problems or suggestions.
Updated 2026-10-07