This beginner’s VPN guide starts with what to do after checkout: confirm your plan is active, install a client, import your subscription, choose a route, then check that access works as expected. Completing payment doesn’t connect your device. Your account, subscription configuration, and client connection are separate steps. Check them in order to find problems more easily than by repeatedly reinstalling the app.
What success looks like on day one: You can sign in to your account, the client loads the available routes, and your chosen websites work while connected. After disconnecting, your local network still works. Get this basic flow working before adjusting split tunneling or auto-connect settings.
Confirm your account and plan after checkout
VPNIB lets you create an account with a username and password—no email address required. Save your login details, use a unique password, and make sure you sign in to the same account later. The marketing site has product information and guides; the user panel is where you check your plan, downloads, and subscription configuration. Being able to open a page doesn’t mean you’re signed in to the panel.
Once you’re in the user panel, check your plan name, available data, and order status. If your payment provider shows the payment as complete but the order hasn’t activated in the panel, keep your order record and refresh the page before taking any further action. Don’t pay again right away. If the order still doesn’t appear, explain the issue via the contact page or a support ticket in the panel.
Monthly plans and data packages have different usage cycles. Monthly plan data resets each month on your activation date, not at the start of a calendar month. Data packages don’t expire and remain available until used. Choose a plan based on your usual data needs, not the number of devices: VPNIB supports unlimited simultaneous devices, which share the data included in your plan.
| Type | Price and data example | Data cycle | What to consider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | ¥9.9/month, 60GB | Resets monthly on your activation date | How regularly you use it and whether the monthly data allowance is enough |
| Data package | ¥158，300GB | Doesn’t expire; use it whenever you need it | How often you use it and whether you may need more data |
See plan pricing for other options. VPNIB offers a 7-day money-back guarantee. If the connection still doesn’t meet your needs, contact support through the panel rather than troubleshooting indefinitely.
Download and set up a client for your device
After signing in, open the client downloads page and choose the option for your device’s operating system. The client reads your configuration and establishes the connection; the subscription provides routes and access credentials. They’re not the same thing. Bookmarking the panel in your browser doesn’t install a client.
- Make sure the installer matches your system. For desktop devices, check the operating system version and processor architecture. For mobile devices, follow the download page instructions. The expected result is a client that launches—not just a downloaded file.
- Review permission prompts the first time you open the app. Depending on your operating system and client mode, the app may need to create a system VPN configuration, enable a network extension, or install a network service. Grant permission only after confirming the prompt comes from the app you just installed.
- Avoid running other network proxies at the same time. Temporarily quit other VPN or proxy clients and note their original settings. This reduces the chance of conflicts between system proxy settings and virtual network interfaces.
Windows clients may offer both system proxy and TUN modes. System proxy mode mainly affects apps that follow your system proxy settings; TUN mode typically routes more traffic through a virtual network interface. On macOS, network extension permissions are separate from browser permissions. On iOS and Android, a VPN icon only indicates that the system has a corresponding connection; it doesn’t by itself confirm that a particular app is using the intended route.
If the app doesn’t continue after you grant permission, check its status and look for pending prompts in your system settings. Don’t keep reinstalling just because a message says permission is required. Menu names vary between clients, so follow the guide for your client on the download page.
Import your subscription and check that routes have loaded
Copy the subscription link for your chosen client from the panel. In the client, look for an option such as “Add subscription” or “Import from URL.” Paste the link, save it, and update the subscription. If the panel offers direct import, check that the configuration was actually added to the client after the redirect. A successful browser redirect doesn’t mean the configuration has been applied.
A subscription link isn’t an ordinary web address. It usually contains account access credentials, which the client uses to retrieve route configuration. Don’t share it in public chats, screenshots, or online testing tools, and don’t enter your username and password in the subscription URL field. If you send a screenshot to support, hide the full link and any access tokens.
You should see a route list or policy group in the client, along with the status of the latest update. If the list is empty, check in order that you copied the full link, didn’t include extra spaces, your plan is active, and the subscription format is supported. A subscription URL not opening as a regular webpage doesn’t necessarily mean it’s invalid; check the client’s update error first.
Shadowsocks, VMess, Trojan, VLESS, Hysteria2, and TUIC are different proxy protocols or protocol implementations, not plan tiers. Client support varies, and changing a file extension won’t make an incompatible configuration work. Use the configuration provided in the panel and follow your client’s documentation.
Updating a subscription and connecting are separate actions. If routes are visible but no configuration is selected or the proxy is disabled, your traffic will usually continue to use your regular network. If an update fails, read the specific error. Don’t disable certificate verification to mask a connection or format issue.
Choose a route, then enable routing rules
First, choose an exit location supported by the service you want to use, then consider connection quality. Locations shown in the route list generally indicate the exit point, but you should verify the actual location seen by the service. A nearby route isn’t necessarily faster: your local carrier, connection method, route load, and destination server all affect performance.
Direct, relayed, and IEPL routes mainly describe how traffic is routed. A direct route typically connects your device to an overseas entry point; a relayed route forwards traffic through an additional entry point; IEPL refers to dedicated transmission resources, though a service may still combine different access segments. These aren’t proxy protocols, and their names alone don’t guarantee access to every website. See VPNIB’s locations and routes on the server locations page. Actual performance depends on your current network.
For your first connection, start with the rules provided by the service. Rule mode decides whether traffic goes direct or through a proxy based on domains, addresses, or other conditions. Global proxy mode sends more client-managed traffic through the selected exit, but doesn’t necessarily capture every app on your device. With system proxy mode alone, apps that ignore the system proxy may still connect directly.
Select a route, enable the connection, and wait for the client to show its connection status before opening your target website. Keep the original rules for now. Changing DNS, protocol settings, and routing at the same time makes it harder to tell which change fixed the issue.
Check your exit location, DNS, and apps
The goal isn’t just to find a “Connected” indicator; it’s to confirm that the requests you want proxied are taking the intended route. First, check that your basic network works with the client disconnected. Then connect and, in the same browser, visit the network check page and the website you actually want to use.
- ✅ Check your exit information and confirm that requests you expect to be proxied show the expected location. In rule mode, different test sites may take different routes.
- ✅ Test the features you actually need in your target app, such as loading pages, downloading files, or playing video—not just whether its homepage opens.
- ✅ Check whether domain lookups follow your configuration. DNS routing and website traffic exits are separate things to verify.
- ✅ Disconnect and check your usual local services to make sure a leftover system proxy setting hasn’t cut off your connection.
- ❌ Don’t treat a single low-latency result, a changed app icon, or a VPN indicator as proof that all traffic is following the rules.
A DNS leak generally means queries that should follow a specified DNS route are unexpectedly sent to another resolver. In rule mode, using local DNS for domains set to connect directly may be intentional; seeing a local resolver doesn’t automatically mean there’s a leak. Check the DNS policy for proxied domains alongside client logs and test requests.
Your browser’s encrypted DNS setting may also use a separate DNS route. Encryption alone doesn’t mean it follows your client’s DNS policy. If results differ from what you expect, check your browser and client settings, save the original configuration, and adjust one setting at a time. Don’t disable a website’s HTTPS protection to troubleshoot your network.
Troubleshoot by symptom
Subscription updates, but websites won’t load
Check that the active configuration, selected policy group, and route match. Then see whether the target domain is assigned a direct or proxy rule. Try another route in a suitable location, keeping all other settings unchanged. If your browser works but a particular app doesn’t, first check whether that app follows the system proxy instead of assuming the whole service is down.
Some websites work, but a service denies access
A service may restrict access based on account region, exit IP address, browser state, or its own policies. A working connection doesn’t guarantee that you’re eligible to access a service, and a route can’t promise permanent access. Check the service’s regional requirements and the error message before trying another exit. Don’t repeatedly refresh or frequently change your account’s environment.
Local network problems after quitting the client
Stop the connection normally, then check whether the system proxy still points to a local app that has been closed and whether another VPN connection remains active. Restore settings using the client’s documentation. If your basic network still doesn’t work after disabling the proxy, troubleshoot your local network before changing the subscription.
When asking for help, include your operating system, client name, error message, network conditions, and steps you’ve already tried. You can share redacted logs, but don’t send your password or full subscription link. For more on routes and DNS issues, see the technical reference.
What to save before the end of day one
Once everything works, note the client and configuration names, along with a route that suits your usual needs. Each additional device needs its own client installation and subscription import. One device connecting successfully doesn’t mean every device at home will connect automatically. VPNIB supports unlimited simultaneous devices, but they share the data in your plan, so account for background downloads and extended streaming.
VPNIB’s privacy policy is anonymous, no-logs. This describes how the service handles data; it doesn’t mean websites can’t record account activity, and it doesn’t replace good device security or credential management. Sign out of the panel on shared devices and avoid saving passwords or subscription configurations. If you think a link has been exposed, check the panel for a reset option or contact support.
Recommended defaults: Use a compatible client and subscription format, keep rule mode for everyday use, and save any troubleshooting notes you need. Confirm that the connection is stable before enabling auto-connect or changing advanced settings. Don’t change settings to fix problems you haven’t encountered.