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Cannot Connect, Slow, or Dropping: What to Check
Updated
Most problems are solved within the first four steps, and each step is quick. Separate the three symptoms: for “cannot connect”, check account, clock, region, method and local software; for “slow”, measure a local baseline and change region by carrier; for “dropping”, it is usually the phone’s battery saver or a network handoff. If everything fails, bring three things to the support group and it is usually located on the first reply.
Cannot connect
- Is the account still valid? Expiry is the number-one cause; log in to the site and check the title bar. A new account needs a trial or a payment before it has any time.
- Is the device clock right? Encrypted connections require the time to be within a few minutes; enable automatic time on phones and computers. A Cisco “untrusted certificate” prompt usually means this too.
- Change region. A region’s entry being interfered with by the carrier is common; another region usually connects.
- Change method. The same account works with the others: if the UDP methods (sing-box, private network, OpenVPN) fail, switch to Cisco over TLS. If that connects, the protocol was being interfered with, not the account.
- Disable security software and retry. On PCs, 360 and Kingsoft-style suites intercept encrypted connections — uninstall and reboot; on Windows the sing-box core may be quarantined, so restore it from Windows Security’s protection history and add an exclusion.
- Restart the router and the modem. Huawei, Xiaomi and TP-Link routers, and telecom modems that have not been restarted in ages, cause exactly this.
Slow
- First measure local speed without the route as a baseline (speedtest or the carrier’s test). If that is slow, no route will help.
- Choose region by carrier: northern Unicom try Japan and Korea; southern Telecom try Southeast Asia or Australia; other broadband try the China entry. Check the load lights on the region list and pick a green one.
- Is it 8–11 pm? Fast by day and slow at night is congestion, not a fault; in that window changing region beats reconnecting.
- Change protocol. On lossy networks sing-box’s hysteria2 is faster. When testing, choose an overseas test node — a domestic node cannot measure the cross-border link; with the web proxy, add the test site to the rules or switch to global temporarily, or you are measuring home broadband.
Dropping
- Phone battery saver: Android’s background limits kill the client — whitelist it and disable battery optimisation for it.
- Switching between Wi‑Fi and mobile data always rebuilds the connection; that is normal. The private network (Tailscale) recovers on its own; other methods need one reconnect.
- If it keeps dropping, switch to the web proxy: request by request with no long-lived connection, it never drops — at the price of routing only the browser.
Connected, but something is wrong
- LAN devices unreachable or Chinese sites slow after connecting: Cisco routes everything, so inside China run the split-routing script from the Cisco section; sing-box switches to auto split in the client, the web proxy in the extension.
- The site’s “current network” still shows your home carrier: the web proxy’s rules probably exclude this site — switch to global or add the site to the rules.
- Chinese video still shows a region notice on the China route from abroad: the device’s IPv6 or DNS is bypassing the route; see the streaming guide.
- The router admin page will not open or refuses the connection: the browser jumped to https; type the address with http:// in front.
Three things to bring to support
The connection method (private network / Cisco / OpenVPN / proxy / sing-box / router), the region, and the error text or a screenshot — plus the exact time. With those, most problems are located on the first reply; the support groups are on the contact page and the AI agent is on duty around the clock.
FAQ
Why did it work yesterday and not today?
An interfered-with address or a temporarily unreachable server is the most common cause, and another region usually connects; addresses rotate automatically without changing the client. An account that just expired is the other common cause.
sing-box installed but will not connect, or the program was deleted?
Antivirus false positive. Windows Security → Protection history → Restore, then add the install folder to the exclusions. If that is a nuisance, use the private network — it is commercially signed and never flagged.
Private-network login fails?
Ask in order: are you using the site account rather than an official Tailscale account; did you set the custom server with the address from the page first; is the account valid; are 5 devices already online. If you ever used an official account, log out of it first.
OpenVPN import error?
The client is too old for the newer encryption settings — update it; on Linux the first connection asks for credentials; after a password change, download the profile again.
Related pages
- Contact page: support groups and email →
- Which region is fastest from inside China →
- Which connection method to choose →
- Tencent Video or iQIYI blocked abroad? Fix it in 5 steps →
- How to Choose a China VPN →
- Does Cisco AnyConnect Work in China? →
- Choosing a VPN Router →
- How to Import a sing-box Subscription →
- China VPN for Students Abroad →
- What a Web Proxy Is and When to Use One →
- Free or Paid China VPN? →
- What the Private Network (Tailscale) Is →
- How to Use OpenVPN and When to Choose It →
- What the Router Firmware Does →
- How to Reach Us and Never Lose Contact →
- How We Differ from Other VPNs →
- How to Recognise a Risky VPN App →
- For the TV and the Grandparents at Home →
- Watching Home Cameras and a NAS in China from Abroad →
- What to Do When iOS Cannot Install an App →
- Setting Up for Business Trips and Travel →
- On a Company Laptop: No Admin Rights, Corporate VPN Already On →
- Many Devices, One Setup, No Redo on a New Phone →
- Routing a Synology or QNAP NAS →
- Routing a Linux Server and Command-Line Tools →