Would wireless clients connected to a laptop hotspot, with VPN enabled on the laptop, have their traffic routed through the VPN?

[Vortex321]

The title question isn't exactly easy to understand so here's the gist of it.

If I hardwire my internet connection through an ethernet jack on my laptop I can use my laptop as a WiFi hotspot to connect my phone, tablet etc.

The question is if I switch on a VPN service on the laptop, will all the connected devices' traffic also be routed through the VPN. Hypothetically would I be able to access say US Netflix through a phone connected to the laptop, if the laptop has a VPN switched on and connected to a US server?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Thomas CG]

Yes it could be possible depending on what you use to create the wifi hotspot, if it bypasses the vpn then it wont work on the wifi devices.

[Vortex321]

3 minutes ago, Thomas CG said:

Yes it could be possible depending on what you use to create the wifi hotspot, if it bypasses the vpn then it wont work on the wifi devices.

Windows has a built-in WiFi hotspot manager, i'm using it. My laptop is an XPS 15 9550 if that helps anything.

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, Vortex321 said:

Windows has a built-in WiFi hotspot manager, i'm using it. My laptop is an XPS 15 9550 if that helps anything.

In theory it should - but that will depend on how Windows shares the network - if its bridging the primary network adapter to the wifi hotspot, this could bypass the VPN. 

 

An easy way to check:

1. Disconnect the VPN

2. Check your WAN IP on the laptop (google “what is my IP)

2. Connect the VPN

3. Re-check your WAN IP (it should

now be different, and should reflect the IP of the VPN server)

4. Leave VPN running. Connect wifi hotspot

5. Check IP on wireless client - if it matches the first IP, you’re not being routed through the VPN. If it matches the 2nd IP, then you are. 

 

Pretty easy to check and find out. 

[Vortex321]

Yeah, so I guess I just answered my own question. As far as ExpressVPN goes its blocks VPN pass through. I connected my phone to the laptop with the VPN on and working. Tried running a speed test on the phone, nothing. Turned the VPN off on the laptop speed test instantly begins running. So VPN pass-through doesn't work. Well, i guess in hindsight this makes sense, ExpressVPN does have its own service that offers a VPN for your WLAN router which is essentially what I tried to emulate. Makes sense that they'd not make it easy to emulate with their usual device service.

 

Thanks anyways though!

[Alex Atkin UK]

That is likely either a killswitch to prevent your PC accidentally using the default route while connected to the VPN, or an issue with how Windows hotspot works.

 

What you need to be doing is sharing the Internet not just acting as a hot spot.  If the VPN shows up as a network device I believe there may be an option in there to choose to "share this internet connection".

 

They have of course fiddled with this in Windows 10 so I'm not sure how to do it any more.