Question 1

What does this test do?

Accepted Answer

It compares the time it takes for data to travel between your browser and our server (your local latency) with the time our server observes during the initial connection handshake. If there's a big difference, you might be using a VPN or proxy.

Question 2

How does it measure my browser's latency?

Accepted Answer

We send tiny 'pings' from your device to our server and back. By timing how long that round trip takes, we get a good idea of your direct connection speed.

Question 3

What is the 'server-side handshake'?

Accepted Answer

When your device connects to our server, there's an initial exchange confirming the connection. We measure how quickly the server sees that process complete. If there is a big gap between this server-measured time and your browser-measured time, there may be another server (like a VPN or proxy) in between.

Question 4

Why does a VPN or proxy cause a big difference in these measurements?

Accepted Answer

If you're using a VPN or proxy, your traffic goes through that extra service first before it reaches us. If your VPN or proxy locally terminates your TCP connection, our server sees only the final part of the journey (to the VPN or proxy), creating a large discrepancy. Many VPNs simply forward packets end to end (NAT), so the server effectively sees the same path for both handshake and data.

Question 5

Could normal usage cause a big discrepancy (false positive)?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Things like heavy network congestion, slower mobile networks, or unusual routing can inflate your local time. Although not 100% perfect, a very large difference strongly suggests a VPN or proxy is in use.

Question 6

Is it safe to run this test?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The test only sends small data packets to measure timing and does not collect personal information. It won't harm your device or browser.

Question 7

What does 'extra hop' mean?

Accepted Answer

An 'extra hop' is simply another computer or server along the route from your device to our server. A VPN or proxy is one of those extra hops that can change the timing of your connection.

Question 8

Do you store my personal data or IP address?

Accepted Answer

We only measure connection timing and do not permanently store your personal information. The focus is on the difference in latencies, not on your identity.

Question 9

Why is this test good at detecting proxies but not always VPNs?

Accepted Answer

Most proxies terminate the connection locally, causing the server-side handshake measurement to be much faster than your browser-side measurement. This difference becomes clear in our test. However, many VPNs pass your traffic through NAT or tunneling without local termination, so both the handshake and your data go the same route, making the two measurements look almost identical.

Question 10

Will a well-configured VPN always pass undetected?

Accepted Answer

If the VPN is set up to forward all traffic end to end without terminating the TCP session locally or if it is physically near your location with a good, stable connection, our test may not catch it. That's because our handshake and ping measurements both traverse the same path, resulting in minimal discrepancy. However, poorly configured or older VPN setups might still exhibit significant differences in these measurements.

VPN & Proxy Detection Test

How This Test Works

Your IP address

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Region

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How to Interpret Your Results