FIX: VPN is not working with Spectrum
5 min. read
Updated on
Share this article
Improve this guide
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team Read more
Key notes
- Time Warner Cable was a telecommunications company that rebranded its services under the Spectrum brand.
- They were known for throttling their client's speed, but that can be fixed by a VPN.
- Another way to solve VPN issues is to inspect your network hardware and update the firmware.
Spectrum is one of those polyvalent conglomerates which, besides entertainment and mass media, provide (like Comcast) ISP services.
And Spectrum (just like its peers) has a long history of unethical misbehavior towards its respective users, starting from throttling the bandwidth speeds when other media are in use (e.g. Netflix) and reaching to full-blown blockage if you cross a badly-defined legal line of unauthorized usage.
That’s where VPNs come into play and they’re the best way to overcome ISP-imposed limitations. But they won’t work every time or not at all for some users.
To resolve issues with VPN and Spectrum, we’ll provide you with a few viable solutions. Of course, these are planned for residential users and not for administrated networks and businesses.
For that, you should contact your network administrator or ISP’s tech support. However, even then it’s worth a shot to try the steps below and, hopefully, resolve the issues at hand.
How does a VPN work?
VPN works by redirecting all your network traffic to a server. By doing so, your ISP and third parties won’t be able to see the websites you visit and the content you send/receive.
Although your data has to go through your ISP, it’s encrypted by the VPN server, so your provider can’t monitor it.
What are the advantages of a VPN?
A VPN offers several benefits, and the first on the list is secure and private browsing by encrypting your traffic. In addition, it also lets you visit websites that are blocked by your ISP.
Another advantage is that you’ll get a new IP address, from a different country, so you can use it to access geo-restricted content.
Do keep in mind that some VPNs and servers can slow down your download speed and increase latency, so do your research before getting a VPN.
How can I fix VPN issues with Spectrum ISP?
1. Install proper VPN
Besides Spectrum and its questionable actions (throttling and excessive bandwidth limitations) and beyond the general VPN troubleshooting, we must stress the importance of a proper solution.
It all depends on your needs, however, and for the best results, consequently, you should be looking at the best VPN for Spectrum below.
This solution is owned by Kape Technologies, offers a lot of good reasons to make the switch. While Spectrum blocks or limits torrent activity, this VPN enables P2P connections on all of their servers.
In addition, the users are offered unlimited bandwidth. So, in case that Spectrum has limited your speed, you can use Private Internet Access and stream 4K content without worries.
2. Check the modem settings
- Open your router/modem settings page. For instructions on how to do that, check your manual.
- Locate the Firewall section, and make sure that encrypted connections aren’t blocked.
- Next, you need to enable the PPTP protocol.
- Consider enabling all go-through settings.
3. Update router’s firmware
NOTE
- Visit your router’s website.
- Locate your model, and head over to the Firmware section.
- Now click the Download button get the latest version of the firmware.
- Log in to your router settings page.
- Now go to the Firmware upgrade page and click on Choose file.
- Select the file that you downloaded, and wait for it to install.
Keep in mind that some routers can automatically download the firmware updates from the Firmware upgrade page, so you don’t need to download anything beforehand.
Each model is different, so be sure to check our guide on how to update your router’s firmware to see how to properly upgrade it.
4. Change encryption and switch servers
Now, let’s turn to the possibility that the VPN is the one causing issues with Spectrum ISP. There are two things you can do, ad hoc, and they’re rather simple. Firstly, if you’re experiencing a slow connection while using a VPN, make sure to change the encryption.
With mostly all VPN solutions, you can choose between the likes of PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP. We recommend the OpenVPN encryption protocol, which isn’t as fast as PPTP but it’s much safer to use.
Furthermore, if you use VPN to simply overcome the limitations imposed by the ISP, you can try to switch servers. Sometimes servers get overcrowded. Of course, it depends on what you need. Accessing SpectrumCable content with an alternative IP address can be an issue.
These are just a couple of solutions that you can try if your VPN isn’t working with Spectrum. In most cases, the issue is caused by incompatible software.
However, sometimes the cause can be your settings or outdated firmware, so be sure to check them as well. Even more, take a look at this general guide on what to do if your VPN stops working.
And if the VPN is blocked on Windows 10, don’t hesitate to change your system date and time or manually configure the VPN connection and get things back on track.
Did you find a different way to fix your current problem? Let us know in the comments section below.
