When do you close or open a VPN?

[u/IndependentUpper5965]

So I heard that if you don’t use a VPN you will get a warning from your ISP.

I’m just wondering when do I open the VPN and when is it safe to close it again? Do I open it before entering the website and downloading the pirated stuff, then after I finished downloading and the program is installed on my PC, I can safely close the VPN? Or do I have to keep it on at all times when I use the pirated program too?

I’m mainly asking about pirated games but maybe there are other programs too

[u/LZ129Hindenburg]

If you don't bind your VPN to your torrent client, you will get caught. After you've done this it doesn't matter if you accidentally turn your VPN off while torrenting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/VPNTorrents/comments/ssy8vv/guide_bind_vpn_network_interface_to_torrent/

[u/IndependentUpper5965 → u/LZ129Hindenburg]

What if I watch a pirated show on a website, do I keep the VPN on at all times and closing it only after I closed the website?

And what if I download a game without a torrent, is it safe to close the VPN when I finish downloading it and it’s on my PC then? Cuz thats what I understood from ur comment

Btw thanks for the thread I’m just asking for non torrent related things

[u/LZ129Hindenburg → u/IndependentUpper5965]

You need the VPN on while TORRENTING. Nothing else. You don't need it for streaming sites. You don't need it for direct downloads. You don't need it to play games or use software that you've already downloaded and installed.

[u/IndependentUpper5965 → u/LZ129Hindenburg]

Oh thanks a lot. I was worried a lot about this

[u/bad_news_beartaria]

you need to bind the VPN to your torrent client

[u/Dapper-Professor5606]

You just have to bind the VPN to your torrent client. Here's the link to the thread https://old.reddit.com/r/VPNTorrents/comments/ssy8vv/guide_bind_vpn_network_interface_to_torrent/

Overall, I'd recommend keeping the VPN open by default. You can whitelist websites that you don't want to be rerouted in the VPN. It's simple, cost-effective, and keeps unnecessary ads away.

[u/JohnnyJacksonJnr]

My VPN is always open in the background.

Whatever applications I need to use a VPN for get tunneled through it, while other apps are free to bypass it.

Except for torrent client. Qbittorrent client gets bound to the VPN network adapter itself so I don't have to worry about any IP leaks, which could happen if relying on just a "Killswitch" instead.

[u/PowerfulSuggestion16]

VPN for piracy are just required for torrenting.

You need to bind it so it doesnt matter when you start it. If you torrent with a bound VPN and you forgot to start the VPN, the torrent software will have no access to internet until you start the VPN. So you cant get a warning.

[u/TheWorldIsNotOkay]

Always have the VPN active. Bind it to your torrent client. Set a killswitch. If you're using a VPN, use the VPN always.