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I have trouble connecting or the connection drops frequently: Changing Ports - Knowledgebase / Technical / Application Settings and Features / Change Ports - PIA Support Portal

I have trouble connecting or the connection drops frequently: Changing Ports

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If you experience issues connecting or staying connected to any of our servers, you might want to try using a different port to connect to or a different protocol altogether. 

Reason for connection Drops

There are multiple reasons why this could be happening:

  • You are using UDP (default) behind one or multiple NAT routers that doesn't support hole punching;
  • You are connecting from a public network (such as a school, library, mall, coffee shop, hotel, etc) or a corporate network that filters or restrict Internet usage (typically to prevent abuse and piracy);
  • Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) filters some traffic for filtering, quality of service or restrictive measures;
    Your ISP is actively blocking or trying to restrict usage of VPN services due to national bans;
  • A firewall device on your network is blocking the connection;
  • You are using a mobile network with frequently changing IP addresses or service restrictions;
  • Your connection is not reliable enough to maintain the connection active for extended periods of time (such as unstable/crowded WiFi access).

In these situations, using a different port or protocol to masquerade as another kind of application typically resolve the issue.  For instructions on how to change the ports on our application please review the following guides: 

Protocols and Ports

Try the following combinations of protocols and ports using the above steps until you find one that provides you with satisfactory connectivity:

Connection type
Remote port
Local port
Explanation
UDP
1194, 1197, 1198
(empty)
This is the default ports used by OpenVPN
UDP
8080
(empty)
Uses the often open port 8080 (http alternate) using UDP
UDP
9201
(empty)
(no particular signification)
UDP
53
(empty)
Mimics traffic to DNS servers
UDP
53
53
Mimics traffic to DNS servers coming back
TCP
80
(empty)
Mimics traffic to standard, unencrypted web (http) servers
TCP
110
(empty)
Mimics traffic to Email servers (pop3)
TCP
443
(empty)
Mimics traffic to secure web servers (https). Typically the most compatible option due to the technical challenge involved into filtering this port without causing every website to display an error


Related solutions: