US VPN Users: Split Tunnel Your Apps, Stop the Headaches

🔐 VPN Tunnels 101 (But Make It Simple)

If you’ve ever flipped on your VPN and suddenly your Wi‑Fi printer disappeared or your Plex/NAS went AWOL… yeah, that’s not you going crazy. It’s the tunnel. A VPN “tunnel” is just an encrypted pathway between your device and a VPN server — everything inside it becomes unreadable to nosy parties. When you download a file, browse, or stream through that tunnel, your ISP or a random dude on Starbucks Wi‑Fi can’t spy on the content. That’s the upside.

The catch? In “full tunnel” mode, your VPN creates a virtual network interface and grabs basically all outgoing traffic — including traffic meant for devices on your local network. Without special rules, those local flows get routed to the VPN server (which can’t reach your basement printer), blocked by the VPN client to prevent leaks, or just… die due to bad routes. That’s why your smart printer and NAS ghost you whenever the VPN is on.

Enter split tunneling. It lets you choose what goes through the VPN and what goes straight out to the internet or your local LAN. No more turning the VPN off every time you need to print or hit your media box — you just exclude specific apps or local IP ranges from the tunnel. Bonus: it can make things way faster for the stuff that doesn’t need the VPN.

Also worth noting in 2025: providers keep pushing tunnel performance. Surfshark just announced “FastTrack,” claiming up to 70% faster VPN connections by optimizing traffic paths — a nod to how much speed matters now for streaming and gaming (MENAFN, 2025-08-11). And with rising age‑checks and content rules abroad, Americans who travel — or just want predictable access — are paying attention to how tunnels handle geolocation and identity hints (NBC New York, 2025-08-10).

Bottom line: if “VPN and tunnel” is your search, your real question is probably “how do I keep my privacy without breaking my home setup — and still get speed?” Let’s fix that, cleanly.

📊 Full Tunnel vs Split Tunneling: What Actually Changes

Here’s the deal in human terms. Full tunnel is the “paranoid but simple” mode — everything is protected, which is perfect for coffee‑shop Wi‑Fi and travel. But it also hijacks local routes by design, so home devices vanish unless you flip an “Allow access to LAN” type switch in advanced settings.

Split tunneling gives you control. App‑based split is the friendliest: put Netflix/Max/Prime and your P2P client in the tunnel, leave Zoom or your game launcher off to shave latency. Route‑based split is more surgical; exclude your whole home subnet (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24) so printers and NAS stay reachable while the rest of your internet still flows through the VPN.

Streaming and P2P benefit most from smart tunneling. For instance, if you’re using a torrent client like FrostWire, run that inside the VPN for privacy and predictable routing while keeping other apps out to avoid bandwidth brawls (TechRadar, 2025-08-11). And performance continues to improve across providers thanks to network optimizations — Surfshark touts big gains with FastTrack (MENAFN, 2025-08-11). TL;DR: choosing the right tunnel mode is the difference between “works flawlessly” and “why won’t this dang printer show up.”

😎 MaTitie Spotlight

Hi, I’m MaTitie — the author here, a guy who chases great deals and hates buffering with a passion. I’ve tested more VPNs than I should admit and seen every way a tunnel can break your vibe.

In the US, access to platforms can get messy fast — sometimes it’s geo‑restrictions, sometimes age checks, sometimes an app randomly says “nope.” If you want speed, real privacy, and streaming that just works, don’t overthink it.

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This post has affiliate links. If you buy through them, MaTitie earns a small commission. Appreciate the support!

🧭 How VPN Tunnels Break (and How to Fix Them)

Let’s map what’s actually happening under the hood.

• The VPN client spins up a virtual network interface that pretends to be your “real” NIC. Your OS sends all outbound traffic there.
• In full tunnel, the VPN steals the default route (0.0.0.0/0), so both internet traffic and local 192.168.x.x/10.x.x.x packets aim for the server. The VPN server can’t reach your LAN, so the client either blocks that traffic (to avoid leaks) or it just fails due to conflicting routes.
• Print jobs, NAS connections, smart‑home calls — poof. They look like “internet” now, not “local.”

How you un‑break it:

1. Flip the “Allow local network” switch
   Most good VPNs include an advanced option that whitelists LAN destinations while keeping internet traffic fully tunneled. This is the one‑click fix for printers and NAS boxes.

2. Use split tunneling (app‑based)

• Put privacy‑sensitive apps (banking, email, P2P clients) in the tunnel.
• Keep low‑risk or latency‑sensitive apps (local media controller, gaming VOIP) out.
• Your printer software and NAS admin page typically don’t need the tunnel.

3. Use split tunneling (route‑based)

• Exclude home subnets like 192.168.0.0/16, 10.0.0.0/8, or your exact LAN (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24).
• This keeps LAN traffic local while everything else is encrypted and routed through the VPN.

4. Check kill switch + DNS settings

• Some kill switches block all non‑VPN traffic, including LAN, by design. If you enable “allow LAN,” confirm it plays nice with your kill switch.
• For DNS, pick your poison: VPN DNS for privacy, or split DNS if a specific local domain (e.g., router.lan) needs to resolve locally.

5. Pick the right transport and server

• WireGuard‑based protocols usually beat legacy modes on speed, especially with lots of small requests (streaming menus, game lobbies).
• Choose a nearby server to reduce latency. Providers like Surfshark are layering in path optimizations (FastTrack) to squeeze more out of the route (MENAFN, 2025-08-11).

Real US scenarios where split tunneling shines:

• Work call + torrenting: Keep Zoom/Teams outside the tunnel for low latency; force FrostWire inside the VPN for privacy (TechRadar, 2025-08-11).
• Streaming + smart home: Put your streaming app in the tunnel; exclude the router’s admin IP and your Home Assistant box so automations still fire locally.
• Travel + printing at home: Keep full tunnel for online traffic, but allow LAN access so you can hit your home NAS over local VPN subnet if your provider supports mesh/LAN discovery.

Also, a vibe check on the policy landscape: international age‑verification laws and content rules are getting stricter, and even US‑based platforms are adapting country by country. That’s another reason to choose a provider that handles geo‑routing cleanly and offers flexible split tunneling for app‑by‑app control (NBC New York, 2025-08-10).

🙋 Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Is split tunneling safe to use every day?
💬 Yes — if you’re intentional. Put sensitive stuff (banking, email, P2P) inside the VPN and let low‑risk local tools (printer/NAS apps) bypass. On sketchy public Wi‑Fi, avoid excluding anything you can’t fully trust.

🛠️ What’s Surfshark FastTrack, and does NordVPN offer similar speed boosts?
💬 FastTrack is Surfshark’s traffic‑path optimization promising up to 70% faster connections — think smarter routing on top of modern protocols. Top rivals use their own optimizations too, so test with your apps and locations to see real gains.
MENAFN, 2025-08-11

🧠 Should I route FrostWire or other torrents through the tunnel?
💬 100%. Keep P2P clients inside the VPN to minimize ISP throttling and boost privacy. Use split tunneling so your calls/games don’t fight the torrents for bandwidth.
TechRadar, 2025-08-11

🧩 Final Thoughts…

“VPN and tunnel” stops being mysterious once you map your traffic. Full tunnel is your safe default. Split tunneling is your performance and usability superpower — it keeps the printer and NAS happy, speeds up the apps that don’t need encryption, and lets you focus the privacy where it matters most. With providers doubling down on smarter routing and speed, you don’t have to pick between safety and sanity anymore.

📚 Further Reading

Here are 3 recent articles that give more context to this topic — all selected from verified sources. Feel free to explore 👇

🔸 Akira Ransomware Exploits SonicWall Zero-Day with BYOVD Evasion
🗞️ Source: WebProNews – 📅 2025-08-10
🔗 Read Article

🔸 Universities’ IoT Systems Pose Major Cyber Breach Risks
🗞️ Source: WebProNews – 📅 2025-08-10
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🔸 Turn a Broken Phone into a Home Server for Automation and More
🗞️ Source: Geeky Gadgets – 📅 2025-08-11
🔗 Read Article

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📌 Disclaimer

This post blends publicly available information with a touch of AI assistance. It’s meant for sharing and discussion purposes only — not all details are officially verified. Please double‑check critical settings and provider features for your setup.