If you use Virgin Media as your internet service provider (ISP), you may have noticed or encountered some issues when using a VPN. This can be a major issue if you’re working from home and your business requires you to use a VPN.
Your VPN isn’t working with Virgin Media because the ISP tries to prevent VPNs from working with its service.
Although Virgin hasn’t explicitly announced it blocks VPNs, there are several reasons it might do so. These could include restricting you from accessing websites or services unavailable in the UK to stop you from avoiding Virgin Media internet speed throttling and many others.
Fortunately, there’s several fixes you can try to fix Virgin Media not working with VPN.
This article will explain how you can fix the issue and prevent these sorts of errors from happening again in the future.
See also:
- The best VPNs for ITV Hub: Updated June 2023
- BBC Sounds not working abroad? Here’s how to fix that! (June 2023)
Virgin Media not working with VPN: Quick Fixes
Try these fixes in order. If one doesn’t work, move on to the next one until Virgin Media works with your VPN.
Because there are many Virgin Media devices, routers and modems, some of these fixes won’t apply to you. Regardless, we recommend you try all of them and if you can’t perform one, simply move on to the next until you’ve fixed Virgin Media not working with VPN.
Delete Cookies
It’s always good to start with the basics when trying to fix Virgin Media not working with VPN. The very first thing you should try is deleting your Cookies.
Cookies are small files used by your device to streamline your online experience. To do this, they contain information about your physical location.
If this information is different to the location you’re selecting with your VPN, Virgin Media can tell you’re using a VPN.
To make sure this isn’t causing the problems, delete your Cookies.
Make sure your VPN is up to date
Sometimes these issues arise due to bugs or errors with your VPN software.
More often than not, these errors and bugs are known to the VPN providers and fixes are released in updates.
Make sure your VPN is up to date, so you have the latest version of the software including any of these fixes.
Change firewall settings
If your VPN isn’t working, the software might be blocked by the Firewall settings of your Virgin Media router.
To fix this you’ll need to log in to your router and change a few settings. Follow these steps:
1. Open an internet browser and type in the Virgin Media IP address: 192.168.0.1(this will allow you to access your router’s settings)/ If you’ve put the router in “Modem” mode, use this IP address instead: 192.168.100.1
2. Enter the settings password on the back of your router or log in if you’ve already made an account
3. Go to Advanced settings
4. Click Firewall options
5. Make sure Block Fragmented IP packets is disabled
6. Make sure IPSec Pass-Through is enabled
7. Make sure PPTP Pass-Through is enabled
8. Make sure Multicast Pass-Through is enabled
9. Save changes
10. Restart routerTurn off Web Safe
Virgin Media states “Web Safe automatically blocks access to sites it believes are either unsuitable for children, fraudulent or contain viruses.”
This is generally a useful feature; however, it can sometimes deem VPNs as unsafe and will block them.
To get around this, you need to turn Web Safe off. Follow these easy steps:
1. Go to this website: Login to My Virgin Media | Virgin Media
2. Log in to your Virgin Media account
3. Select My Apps from the dropdown menu
4. Select Web Safe
5. Select Overview
6. You’ll now see two options, one for Virus Safety and one for Child safe protection. Turn these off. (Don’t worry you can use the same process to turn them on again)
7. Restart your routerTurn off Parental Controls
Similar to Web Safe, if you have turned on Parental Controls, they may be interfering with your VPN.
To turn it off, follow these steps:
1. Go to this website: Login to My Virgin Media | Virgin Media
2. Log in to your Virgin Media account
3. Go to the Parental Controls section
4. Select deactivateEnsure you’re using a VPN compatible with Virgin Media
If you’ve made it this far, and none of the fixes has resolved Virgin Media not working with VPN, it might be because your VPN isn’t compatible with the ISP.
Your VPN might not have measures in place to ensure it works reliably with Virgin Media. If it doesn’t have these sorts of measures in place, Virgin Media will be able to identify and block all the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
To resolve this, you need to upgrade to a VPN that has these sorts of measures in place. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.66/month).
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is one of the best VPNs on the market. It has super-fast servers and it’s also incredibly secure, boasting physical servers in 84 countries around the world.
It also has measures in place to ensure it works with Virgin Media reliably. If an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) gets blocked by Virgin Media, it will close that IP address and open a new one, so there’s always one for you to connect to.
Setup a VPN router
If you’re still struggling to get Virgin Media working with VPN, the absolutely foolproof way to fix the problem is to set up what’s called a VPN router.
This installs VPN software onto a physical router, so instead of connecting to the Virgin Media router, you’ll connect to the VPN router and won’t come across any issues with your VPN getting blocked by the ISP.
To do this, you need to ensure your Virgin Media router is in “Modem” mode:
1. Open an internet browser and type in the Virgin Media IP address: 192.168.0.1(this will allow you to access your router’s settings)
2. Enter the settings password on the back of your router or log in if you’ve already made an account
3. Click Modem Mode on the left side
4. Click Enable Modem ModeOnce you’ve done this you can follow this guide on how to put a VPN on your router: How to put a VPN on your router! It’s EASY! (Updated June 2023)
Why does Virgin Media block VPNs?
There are many reasons why Virgin Media blocks VPNs. The first is to do with ISP throttling.
This is where your internet service provider (ISP), in this case, Virgin Media, restricts your internet speed or bandwidth. It does this to control internet traffic over its network, reduce bandwidth congestion and also enforce data limits that you might have with your subscription.
Because VPNs can allow you to get around this throttling, Virgin Media tries to block them so customers can’t do this.
The second reason is Virgin Media tries to prevent you from accessing websites it deems unsafe or ones that are geo-blocked. Geo-blocked means websites that aren’t available in the UK, i.e. HBO Max, Hulu and others.
Peer-to-peer services like torrenting websites are especially hard to access with Virgin Media.
Using a VPN can allow you to get around these blocks. Because of this, Virgin Media tries to block VPNs.
The best VPNs for Virgin Media
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2022
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
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Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
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2. Private Internet Access 🥈
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
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3. NordVPN 🥉
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
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5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
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