How to Check Your VPN Is Working: IP, DNS and WebRTC Leak Tests

Checked 30 October 2026

A VPN can look connected while your phone or laptop still sends some traffic outside it. The three common leaks are your real IP address, your DNS requests (the look-ups that turn site names into addresses) and WebRTC, a browser feature for calls that can reveal a local or public address. Testing takes five minutes.

1. Note your normal IP address

1. Turn the VPN off.
2. Open a connection check page, such as Mullvad’s connection check (it works without a Mullvad account) or the IP check page of your own VPN provider.
3. Write down the IP address, the country and the network name. In the UAE it will name your provider, such as e& (Etisalat) or du.

2. Connect and test again

1. Connect the VPN to a server in another country.
2. Reload the check page. The IP address, country and network should now be the VPN’s.
3. If the page still shows your UAE provider, the VPN is not carrying your browser’s traffic: reconnect, or try another protocol in the app.

3. DNS leaks

Your device asks a DNS server where each site lives. If those questions go to your internet provider while the VPN is on, the provider can still see which sites you visit. Mullvad’s check page and most providers’ leak-test pages list the DNS servers your device used. With a good VPN they belong to the VPN company or its partner, not to your UAE provider.

• Turn on the app’s own DNS or DNS leak protection setting if it has one.
• On Android, the Private DNS setting can override the VPN’s DNS. If the test shows a leak, set Private DNS to Automatic or Off and test again.
• Browsers with their own secure DNS (DNS over HTTPS) send look-ups to the resolver you chose, through the VPN. That is not a leak to your provider, but it is a third party that sees your look-ups.

4. WebRTC leaks

WebRTC lets a browser make voice and video calls. To connect a call it can share network addresses with the website. Most VPN apps now block WebRTC from showing your real public address, but browser extensions (proxies in the browser rather than full VPN apps) often do not. If a check page shows your real address under WebRTC, use the VPN’s full app instead of its extension, or turn WebRTC off in the browser’s privacy settings.

5. Test the kill switch

Start a large download, then force the VPN to drop: switch Wi-Fi off and on, or move from Wi-Fi to mobile data. With a working kill switch the download pauses until the VPN is back. If it carries on, your traffic left through your normal connection. Here is how to turn the kill switch on.

What a clean result does not prove

• It does not prove the VPN keeps no logs. Only audits and court cases show that; our reviews link to each provider’s audit.
• It does not stop websites from recognising you by your logins and cookies.
• It does not make an illegal use legal. Read what UAE law says.

Sources

Checked on 30 October 2026. Providers change their apps, servers and terms, so check the official page before you pay.

1. Mullvad: Connection check
2. Android Help: Connect to a virtual private network (VPN) on Android