VPN Beginner's Guide: Day One After Ordering, From Subscription Link to a Working Connection

Start Here: The Three Things a Subscription Delivers

Before you sign up, know what you're buying — every step after this gets easier. A subscription service really only hands you three things: a subscription link, a client, and a set of routes.

The Subscription Link Is the Configuration

It's an address starting with https that encodes your node information: server address, port, encryption method, protocol parameters. The client fetches it and expands it into a node list grouped by region. The link is a credential on the same level as your account — whoever has it can use your traffic.

The Client Detects the Protocol, So You Don't Pick One

Nodes may run different protocols behind the scenes. Shadowsocks is lightweight with low overhead. VMess and VLESS belong to the V2Ray family, with VLESS the leaner of the two, usually paired with TLS. Trojan disguises traffic as standard HTTPS requests, typically over port 443. Hysteria2 and TUIC are built on QUIC (that is, UDP) and hold up better on routes with more packet loss, though some networks throttle UDP. All of this is the client's job: the protocol parameters are already written into the subscription, and the client identifies them on import. You just pick a region — no need to understand the encryption details.

Route Type Decides Whether Peak Hours Hold Up

Node labels commonly fall into three categories, and they don't mean the same thing. Direct: the client connects straight to a server outside mainland China, so latency depends entirely on public internet routing — the cheapest option, and the one most likely to swing at peak hours. Relay: you connect to an entry point in mainland China first, and that server carries you out over optimized routes; the entry address is stable and it sidesteps some public-network jitter. IEPL dedicated line: traffic runs over a carrier-grade private channel that never touches the public internet, giving lower packet loss and jitter at the highest cost — a good fit for video calls and remote desktop, where stability matters. For the full region-to-route mapping, see the route list.

Four numbers sum up this service's scale and policies:

• 110+Countries and Regions
• 210+Available Routes
• 60 daysNo-questions-asked refund window
• UnlimitedDevices online at once

The Pre-Purchase Checklist

A checklist is there so you don't discover the fine print halfway through checkout. Every item below has a direct answer on the site — if something doesn't line up, hold off on paying.

• ✅ Refund terms state the number of days and the conditions: this service offers a 60-day no-questions-asked refund, so you can back out within the window if it isn't for you.
• ✅ Data rules are spelled out: monthly subscriptions reset on the activation date each month; data packs last until used up and never expire.
• ✅ Sign-up doesn't require an email address: one less piece of personal data, one less entry point for credential stuffing and bulk spam.
• ✅ Payment methods you already have on hand: this service accepts Alipay, WeChat Pay and USDT, so you don't need to apply for a new card just to pay.
• ❌ If a provider only advertises unlimited data without stating speed limits or fair-use terms, don't rush to order.
• ❌ If a provider asks for a pile of information unrelated to the service, set it aside and look elsewhere.

Mismatched prices and billing models are the most common beginner misunderstanding. This service currently offers two product types — compare them before you order:

Type	Spec	Price	Billing
Monthly subscription	60GB	¥9.9 / month	Resets monthly on the activation date
Monthly subscription	250GB	¥18 / month	Resets monthly on the activation date
Monthly subscription	500GB	¥28 / month	Resets monthly on the activation date
Data pack	300GB	¥158	Lasts until used up, never expires
Data pack	1000GB	¥358	Lasts until used up, never expires
Data pack	3000GB	¥658	Lasts until used up, never expires

Choosing isn't complicated: if you use it daily and your data runs on a monthly cycle, take the monthly subscription; if you only look things up occasionally or need it for a few days on a trip, a data pack fits better — it won't reset just because you skipped a month. Full tiers and details are on the pricing page.

Six Steps: From Copying the Subscription Link to a Live Connection

Don't skip around in these six steps. Each one lists what you should see — if it doesn't match, stop and fix it before moving on.

1. Find the subscription link. Sign in to your dashboard, open the overview page and locate the Subscription Link field. What you should see: a long address starting with https.
2. Use the copy button, don't select the text by hand. What you should see: a "Copied" confirmation. Manual selection easily drops the last few characters, and one missing character invalidates the whole link.
3. Create a new subscription in the client. Open the client, go to Subscriptions (or Profile Management), paste the address in and save. What you should see: a new entry with a profile name appears in the list.
4. Click Update Subscription once. What you should see: the node list appears grouped by region, with a count matching the route scale shown in your dashboard.
5. Pick a node. For your first run, choose the region closest to you, then compare other regions once you're connected. What you should see: a selection marker or a latency reading next to the chosen node.
6. Turn on system proxy or TUN mode, then click Connect. What you should see: the status changes from Disconnected to Connected, and the tray or menu bar icon changes color.

Once the import is done, your client should look like this:

Subscription update   Success · nodes grouped by region
Route label   Direct / Relay / IEPL dedicated line
Traffic capture   System proxy on (switch to TUN to cover all apps)
Connection status   Connected

You can get the client itself from the download page in your dashboard, filtered by OS — no need to hunt for installers elsewhere.

Three-Minute Checks: Exit, DNS and Routing

A Connected status only means the tunnel is up — not that your traffic is being captured correctly. These three checks take a minute each, and they're what give you real confidence.

Has your exit IP changed to the node's location?

Open a page that shows your current IP and its location, and check whether it matches the node you picked. If it still shows your local region, first confirm the system proxy is really on, then check whether the client is stuck in direct mode. Browser extensions and WebRTC can also bypass the proxy and expose your real address — disable or restrict them in the browser if needed.

Is DNS resolution going through the tunnel too?

DNS leaks are the easiest thing for beginners to overlook: your traffic goes through the proxy, but domain lookups still go to your local ISP. The result can be poisoned resolution or being pointed at a local CDN node — which shows up as connected, but pages spinning forever. Turn on remote DNS in the client (some interfaces call it DNS hijacking) so domains outside mainland China resolve through the proxy and domains in mainland China resolve locally. Reconnect once after the change, then check whether the resolver's location matches your exit region.

Routing Rules Decide How Fast Sites in Mainland China Feel

In rule mode, domains in mainland China connect directly while everything outside goes through the proxy, so everyday browsing of sites in mainland China is unaffected. In global mode, all traffic goes through the proxy — useful when you need a blanket switch, at the cost of a longer path to sites in mainland China. Rule mode is enough for day one; only reconsider if you actually hit an app that isn't going through the proxy.

Platform Differences: One Subscription, Four Client Experiences

The same subscription behaves differently across systems, mostly because of each OS's own limits. Knowing these points in advance can save you a round of troubleshooting.

• Windows: both system proxy and TUN are supported. TUN covers programs that ignore system proxy settings — some games and command-line tools, for example — at the cost of requiring administrator rights.
• macOS: enabling TUN for the first time requires approving a system extension; menu bar clients usually follow the system proxy automatically, so switching nodes doesn't need a manual reconnect.
• iOS: after importing the subscription, the system prompts you to allow a VPN configuration — you must tap Allow, or the connection drops immediately. Background refresh is restricted, so a client left in the background for a long time may be reclaimed by the system; just reconnect when you return to it.
• Android: watch out for battery optimization — whitelist the client as unrestricted, or the system may cut the connection once the screen locks.
• Router / soft router: configure once and every device in the house shares it, at the cost of logging into the admin panel to switch nodes — less convenient than a phone.

Stuck? Troubleshoot in This Order

Match the symptom first, then change settings. Nine out of ten day-one problems are in this table.

Symptom	Check first	Details
Subscription update fails	Is the link complete?	It may have been cut off by a line break or space when copied; copy it again and confirm it starts with https and has no stray characters at the end.
Connected, but pages won't load	DNS settings	The tunnel is up but lookups aren't going through the proxy — turn on remote DNS and reconnect.
Browser works, other apps don't	Traffic capture mode	System proxy only covers programs that respect that setting; switch to TUN mode if you need everything captured.
Sites in mainland China got slower	Routing mode	Switch back to rule mode so domains in mainland China connect directly.
Video calls keep dropping	Node type	Switch to a relay or IEPL dedicated-line node; direct public-internet routes jitter more at peak hours.
Switching devices means reconfiguring	Device count	This service allows unlimited simultaneous devices — the same subscription link can be imported on as many devices as you like.

For finer client settings, see the user manual. If a problem only shows up on one node, update the subscription once, then try another node in the same region — that tells you whether it's the node or your local setup.

After Day One: Renewals, Refunds and Long-Term Use

Once day one is done, you'll rarely touch the configuration again. A few things worth knowing in advance:

• Monthly subscriptions reset their data on the activation date and don't need manual renewal; data packs last until used up and never expire, so nothing goes to waste whenever you use them.
• 60-day no-questions-asked refund: if it isn't for you, request a refund within the window — you don't have to wait until you've used it up to decide.
• The service's privacy stance is no logs and no browsing records; that's a policy statement, and you can weigh it as one factor in your choice.
• Unlimited simultaneous devices: phone, computer and tablet can all connect at once, with no per-device fee.
• The node list updates as the service adjusts, while the subscription link itself stays the same. If a region looks temporarily unavailable, update the subscription in your client once before drawing conclusions.