My Nord VPN subscription expired so I signed up for the Brave VPN. I have two PCs and an IOS device that seem to be running fine. I have used various servers and checked my IP address on a couple of sites. But there is an issue.
This morning I noticed I could not access the built in storage drive for my Nvidia Shield. Both my PC and the Shield are hardwired to the same network. If I disengage the VPN then I can access it.
So I thought by going to the Brave Firewall settings I could adjust this. There are No VPN Firewall settings in the Brave Browser Settings. This is the case on both of my PCs. Both are running Win 11 and both have Brave Version 1.76.74 Chromium: 134.0.6998.89 (Official Build) (64-bit)
I tried disabling extensions. I even downloaded and reinstalled Brave. The only settings I can access are for the VPN in the upper right corner of the tool bar
I haven’t used the Firewall/VPN for a while, but two things I want to point out that I think is available and you’re not clicking on. But I can’t test myself to verify:
Settings icon, which I’m assuming goes to its own settings. It was in the upper right of your screenshot, the gear:
The menu arrow, which indicates you have other options. To the right of the country, so most likely is how you change location.
Overall there’s not a lot of VPN settings though if I remember correctly. It’s pretty much on/off only and has a limited amount of locations to choose from. So if you’re looking for anything special, especially to try to add exceptions to particular apps/programs, I think you’re going to be out of luck.
-NOTE-
If I remember correctly, you’ll also be able to enable Brave VPN and possibly some system settings via Windows. I don’t have anything listed right now because I’m not using VPN, but I used to see Brave VPN listed there.
What settings? I think that’s the big thing I’m trying to clarify.
Oh, also forgot to mention, anything different if you open from hamburger menu? For me it just goes to the flyover to let me know I need to pay for it.
Sorry I’m not a whole lot of help here since I’m not using it. But at least trying to run some thoughts here just in case.
Beyond that, I’m guessing you went into normal settings and made sure nothing showed. If nothing in all of that, then can try to tag in people from Brave and hope they can follow up as they start returning tomorrow.
According to Brave’s own Documentation, under Privacy and Security there should be settings for VPN and Firewall. On both my PCs there is nothing even though the VPN is operational and my IP is that of wherever I choose the Brave VPN server. What you just posted appears, but not the settings under Privacy and Security that allows you to manage the VPN and Firewall.
Here is another issue I discovered this evening. If I am connected to the Brave VPN, it blocks my use of the Plex Media Server on the system where the Brave VPN is active. So my main computer in a backroom connected to a tower of drives runs Brave VPN. And if it is active my Plex in the living room on the same hardwired network running on Android (TV or Nvidia Shield) cannot access that back room server unless I disconnect the VPN. This is another reason I need to access the Brave Firewall so I can set up exceptions.
@steeven@Mattches you able to guide better on this? I’m thinking there are no such settings for Brave VPN such as to have any app exceptions or anything like OP wants. But at the same time, thought should be more visible than they are saying can see in the browser.
No matter what I’m looking for, I’m not seeing anything that shows what you screenshotted.
Leo or Search AI? Either way, keep in mind any AI can be wrong. We should always fact check. Sometimes they hallucinate and other times they just mix up data from different sources.
Btw, @Hatchetforce. What you’re experiencing is expected behavior. A VPN operates on a per-device basis, meaning that when your computer is connected to Brave VPN, it essentially separates itself from your local network. Since Plex requires all devices (like your Android TV or Nvidia Shield) to be on the same local network to communicate, the VPN makes your computer appear as if it’s on a different network, which blocks access.
What you’d need to do is have a VPN running on a network level (not available through Brave VPN as far as I’m aware), such as on the modem itself rather than device.
Or you could potentially run a hotspot through your computer if it has the capabilities. This hosted hotspot used by your device with Brave should have it shared on the same connection.
Otherwise you’d just need to look for a VPN that offers split tunneling, which is what you are referencing. Or find one that you can setup via your modem/router.
@GuardianTeam you wouldn’t happen to have any extra input on this, would you?
This issue has not existed the last two years where I was running Nord VPN. It should not exist now. And I should be able to grant exceptions through the Brave firewall.
@Hatchetforce as @Saoiray stated, at this time there is no way to do this with Brave VPN. There are additional VPN settings you can access from the system settings but at this time, I don’t think there are any that will allow for the functionality you’re looking for.
While it requires some relatively advanced networking/coding knowledge, something like a PAC (“Proxy Auto-Configuration”) might be a workaround you can use but I’m not actually sure as I haven’t tested it. See:
We apologize for the inconvenience – fwiw, features like this are likely in the cards for future updates to the VPN. Stay tuned for updates on this.
Lastly, you mentioned that our official documentation states that you can do this:
Can you please tell me where exactly you found this information so we can ensure that any documentation that says this gets corrected?