VPN + OBS

Lawrence_SoCal

Active Member
your question is asked in an ambiguous manner, which I suspect means a lack of understanding of how VPN works
And the specific answer depends not on OBS but rather your VPN setup itself? does it allow split-tunneling?
OBS doesn't route your traffic, your OS (and VPN software in this case) do. So it is the settings there (OS and VPN) that determine network traffic routing (ie VPN tunnel or not)
 

FerretBomb

Active Member
Everyone should use a virtual private network, no matter how they connect to the Internet, whether through a computer or a smartphone.
Why? All it does is change your endpoint, and provide a burnable connection-hop in case you get hit with a DDoS. "Everyone" does not need to use one.
I have a VPN, i game through it.
Now, can i bypass the VPN in OBS and use my straight ISP connection?
Generally yes. Most VPNs just create a virtual network interface and prioritize it above the actual interface. You can set OBS to bind to the actual physical interface in Settings->Advanced which should (in most cases) bypass the VPN.
 

Lawrence_SoCal

Active Member
Working as an IT Professional, and attending various govt agency security briefings, you are not paranoid. Its bad out there.
But a VPN for a typical end-user doesn't accomplish anything significant. For monitoring of traffic, you move an interceptor from targeting the ISP to the VPN provider network. 6 one, 1/2 dozen the other. nothing material accomplished for most folks' home computers. And if you are paranoid, how do you know which VPN provider will protect you vs being the compromise itself [believe me, if I was a nation-state cyber unit, I'd offer a commercial VPN service. why go to effort of hacking, when you can get your targets to come to you?]. And no VPN will help if your computer itself is compromised [which is relatively easy to do]

The real answer gets complex, with lots of 'it depends'. a blanket statement of everyone needs is objectively (factually) false. Would folks benefit from 'safe computing' practices? sure, but way more involved/complex than simply using a VPN. For example, most folks don't use Private/Incognito modes (which have their own limits), so real easy to track most people's traffic through ad networks, regardless of VPN usage.
 
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