VPN to VPN Will IT work? Please help

[u/TortoiseShoes]

Can a retail VPN work well with another VPN? For example, on my Android phone with a VPN app, I choose a Philippines IP address. Then, my company laptop connects to the hotspot of my Android phone, which has the VPN app. Also, my company laptop has Zscaler and a proxy configured, and then my company laptop will run a corporate VPN so I can connect to company apps/sites. I need to choose an IP address in the Philippines because the country I am traveling to (UAE) is not allowed by our corporate VPN's geolocation. Will it work? or what you guy suggest the best method? thanks.

[u/walao23]

better buy a mini router that can isntall a openvpn config to its LAN,

[u/TortoiseShoes → u/walao23]

Do u have example models in mind that can do this?

[u/Cruffe]

I'm pretty sure WiFi hotspot traffic gets isolated from the rest of the phone networking and gets routed outside any active VPN tunnel on the phone.

Aside from that, running a VPN tunnel inside another VPN tunnel is totally possible. You'll need a travel router or something that supports VPN, this will encapsulate all the traffic from the laptop and send it to the Philippines VPN server, then from there forward the corporate VPN tunnel to the corporate network.

Each layer adds some overhead though, so the bandwidth might be a bit reduced and the latency will likely increase.

[u/ExpertProMax]

If it works based on the configuration, the ping will be super high so expect slow response.

[u/Rox89x]

You need a travel router. And have vpn settings on it. I did the same, just ask Claude to guide you step by step. Just don't mention the reason, it might not give all details saying it's unethical and shit

[u/DutchOfBurdock]

It will not, no. When you hotspot, traffic from is not routed over the VPN link of the phone. Company VPN will see the IP of your cellular network.

[u/TortoiseShoes → u/DutchOfBurdock]

Thanks for sharing what do u recommend method?

[u/DutchOfBurdock → u/TortoiseShoes]

Small (travel) router that can run OpenWRT and use Wireguard (Tailscale or similar). How you connect can vary: 4G/5G dongle, USB tethering to phone or WiFi client-AP scenario. VPN client on router, all traffic routed via VPN from the routers WiFi. Phone, laptop, anything else, will all source from VPN.

[u/TortoiseShoes → u/DutchOfBurdock]

is it also possible. I will connect the travel router to an existing home wifi connection

[u/DutchOfBurdock → u/TortoiseShoes]

Potentially. Most are dual radio (2.4GHz and 5GHz). One can connect to an existing WiFi and the other broadcast (Client-AP scenario).

[u/Top-Key1020]

It might work, but stacking a personal VPN, proxy, security software, and a corporate VPN can get messy fast. The corporate VPN may see the connection differently or block it altogether. I’d check with your IT team first, especially since you’re trying to work around a location restriction. They may have an approved way to access things while traveling.

[u/Tama47_]

Just get a travel router, save you from all this hot spotting hassle. And VPN works.

[u/TortoiseShoes → u/Tama47_]

if i get a travel router, how can that router get a Philippine IP address? does some travel router got a feature like vpn that can choose IP address?

[u/Tama47_ → u/TortoiseShoes]

Yes, it works with any VPN provider. You connect the travel router to a VPN, then your laptop can connect to your corporate VPN.

[u/vpnsafe_chris]

if you maybe bridged them together and did some fancy routing that could work

[u/CoinGate_Gift_Cards]

Could work, but with Zscaler + proxy + corporate VPN it might get messy. I’d check with IT first - masking your location could also violate company policy.