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Lovemylab's avatar
Lovemylab
Contributor III
2 years ago

Google VPN service observation

Google is now beginning to promote their VPN service to Google One customers. Experimenting with it, I observed one thing I thought I would point out in case someone else encounters the same issue. 

Certain modems have a private IP address of 192.168.100.1. At present, it looks like you have to turn off Google's VPN to access the modem's login page. Not a huge deal, but a bit of a nuisance and a first time user might not realize what is happening. While some modems allow you to modify your private IP address, so far as I can tell mine does not. I've reached out to Google to see if there is a work-around, including a tracert showing the 'hop' out to them. After that, the trace stops. A simple "whitelist" would be nice. 

Everything in the 192.168.1 subnet is fine, for instance, accessing the "console" on an HP printer.

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  • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
    WiderMouthOpen
    Esteemed Contributor
    2 years ago
    While some modems allow you to modify your private IP address, so far as I can tell mine does not.

    Any true stand alone modem will have the IP of 192.168.100.1 built into the firmware and is not adjustable. The only way it would be changeable is if it is a modem/router combo(gateway). Overall, thanks for the tip. I have a Pixel 7 so I may also be playing with their VPN service.

    • Lovemylab's avatar
      Lovemylab
      Contributor III
      2 years ago

      Thanks! It seems like I had a Netgear once that would let me change it, but that's been a long time ago. All the Google searches I pulled up looked like Netgear or DLink combos, so I was wondering. My recollection is I've never been able to modify it on Motorola or Arris which makes perfect sense based on what you are describing. 

      Addenda: I received an update from Google asking some questions about what I had tested. Here's my summary - 

      • Windows 11 Chrome - 192.168.100.1 fails with VPN on, succeeds with VPN off.
      • Windows 11 Edge - 192.168.100.1 fails with VPN on, succeeds with VPN off.
      • Samsung S22 - Android 13, One UI 5.1, running Chrome, 192.168.100.1 succeeds with VPN on.

      I also just ran a test with my Android tablet. VPN does not cause an issue. It's a Lenovo running Android 10 and Chrome.