I’m using a direct USB-C connection from my macbook to my iPad for a Sidecar to use it as a second monitor. But NordVPN blocks this data, even though it’s just a local USB connection.
I asked support about it but they sent me some nonsense about how to set up Chromecast, so I guess it was just a bot answering. That wasn’t helpful.
Is using Sidecar possible with NordVPN or do I need to switch VPN providers? This isn’t NordVPN hate, just trying to figure out if it’s capable of this or not.
Hi! How have you determined that it’s NordVPN blocking the USB connection? If you connect to the VPN after setting it all up, does it just disconnect the iPad connection?
You could also try checking if you have “Invisibility on LAN” feature enabled in your NordVPN app settings and disabling it. It’s of course also worth considering to contact the actual Nords support team to take a better look as well. (If you get connected to the bot via live chat, you may ask him to get in touch with an agent instead)
Try turning off WiFi on your iPad and using it only as a screen via usb
Hey I got a similar setup to you. Im using the latest version of the NordVPN app on macOS directly from NordVPN instead of App Store. Also Im using App Store version of NordVPN on iPad Pro and iPhone. I had some challenges with sidecar and universal control working as well. So one of the things I noticed was turning off Meshnet on all the devices. I am at a Starbucks right now with NordVPN enabled on all three devices and utilizing either universal control or sidecar. I noticed when I had Meshnet enabled it was not allowing me to slide to the the left to access my iPad Pro. I will try some more with getting Meshnet to work, but right now just having all three devices running Nord and connected is enough.
Thanks. Yes, exactly; if I connect to the VPN after setting up the Sidecar extended monitor, the iPad pops up a box saying it’s disconnected. If I try to set up sidecar when the VPN is already running, it says it can’t make the connection. It’s very reproducible; seems clearly to be NordVPN.
Yeah, I had checked the invisibility thing, but I already had it set to off. Specifically. “Stay invisible on a local network” is turned off.
I don’t know if it was actually a bot; I filed a support ticket and a “person” – at least, not someone identified as a bot – send a long standard reply about how to set up a Chromecast screenshare, so either it was a bot or someone really didn’t understand Sidecar. I did reply asking for a human response and mentioned that this isn’t about Chromecast; we’ll see if there’s any reply.
Good idea – already tried, but that doesn’t help either. Indeed, that’s one of the annoying things: I’m connected directly, definitely using USB-C and not a WiFi network, but that USB traffic is somehow getting blocked anyway, which isn’t expected.
Update: my second reply from NordVPN tech support again refused to discuss Sidecar and instead asked me a load of irrelevant questions like “what’s the name of your ISP” and “do you see any error messages?” — even though I already described the error on VPN connection, etc.
I’ve disabled auto-renew for my NordVPN subscription and I’m looking to see if there are any better alternatives. I’m not sure anyone else supports this well, but I’m certainly disappointed in the inept customer service.