NordVPN and Adguard

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TechieFan

New Member
Have licenses for both Windows and Android for Adguard. Recently decided to purchase a VPN package, and went with NordVPN since it was one of the three your documentation referenced. They appear to work fine together on Windows.

On Android (Pixel 2 XL) my phone is not rooted. I setup proxy server as socks5, and it passes connection check. I also turned on local proxy port (1080) and local HTTP Proxy for Setup mode of Manual in Adguard. Went to my wireless, set it to Manual, 127.0.0.1, and 1080 as well. My VPN in Android is set to always on, and on the Nord VPN not the Adguard one.

When I look at Notifications, it says I am connected to proxy. It also has a second notification that says running as proxy on port 1080. When I expand the second one, it says "Proxy is not configured for the current connection". Because of this, Adguard does no filtering as long as NordVPN is running. I disconnect Nord, and Adguard filters but I have no VPN. I turn it back on, Adguard stops filtering again.

Historically, I have loved Adguard. Have multiple licenses, and have gotten others to buy it as well. But now that I have decided to add VPN, due to our net neutrality rule changes, I went with NordVPN because of it's reputation and also because it too has ad blocking. Now I'm wondering if I even need Adguard with NordVPN? I'm wondering if running both you really need to root your phone, though your documentation says its not mandatory as long as I can live with only TCP filtered and wait for improvements?

I'd like to run both, but it does not appear to be possible. Yes, I read your one thread on NordVPN, and yes I am at work/home and using wifi and I would like it to be under VPN.

Thoughts / Help please? (forgive grammar and spelling issues please)
 
TheHasagi

TheHasagi

Quality Assurance / Support Commando
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
@TechieFan

Hello!

Unfortunately, that configuration won't work as you want.

Only one VPN is simultaneously allowed, that's why you can use automatic proxy mode but with root rights.
 
T

TechieFan

New Member
Understand that perspective, because then it supposedly blocks UDP and forces the VPN to use it. But 'works best' rooted is not the same as 'is required' to be rooted. That's my issue. Adguard documentation says if you use NordVPN you can use a Nordvpn server as a proxy server as long as you pick a socks5 one and use port 1080. I did so, and (eventually) got it to work. Works in Adguard whether you also use NordVPN as a VPN server and connect to it via their client or not.

But Adguard documentation also says you can turn on NordVPN as your primary VPN server, and STILL use Adguard in HTTP Proxy mode. I can use adguard in HTTP Proxy mode on an unrooted phone (though it appears to lose connections every time I restart the phone) but it works and adguard filters. But as soon as I also turn on NordVPN the Proxy Server part still says it is working, but the HTTP Proxy Mode stops working according to notification and Adguard home screen no longer shows any data saved, blocked adds or blocked threats. Turn off NordVPN and it starts working again, in HTTP Proxy Mode (without Adguard being a VPN).

You are supposed to be able to run NordVPN as your VPN, and use Adguard in HTTP Proxy Mode on Android, but I have yet to be able to figure out how to do so.

And to be honest instead of thinking to root my phone to in theory have both work together as advertised, and thinking about removing Adguard from my phone as NordVPN has ad blocking anyway (though I suspect not as good as Adguard's.)
 
Boo Berry

Boo Berry

Moderator + Beta Tester
Moderator
If I recall correctly, HTTP Proxy Mode has to be manually set up if not rooted and it'll only work for wi-fi connections, it won't work for mobile data unless you're rooted. If you're rooted, Local HTTP Proxy can be set up automatically and it'll work for both wi-fi and mobile data.

Honestly, the best method to use a VPN while unrooted is to use a SOCKS5 proxy with AdGuard for Android using the Local VPN option.
 
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TechieFan

New Member
Yes, it says HTTP Proxy Mode has to be manually setup if not rooted. That's what I did and it works for wi-fi connections. (filters TCP ad's but not UDP ad's, and only over wifi). That is understood, and the documentation says they are working a release to filter UDP too.

But when you turn on VPN in Nord, the Proxy Mode filtering stops working. Does not matter if you have setup a Nord server to act as your Proxy server within Adguard or not.

You say the best method to use a VPN while unrooted is to use a SOCKS5 proxy. I am doing just that, with my SOCKS5 Proxy being a Nord server. Adguard connection test to the NordVPN proxy server works.

But then you go on to say use the local VPN option. Since Android will not allow you to use two local VPNs on an unrooted phone, that means you either root your phone or pick one of the two VPN's. You pick Adguard you can't use the NordVPN client to connect to a server. But you can tell Adguard to use Local VPN. That may mean you are in fact using Adguard for filtering, but also using NordVPN as your Proxy server to secure your activity. Certainly Adguard starts showing filtering statistics when you set it that way. What you would lose, if you are in fact under VPN at that point, is NordVPN's own ad blocking. But that would be covered by Adguard. What I am not sure of though if I am also securing my activity by NordVPN while not also running their client (installed, but not running and connection except via Adguard's proxy server connnection.)

If you pick NordVPN as your VPN then you must set Adguard to local HTTP proxy mode. And it says in the notification that Adguard is no longer blocking ads and tracker. So if the proceeding paragraph is using NordVPN via Proxy Server and making me encrypted and secure, while Adguard is blocking ads, I simply ignore HTTP Proxy Mode in Adguard as the Proxy Server connection is in fact providing the double VPN I seek with Adguard doing the filtering of ads part.
 
T

TechieFan

New Member
I think it's working. What I was doing wrong is trying to run the NordVPN app, and start one of their VPN servers. Also, in Android Setup, telling the OS that Nord is my VPN, to always run it. Then trying to get Adguard to work with NordVPN by telling it to use Local HTTP Proxy (which did NOT work).

I switched it around based on your comment Boo Berry, and do NOT run the NordVPN app, and do NOT start one of their VPN servers. In Android Setup I tell it that Adguard is my VPN, and to always run it. I do NOT tell Adguard to use Local HTTP Proxy, instead I tell it to use Filtering Mode of Local VPN under advanced settings. In the Proxy Settings I tell it to use NordVPN as my proxy server on Socks5.

So Adguard is my VPN, it in turn is using NordVPN as a proxy server, my connections are 'secure' and my ad's are blocked by Adguard.

Adguard's notifications say my draffis routed through the Nord proxy server, and the Blocking ads and Trackers notification now DOES show adguard is blocking ads.

My mistake was running the Nord software, and trying to run HTTP Prox mode in Adguard. Don't do either one. Simply setup the proxy server and it works, and you don't have to root your phone either.
 
T

TechieFan

New Member
Actually, I spoke too soon. When setup with AdGuard as the VPN and Nord as a proxy UDP is not blocked and other things don't work.

Turn off Adguard completely and only run Nord and all appears to be well.

Run Nord as your VPN, and try to run AdGuard in Local HTTP proxy filtering mode with manual setup and AdGuard does nothing on my phone. Since it does nothing in manual mode I'm not even going to bother trying to root the phone as I dont think it would make a bit of difference.

Looks like I will soon be removing AdGuard completely on Android, and next start looking at whether I even need AdGuard at all in Windows with NordVpn and their own cyber ad/malware blocking in place.

Sad day, I liked AdGuard but it appears it's of no value on my phone, os release, and unrooted configuration. At least until a new release comes out....
 
TheHasagi

TheHasagi

Quality Assurance / Support Commando
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
@TechieFan

Sad to read that, but for now AdGuard does not route UDP through proxy. We plan to add UDP over SOCKS5 support later, but so far only TCP traffic is routed through outgoing proxy. - As described in KB.
 
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Oliver Lutsch

New Member
Hey, I was following this post with great interest since I am having a similar problem. I recently bought a Mac+Android subscription for Adguard which was working fine. Recently added Nord-VPN to it. Adguard Mac App + Nord VPN is working fine. No problem here.

I'm also running into problems on the Android device. I set up Nord-VPN in the Adguard App and Adguard proxy is set to the permanent VPN in the settings (unrooted device). I get all the right Notifications. 1. VPN is activated by Adguard 2. Connected to NordVPN and 3. Blocking ads and trackers. Nord-VPN-App is turned off. The problem so far is that Netflix is detecting the Nord-VPN-Proxy via Adguard but if I turn off Adguard and only use the NordVPN-app no VPN is detected. Looking out for other problems. Hope I cant find any.

Some advice?
 
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A1904

New Member
NordVPN has TCP enabled servers available and it works with adguard under manual proxy mode! Enable "Use TCP" in NordVPN app and reconnect, it should work! here is my screenshot on a unrooted note 8 running Oreo to prove it.
 

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vinpremkumar

New Member
A1904 said:
NordVPN has TCP enabled servers available and it works with adguard under manual proxy mode! Enable "Use TCP" in NordVPN app and reconnect, it should work! here is my screenshot on a unrooted note 8 running Oreo to prove it.
Click to expand...
I checked @A1904's reply and it works only because the VPN service is cutoff from adguard. Instead adguard runs as a proxy and stops blocking ads. This is why the above mentioned user was able to also use NordVPN along with adguard (because AdGuard's VPN was cut off).
A not so convenient way (but works), is to use Tasker app to turn off proxy using AdGuard's indent action command and then use openVPN to run NordVPN server. Tasker app can automate this process whenever you open Netflix and can revert to previous settings as soon as you close the Netflix app. Bonus: add multiple servers to openvpn and randomize selection to improve safety.
 
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