What you are checking
When you connect to a VPN, websites usually see the public IP address of the VPN exit point instead of the public IP address of your local home or Wi-Fi network.
Checking your IP address before and after connecting is a simple way to confirm that web traffic is going through the VPN path.
Basic process
Before connecting to the VPN, open a reputable IP-check website and write down the public IP address shown.
Connect to the VPN. Refresh the IP-check page or open a second IP-check site. If the public IP changed, your browser traffic is likely exiting through the VPN service.
Common confusion
Some apps may cache connections. Some browsers may keep old tabs open. DNS and location databases may show approximate or stale location data. Do not assume every map or location result is exact.
A changed public IP is a practical first check, not a full packet-level audit.
ZBEVPN independent IP test evidence
See a real before-and-after ZBEVPN test using IPLeak and BrowserLeaks. The connected test independently observed ZBEVPN IPv4 and IPv6 egress, and BrowserLeaks reported no WebRTC public-IP leak.
Public IP vs private local IP
Your router may give the device a private address such as 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x or 172.16–31.x.x. That address is used inside the local network. A public-IP test is checking the internet-facing address seen by a remote service. A VPN normally changes the public-facing address for traffic routed through it; it does not need to replace the device’s private LAN address.
Check IPv4 and IPv6 expectations
Some networks provide both IPv4 and IPv6. A useful verification checks which address families are active before and after the VPN connects. If the client is expected to carry or block IPv6, compare that behavior with the IPv4, IPv6 and WebRTC verification page and the VPN leaks guide.
A clean before-and-after test
- Disconnect the VPN and record the public IP.
- Connect to the intended VPN location.
- Refresh the test page rather than relying on an old browser tab.
- Record the new public IP and reported region.
- Repeat with a second independent IP service if results conflict.
The exact city shown by an IP database can be approximate. The important test is whether the public network identity changed as expected.
VPN connected but your public IP did not change?
First make sure you are checking the public internet address, not a private local address such as 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x. Refresh the test after the VPN reports connected and compare more than one public-IP service if the result appears cached.
If the same public IP remains visible, verify whether split tunneling intentionally excludes the browser, whether the VPN connection actually completed, and whether the test is being run inside a different network namespace, browser profile, or device than expected. If websites do not load at all, use VPN Connected but No Internet.
See the same test performed on ZBEVPN
ZBEVPN publishes a real before-and-after public-IP test. Independent services observed the VPN-server IPv4 and IPv6 addresses after connection and BrowserLeaks reported no WebRTC public-IP leak.