🩺 VPN Connection Issues: Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

When a VPN stops connecting, the cause is almost always found within a few minutes — and more often than not it is the network between you and the server rather than the server itself. The order of checks below covers most cases; if none of it helps, write to us and we will work through it together.

A short note on who handles what: we are responsible for hardware stability and network availability up to the server, while installing and configuring the protocols (AmneziaWG, XRay, Hysteria2) happens on your side — which is also why full control over the server stays with you.

Symptom	Likely cause	Where to look
Server is off or in “Broken State”	server-side failure	Step 1
Error 305 in the app	the app cannot see the server	Step 2
SSH does not respond, times out	ISP blocks traffic to the server	Step 3
Fails on mobile data only	carrier whitelist mode	Mobile restrictions
Connects, but there is no internet	protocol or routing conflict	Step 4

Step 1. Server status in the panel

Sign in to your client area and confirm the VPS is Active (Running). If the status is Broken State or the server ignores Power On / Reboot, do not press the buttons repeatedly — open a ticket right away: see Server Management.

Step 2. Error 305 — checking the server over SSH

Error 305 in AmneziaVPN means the app failed to establish a connection with the server. Check manually whether the server answers:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Result	What it means	What to do
The server asks for a password	The hosting works fine	The issue is in the app or the credentials. Use the server's SSH password, not your hosting account password
The connection hangs or drops	Traffic does not reach the server	Go to Step 3
Permission denied	Server reachable, password wrong	Reissue it with Reset Password — shut the server down first, and only if it was issued on or after 20 July 2026 (why)
Connection closed by … port 22	The server answers but closes the session at once	Usually the node is closed for maintenance — wait and retry; open a ticket if it keeps happening

Details on console access and the remaining SSH errors — Server Management.

Step 3. ISP blocking and “whitelists”

If the server is active in the panel but does not respond even over SSH, your ISP or mobile carrier is blocking traffic to its IP address.

• How it works. Russia operates DPI systems (TSPU) that, in certain modes, pass traffic only to approved (“whitelisted”) resources. Foreign VPS hosting is absent from those lists by default.
• Hosting does not bypass IP-level blocks. Our infrastructure runs normally; we cannot affect filtering inside your country or on your carrier's network, nor add your server address to state exception lists.

What to do:

1. Change the network — home Wi-Fi instead of mobile data, a different carrier, a hotspot from another phone. If it works on another network, the first ISP is filtering.
2. Switch to a stealthier protocol — XRay/VLESS disguises itself as ordinary HTTPS traffic: AmneziaWG stopped working.
3. Change the port — if 443 is throttled, try 8443 or 80: 3X-UI Panel.
4. Request an IP change through support if your server's address is blocked specifically.

If the problem only occurs on mobile data during a drone-threat alert, see Mobile restrictions and whitelists.

Step 4. Connected, but no internet

The button turns green and sites still do not open — the server is reachable, so the tunnel configuration is at fault:

• check that two VPNs are not installed at once (the second one hijacks the routes) and that an antivirus or AdGuard is not blocking traffic;
• review the blocking rules in 3X-UI: with the .ru / RU Russia zones enabled, Russian sites will not open through the VPN — Blocking Russian domains;
• reinstall the protocol in the app after updating the client to the latest version;
• a separate case is services that reject data-center traffic themselves: Gemini via VPN.

Still stuck — contacting support

Collect the details from the checklist so it can be solved in the first reply: Contacting Support.