What should you do if a VPN won't connect over public Wi-Fi in a hotel or cafe?

COMPLETE THE CAPTIVE PORTAL AUTHORIZATION OR SWITCH TO A WORKING PORT.

Guest wireless networks block access to external addresses until you authorize, or they intentionally close non-standard network ports. Switching to standard web ports helps bypass these barriers.

Limitations of Guest Hotspots

Public Wi-Fi management systems hold all traffic using a Captive Portal until you enter a room number or phone number. If your VPN client tries to connect before authorization is complete, it blocks the login page from loading. Additionally, local firewalls often block UDP port 1194 (OpenVPN) and UDP 51820 (WireGuard).

Steps to Restore Connection

Turn off the tunnel and Kill Switch, open any browser, and complete the login via the local hotel landing page.
Switch the protocol settings to TCP over port 443 (standard HTTPS) or port 80 (HTTP).
Temporarily disable secure DNS server checks until you are fully authorized on the network.