Kill switch

Connections drop: you walk between Wi-Fi networks, a laptop wakes from sleep, a network hiccups. Without protection, your device would quietly fall back to sending traffic outside the tunnel, exposing your real IP address.

How it works#

With the kill switch on, Pivien is designed to block all internet traffic whenever the tunnel isn't active. Traffic resumes automatically once the protected connection is back.

1. 1

   The tunnel drops

   For example, when your Wi-Fi changes or your device wakes from sleep.
2. 2

   Traffic is blocked

   Apps wait instead of connecting directly to the internet.
3. 3

   The tunnel reconnects

   Pivien re-establishes the encrypted connection.
4. 4

   Traffic resumes

   Everything continues through the tunnel, with nothing sent unprotected in between.

Captive portals#

Hotel and airport Wi-Fi often asks you to sign in on a web page before granting access. If the kill switch prevents that page from loading, disconnect briefly, complete the sign-in, then reconnect.