Check If You're Being Relayed

Explanation

We use software called ZeroTier to facilitate our VPN service. ZeroTier works by creating direct encrypted connections between two clients. This means that, for example, when you connect to the wiki, your device is creating a direct connection between itself and the computer running the wiki website. There is no server in-between.

ZeroTier uses various networking tricks to try and establish these direct connections. Sometimes, due to limitations that are normally beyond your control, such direct connections are not possible. This means that, in those cases, you would not be able to reach other devices on the network. This would suck, and ZeroTier knows this, so the ZeroTier company hosts public relay servers that are used as a last resort to facilitate connections that otherwise would've failed.

The relay servers, for various technical reasons, aren't the greatest. They greatly increase latency and do not allow for the best speeds that could otherwise be achieved with a working direct connection. If you are being relayed, you may notice slow loading times. For certain game servers, if you are being relayed, you could have an unplayable connection.

Windows Instructions

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
2. Run this command: zerotier-cli peers
3. Under the <link> column, check if any of the listed peers say RELAY instead of DIRECT.
4. Cross-reference the ZeroTier Address (first column) with this list on the wiki. If the link to that peer shows RELAY, that means you are going through a ZeroTier relay server and do not have a direct connection.

Linux/macOS Instructions

1. Open a terminal window.
2. Run this command: zerotier-cli peers
   (You may need to elevate your privileges: sudo zerotier-cli peers)
3. Under the <link> column, check if any of the listed peers say RELAY instead of DIRECT.
4. Cross-reference the ZeroTier Address (first column) with this list on the wiki. If the link to that peer shows RELAY, that means you are going through a ZeroTier relay server and do not have a direct connection.

Android Instructions

Unfortunately, it is not possible to see the ZeroTier peer list on android.