qBittorrent 4.3.4.1 Does Not Connect to Whatever Proxy Server Specified under Its Proxy Settings

[id88viper88id]

Hello,

This is my very first post at this forum. I had tried to look for an answer/solution to my problem, but to no avail, which is why I have decided to register here and create this topic. I hope someone could help me.

I would like to ask what should be input into the „Host“ field under the proxy settings to make qBittorrent connect to a proxy server of choice?
The thing is that I have a paid account with a VPN service provider, and when I use their piece of software for Windows, which streams all the Internet traffic through one of their VPN servers out of many that I choose at a given point in time, qBittorent works perfectly fine, showing that all ports are open, all settings are set up properly, and downloading and uploading at full speeds. However, when I want to set up the very same server used through the said piece of software under the qBittorrent proxy settings, qBittorent says „No direct connections. This may indicate network configuration problems“, does not connect to any DHT nodes, and there is no exchange, either in terms of downloading or uploading. Putting it short, you can clearly see that qBittorrent is not connected to the proxy server.
I use qBittorrent 4.3.4.1 x64 on my Windows 10 Pro x64 PC. Speaking of the qBittorent settings, I set it up to use SOCKS5 type proxy server, type in the VPN server address, set the 1080 port, check the „Use proxy for peer connections“ checkbox, and the „Authentication“ checkbox, where in the fields corresponding to that setting I type in my login credentials with which I am registered with my VPN service provider (the username being my e-mail address). I also have the „Use UPnP / NAT-PMP port forwarding for my router” checkbox checked. Here I must also mention that I use the Kaspersky Total Security Protection suite, and that in it I have opened both the 1080 port (both TCP and UDP), and the listening port (also both TCP and UDP). Despite all those settings set up properly, qBittorrent clearly does not connect to the VPN server specified under its proxy settings. Even setting up the 80 port (which always must be open, and never can be blocked by the ISP) instead of the 1080 port does not help.
Before setting up those proxy settings for the first time, I had noticed that a default setting that was in the „Host“ field was 0.0.0.0. This made me infer from it that perhaps instead of the address of the VPN server expressed using letters, it is the IP address of the server that should be used. However, even when I typed in the IP address of the server in the „Host“ field, still nothing changed.
At the very top of the „Connection“ settings in qBittorrent there is a „Peer connection protocol” setting, under which you choose whether you want qBittorrent to use a TCP protocol, μTP protocol, or both. Originally, I had it set up to use the TCP protocol, and so I thought that perhaps I could try out the μTP and both TCP and μTP setting to see if any of those helps, and qBittorrent connects to the VPN server. However, manipulating with this setting did not help at all, and I am stuck in terms of what I should do to make qBittorrent connect to the VPN server specified under its proxy settings.

How is it that when I use the piece of software for Windows from my VPN service provider the qBittorent traffic goes through the VPN server of choice and qBittorrent works just the way it should, but when I set up the very same VPN server under the proxy settings of qBittorrent, it clearly does not even connect to that VPN server?

Best Regards

[staffie2001uk]

Hi,

I think your issue might be that a VPN is not a proxy server and you can't use a VPN instead of a proxy server, in this way.

Proxy servers do not generally support encryption, so qBT will not be able to handle the encryption/decryption side.
Also, the SOCKS5 is a specific comms protocol that is not supported by VPNs.

The windows software that you refer to is designed to encrypt all traffic from your PC and direct it through the VPN.

Hope this helps, but the simple answer is that what you are trying won't work.

[id88viper88id]

Hi,

I think your issue might be that a VPN is not a proxy server and you can't use a VPN instead of a proxy server, in this way.

Proxy servers do not generally support encryption, so qBT will not be able to handle the encryption/decryption side.
Also, the SOCKS5 is a specific comms protocol that is not supported by VPNs.

The windows software that you refer to is designed to encrypt all traffic from your PC and direct it through the VPN.

Hope this helps, but the simple answer is that what you are trying won't work.

Thank you very much for your reply. I must say that I am perplexed by what you say. The main reason for this is that I have contacted the customer support of my VPN service provider, described to them my issue in as much detail as I described it here, and they didn’t say a word about VPN servers not being suitable for this type of use. Instead, they suggested trying to set up the port forwarded by their software as the listening port in qBittorrent (which was not even doable due to the fact that the current version of their software doesn’t even give the particular port it forwards, but, instead, says that „ALL“ the ports are forwarded), and even to use a different torrent client and see if that torrent client works with their servers. Yet another reason for which I am perplexed is that one of the columns in the table with the VPN servers of my VPN service provider at their website reads „Socks5 Proxy“, and there given is the port on which all of their VPN servers operate (all their servers operate on the same 1080 port), which made me come to a conclusion that since they mention a SOCKS5 protocol specifically, then their VPN servers must work with it. I am stunned that they don’t.

Best Regards