Reset your Device Tunnel VPN

Owned by Dennis Wenthen
Last updated: Mar 31, 2021
2 min read

We set up Windows laptops with an "always on VPN". This is a special network connection that lets your laptop do things as if it were on campus. Things like:

  • Access "Administrative Applications" on MySlice.syr.edu
  • Access shared folders on your G: drive

It's transparent to you and it works most of the time. If it is not working for you it's confusing why you've lost these functions. Here are possible solutions followed by ways to see what state your machine's connections are in.

Solution:

Toggle "airplane mode" on and off twice.

i.e. Turn Airplane mode on then off, then turn it on and off again. Give it 2 minutes to connect.

To turn airplane mode on or off, select the Network icon on the taskbar, then select Airplane mode.

Rebooting will fix it too but the Airplane Mode trick will be a bit faster.


Learn more about your machine's network connections:

A quick way to check the status of your computer's Device Tunnel VPN is to mouse over the Network icon in your taskbar. In addition to your WiFi connection you should see ad.syr.edu, No Internet access.

If this is missing then try toggling Airplane mode on and off twice.


A more informative way to look at your network status is to press the Windows key, type ncpa.cpl, press enter. This brings up your Network Connections.

If SU Device Tunnel VPN is greyed out try toggling Airplane mode on and off twice.