Split Tunneling Is Your VPN’s Best Feature. Here’s How to Make the Most of It
Split Tunneling Is Your VPN’s Best Feature. Here’s How to Make the Most of It
Save this storyWhile you may well be familiar with virtual private network apps, you might not have come across one of the best features available inside these privacy protectors: a feature called split tunneling.
尽管你可能很熟悉虚拟专用网络（VPN）应用程序，但你可能还没有接触过这些隐私保护工具中最好的功能之一：一种称为“拆分隧道”（split tunneling）的功能。
In simple terms, split tunneling lets you choose which apps or sites use the protection of a VPN and which don’t. While VPNs are worth using for extra security and privacy online—foiling trackers, spoofing your location, and stopping your internet provider from seeing your browsing—they do by their nature come with some compromises in speed.
简单来说，拆分隧道允许你选择哪些应用程序或网站使用 VPN 的保护，哪些则不需要。虽然 VPN 在增强在线安全和隐私方面非常值得使用——例如阻止追踪器、伪装你的位置以及防止互联网服务提供商查看你的浏览记录——但它们在本质上确实会牺牲一定的速度。
If, for example, you want to get the fastest possible speeds with your online games, you might want to leave your games outside of the VPN’s remit. Likewise, since VPNs typically obfuscate your actual location, if you want to make sure you can always check movie showtimes in your local area, you can use split tunneling to keep those ticketing apps outside your VPN. Putting a VPN in place can also interfere with access to other devices on your local network, like smart home gadgets and printers.
例如，如果你想在玩网络游戏时获得最快的速度，你可能希望将游戏排除在 VPN 的覆盖范围之外。同样，由于 VPN 通常会掩盖你的真实位置，如果你想确保能够随时查看本地的电影放映时间，可以使用拆分隧道将这些票务应用程序排除在 VPN 之外。启用 VPN 有时也会干扰你对本地网络中其他设备（如智能家居设备和打印机）的访问。
For all these reasons, you might want the extra control that split tunneling gives you, and it’s available in a lot of VPN packages. Here’s what you need to know about it.
基于以上所有原因，你可能需要拆分隧道所提供的额外控制权，而许多 VPN 套餐中都包含此功能。以下是你需要了解的相关信息。
How VPN Split Tunneling Works
VPN 拆分隧道的工作原理
VPNs work by offering an encrypted bridge for data going to and coming from the web. This bridge means your internet provider, law enforcement agencies, and people connected to the same Wi-Fi can’t see what you’re doing online. Split tunneling lets you route some online traffic away from that bridge, without you having to constantly turn your VPN on and off.
VPN 通过为往返于网络的数据提供加密桥梁来工作。这座桥梁意味着你的互联网服务提供商、执法机构以及连接到同一 Wi-Fi 的人无法看到你的在线活动。拆分隧道允许你将部分在线流量从该桥梁中分流出去，而无需你不断地开关 VPN。
App-based split tunneling is the most common type you’ll come across, as it’s the most straightforward and easiest to understand. Some of your apps use the VPN, and some don’t. So maybe you want your banking app connected to a VPN for maximum protection, but you’re less concerned about a weather app, and you don’t want to see forecasts from whatever location the VPN is spoofing.
基于应用程序的拆分隧道是你最常遇到的类型，因为它最直接且最容易理解。你的一些应用程序使用 VPN，而另一些则不使用。因此，你可能希望你的银行应用程序连接到 VPN 以获得最大程度的保护，但你对天气应用程序不太在意，也不希望看到 VPN 伪装位置所提供的天气预报。
Depending on the VPN, you might also see URL-based split tunneling. This lets you set the rules based on domain names. It’s the same idea as with apps: For websites that need fast internet access and where privacy is less important, there’s no VPN. So you can keep the VPN turned on for a search engine page where you’re typing information you want protected, but off for a local news site.
根据 VPN 的不同，你可能还会看到基于 URL 的拆分隧道。这允许你根据域名设置规则。其理念与应用程序相同：对于需要快速互联网访问且隐私重要性较低的网站，无需使用 VPN。因此，你可以在输入需要保护的信息的搜索引擎页面上保持 VPN 开启，而在访问本地新闻网站时将其关闭。
There are other types of VPN tunneling too, including route-based tunneling (based on specific IP addresses on the internet) and policy-based tunneling (essentially a set of overarching rules), but these are less common in consumer VPN software, and you’re unlikely to come across them unless you’re somehow managing other users.
还有其他类型的 VPN 隧道，包括基于路由的隧道（基于互联网上的特定 IP 地址）和基于策略的隧道（本质上是一套总体规则），但这些在消费者 VPN 软件中不太常见，除非你在管理其他用户，否则不太可能遇到它们。
It’s not a complicated technology to understand, and it can be genuinely useful—but it’s also a feature that users tend not to notice or think about when they’re enabling and disabling VPNs on their devices.
这并不是一项难以理解的复杂技术，而且它确实非常有用——但这也是用户在设备上启用或禁用 VPN 时往往不会注意到或考虑到的功能。
How to Enable Split Tunneling
如何启用拆分隧道
The exact steps needed to enable split tunneling will vary depending on the VPN software you’re using, but they shouldn’t be too difficult to find. Most, but not all, VPN programs now offer some kind of split tunneling feature. If you’re using a popular app, then you should find the option somewhere, especially if you’re on a paid tier.
启用拆分隧道的具体步骤会根据你使用的 VPN 软件而有所不同，但它们应该不难找到。现在大多数（并非全部）VPN 程序都提供某种形式的拆分隧道功能。如果你使用的是主流应用程序，你应该能在某处找到该选项，特别是如果你使用的是付费版本。
To give you some idea how it works: In ProtonVPN for Windows, on the main console there’s a split tunneling link on the right, together with other features like a kill switch and port forwarding. Click Split tunneling, and once it’s enabled, you can start picking your apps. You can either select a list of apps to be included by the VPN (with everything else excluded) or a list of apps to be excluded (with everything else included).
为了让你了解其工作方式：在 Windows 版 ProtonVPN 中，主控制台右侧有一个拆分隧道链接，以及终止开关（kill switch）和端口转发等其他功能。点击“拆分隧道”，一旦启用，你就可以开始选择你的应用程序。你可以选择一个由 VPN 包含的应用程序列表（其他所有内容均被排除），或者选择一个要排除的应用程序列表（其他所有内容均被包含）。
For NordVPN on Windows, you can access the feature by clicking the cog icon in the bottom left of the main interface, then choosing Split tunneling and enabling the Split tunneling toggle switch. Again, you’ll be able to choose which apps are included in the VPN protections and which ones aren’t.
对于 Windows 版 NordVPN，你可以通过点击主界面左下角的齿轮图标，然后选择“拆分隧道”并启用拆分隧道切换开关来访问该功能。同样，你将能够选择哪些应用程序包含在 VPN 保护中，哪些不包含。
On mobile, it’s a similar process: Delve into the settings for whatever VPN app you’re using, wherever those settings might be. Note, though, that iPhones don’t allow as much freedom for VPNs here as Android devices and desktop platforms: You’ll typically be limited to selecting websites and IP addresses to exclude, rather than apps.
在移动设备上，过程类似：深入研究你所使用的 VPN 应用程序的设置，无论这些设置位于何处。但请注意，iPhone 在这方面对 VPN 的限制比 Android 设备和桌面平台更多：你通常只能选择要排除的网站和 IP 地址，而不能选择应用程序。
Most of the time, it’s going to be a set-it-and-forget-it type routine, and you’re not going to need to keep diving back into the options screen to change around the apps that have VPN access—though you can if you want. It means VPN peace of mind where you need it, without the inconvenience of having a VPN applied where it’s not useful.
大多数情况下，这是一种“设置好后无需再管”的操作，你不需要反复进入选项界面来更改拥有 VPN 访问权限的应用程序——尽管如果你愿意，也可以这样做。这意味着你可以在需要的地方获得 VPN 带来的安心，同时避免在不需要的地方使用 VPN 所带来的不便。