Can't connect to speakers while connected to VPN

[charliemusics]

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

Dell Latitude 7310

Operating System

Windows 10

My Question or Issue

When using the Spotify Desktop app on my work laptop I am unable to connect to my Alexa speakers while on my home Wi-Fi. My work laptop uses a VPN and I suspect this to be the reason I can't connect - I can connect to my Alexa speakers from my iPhone Spotify app and while using my work's internet (via ethernet - no VPN required) it allows me to play from my phone, which does not show up as an option while connected to my home Wi-Fi. I have uninstalled the Spotify app from my computer and disconnected my account from Alexa and have not been able to solve this issue. 

What is most frustrating is that I used to be able to control my music from this laptop and then suddenly it stopped working. I don't have any other issues with any other devices/speakers - only my work computer has this issue. Please help!!!

[OscarDC]

Hey @charliemusics,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community and welcome.

Since a VPN is a Virtual Private Network, it can interfere with the proper behavior of the app as it encrypts the traffic. This makes other apps and third parties harder to track online activity and this can mess up the connection between devices on the same network. Keep in mind that the VPN is recognized as a different Wi-Fi network by other devices because of the virtual server it creates.

If the issue is not happening without the VPN, it's because the VPN could be restricting the connection features. As an option, you can check if using the Web Player makes any difference, but we highly recommend using the app without a VPN.

Hope this clarifies things a bit. If anything else comes up, don't hesitate to ask.