Hi @DaveC64 

Thanks for posting in our business forum.

First, this is a L2 switch routing based on the MAC address. I could not find any relation between the VPN and the switch.

You have clearly known what's wrong with it. The VPN.

Have you tested it if your VPN can work properly without the switch?

I bet you'd face the same problem.

I have tried the Adblock VPN before but I don't think it works well anymore in today. The ad today does not work well with the DNS blackhole. You can try that out and you won't get Youtube ads blocked anymore or Google.

They have integrated the ad into the DNS resolution video stream. If you block the ad, you block the video stream as well. You won't be able to even load the video as well as the ad.

If you ask me, I would not have any doubt about the switch. It's just a problem with the VPN. I don't find any solutions yet with the ads from Google or others. Some may work with the DNS blackhole. But many have become smarter than before and they integrate their ad services into the video stream domains. You block one, you lose all.

DNS rewrite or any sort does not work anymore. Simply good for some. Some serious ways to remove the ad will involve the HTTPS rewrite or certificate modifications. That is kind of sensitive to people who care about security. You gotta know what you are doing.

Regardless of whatsoever I talked about here, any changes to the DNS or HTTPS rewrite would potentially break your normal connection. Rules require frequent updates. I don't think the switch is causing the problem. It should be your VPN or DNS issues.