VPN Router Stuck on “Retrieving Internet IP”? Here Is the 2-Minute Fix (2026 Guide)

If your VPN router is stuck on “retrieving internet IP,” it is usually caused by missing VPN server credentials or the router not having internet access. Here is how to fix it in just a few minutes.

The Most Common Cause

The most common reason for this issue is that the VPN configuration is missing the required server credentials.

Many VPN providers use two different sets of login details:

• Your account login for their website or app
• Your server credentials for manual or router connections

You can upload a configuration file and start the VPN, but if those server credentials are not entered, the connection will not complete.

Instead, the router often stays on “retrieving internet IP.”

Where This Typically Comes Up

This is common with providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, TorGuard, and StrongVPN when they are used with a VPN router to provide coverage for an entire network.

They provide configuration files, but many setups still require manually entering a username and password in the router’s VPN configuration.

Start Here First

Before moving on to anything else, check your VPN configuration.

Many VPN providers require server credentials that are separate from your account login. If those credentials are not entered, the connection will never complete.

Confirm the following:

• A username is entered
• A password is entered
• They match the server credentials provided by your VPN provider. These are usually different from the account login you use on your VPN provider’s website.

If those are missing or incorrect, that alone can prevent the connection from completing.

If You Are Using a Sabai VPN Router

If you are using a Sabai OS VPN router, you may need to manually enter your server credentials after loading the configuration file.

Follow these steps:

• Load your VPN configuration file into the router or if the VPN is already running, click Stop
• Click Show File
• Click Edit File
• Enter your VPN server username and password in the appropriate fields (these are separate from your account login credentials)
• Click Save
• Click Start to initiate the connection

If credentials are required but not entered, the router will remain on “retrieving internet IP” because authentication cannot complete.

This resolves the issue in most cases.

What Is Actually Happening Behind the Scenes

When your router shows “retrieving internet IP,” it means the connection process has started but is not completing.

At this point, the router has typically already reached the VPN server and is attempting to establish the connection. As part of that process, it is waiting to be assigned an IP address by the VPN server for the connection.

Before that IP can be assigned, the connection must be authenticated. If the required server credentials are missing or incorrect, that authentication step will fail and the connection will not move forward.

Because the process does not complete, the router remains on “retrieving internet IP,” even though it has already reached the server.

Quick Checklist

If That Is Not the Issue

1. Confirm Internet Access

Before anything else, make sure your VPN router actually has internet.

If you are testing from a phone or tablet:

• Connect to your VPN router’s WiFi
• Turn off cellular data to ensure you are using the router’s connection

Then test the connection:

• Stop the VPN
• Open a new browser tab
• While connected to your VPN router’s WiFi, try accessing a website you would normally be able to reach without a VPN. Using an incognito or private browser window is recommended to avoid loading a cached version of the page.

If the page does not load, your VPN router is not receiving internet. Check the physical connection in the next step.

2. Check the Physical Connection

If your VPN router does not have internet, the issue is often with the physical connection.

• Make sure the Ethernet cable is firmly connected on both ends of your VPN router and the modem or upstream router
• Confirm it is plugged into the WAN or Internet port on the VPN router (not a LAN port)
• Try a different Ethernet cable to rule out a faulty cable
• Try a different LAN port on the modem or upstream router

In rare cases, the WAN port on the VPN router itself may be faulty. If that is the case, the router will not be able to receive internet at all.

3. Check VPN Credentials

If the server username and password are missing or incorrect in the VPN configuration, the connection will not complete.

• Confirm the VPN server username is entered
• Confirm the VPN server password is entered
• Make sure these are not your VPN account login credentials

4. Restart the VPN Connection

If everything above is correct, restart the connection.

• Stop the VPN
• Wait about 30 seconds
• Start it again after confirming internet access

Still Stuck? A Few Less Common Causes

OpenVPN Compatibility

If your VPN provider does not require credentials and the router is still stuck on “retrieving internet IP,” the issue may be related to compatibility.

Some older VPN routers may not support newer OpenVPN encryption methods. If there is a mismatch between the router and VPN server, the connection may fail during the handshake.

If you are unsure, check with your VPN provider or the company you purchased the router from to confirm compatibility.

Network or ISP Restrictions

Some networks block or interfere with certain VPN protocols. This is common on hotel WiFi, public networks, and some mobile providers.

If you are using OpenVPN and it is not connecting, switching to WireGuard can often resolve the issue. However, many routers do not support WireGuard. In those cases, a dedicated VPN device such as a VPN Accelerator can be added to your network to enable faster protocols and improve performance without replacing your existing router or mesh system.

Incorrect System Time

VPN connections rely on certificates, which depend on accurate time. If your router’s clock is incorrect, the connection may fail during authentication and never complete.

If the time is missing or incorrect, reset the router, confirm the time is correct after it comes back online, and then try the connection again.

A Simple Way to Think About It

When you see “retrieving internet IP,” it usually comes down to one of two things:

• The VPN router does not have internet yet
• The VPN cannot complete authentication

In many cases, the fastest place to start is with the VPN server credentials.

Still Need Help?

If you have checked your credentials and worked through the steps above but are still stuck, feel free to email our support team at support@sabaitechnology.com.

Include your router model, VPN provider, and a brief description of what you are seeing, and we will take a closer look with you.