2026-05-01 · New Zealand · Field note #0991
Note 0991: split tunneling VPN from Christchurch — 36 minutes on a Windows 11 laptop
I used rule mode so the local bank site stayed direct and ChatGPT went through the node. Christchurch, Windows 11 laptop.
The first Taiwan node stalled for about 20 seconds. I switched once and it held. The free meter mattered more than the branding. On mobile that is 200MB a day. I used about 36 minutes at a cafe on Cuba St before it felt tight. 30MB was still showing when I stopped taking notes. I signed in with email. That is not anonymous. Payment data, if I ever buy, sits with the payment firm. The snapshot I read did not show browsing logs in scope. I am not going to chant 100/100.
I am a staff tester writing a field note, not a stranger on a review site. If you want the same build I used, the official windows download is the only link I trust: https://singlinkvpn.com/en/download/windows/. I will not paste homepage slogans here.
Local apps that did not need the tunnel stayed faster when I left them off the VPN. The official writeup already says split mode exists so you do not haul every packet across a border.
I did not claim all-day Netflix. I did not treat a press-wire drop as an investigation. I did not paste homepage slogans.
Tomorrow the meter resets at 00:00. That is the whole product loop I came for.