Two different VPNs or something else?

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some advice here. I work remotely for a US-based company, and everything is set up for me to work from my home office here in the States. However, due to some personal matters, I need to head back to the US for a while.

The issue is my work laptop. It has NordVPN installed, and I can only access the specific internal sites and tools required for my job once that connection is active.

Now, let’s be real: my employer would almost certainly be skeptical if I asked to work remotely from a different location for a bit. So, my plan—if it's even possible—is to install a VPN directly onto my router at the destination so that my entire network appears to be located in the US. Is there any other way to pull this off? My main concern is whether running two different VPNs will cause them to clash or cancel each other out. I already paid for an ExpressVPN subscription, which has a 30-day money-back guarantee if this whole thing turns out to be a dead end. I'm also worried that certain websites or apps on my computer might glitch out because of the IP masking.

Is there a way to make my login activity look like I'm still sitting in my usual US city, and is managing two separate VPNs actually feasible? Or is there a better method to ensure my IP address looks like a standard domestic one?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

So you just leave your PC running back in the States with TeamViewer active,
then you hop on from wherever you are using TeamViewer and run Cisco AnyConnect directly through the remote connection.

Michelle Bennett5 said:So you just leave your PC running back in the States with TeamViewer active,
then you hop on from wherever you are using TeamViewer and run Cisco AnyConnect directly through the remote connection.

Thanks for the reply. Honestly, that sounds like a massive headache waiting to happen. I don't think I could get away with installing random software on my work laptop—management would have my head. Plus, what happens if there’s a split-second power flicker over in the States? Everything goes dark. And there's always the risk they demand a screen share at any moment. It feels too risky to pull off.

Is there any way to mask the router right here in America without having to fight with a VPN on the actual computer?

IP addresses aren't just random numbers; they're tied to specific locations
If you're trying to fake being in the UK, you really need to find a VPN that actually has servers physically located there to mask your traffic
Sure, you can hide your actual IP address while sitting here in the States, but that won't make it look like you're calling from London. To pull that off, you'll need a VPN with a UK presence

Michelle Bennett5 said:IP addresses aren't just random numbers; they're tied to specific locations
If you're trying to fake being in the UK, you really need to find a VPN that actually has servers physically located there to mask your traffic
Sure, you can hide your actual IP address while sitting here in the States, but that won't make it look like you're calling from London. To pull that off, you'll need a VPN with a UK presence

Thanks for the input! I actually used ExpressVPN to set up a service that I’d install directly onto my router so that everything is effectively networked within the UK. If I'm following your logic correctly, that's exactly what I need, right? My main concern now is whether running a VPN on my computer will clash with the VPN running on the router. Since they are two separate connections, will they fight each other? Maybe I'm missing the point of what you were getting at.

So, I just found out that port forwarding is actually an option on the table. Has anyone here actually had any decent luck with it, or is it just another headache waiting to happen?

Nathan Davis3 said:So, I just found out that port forwarding is actually an option on the table. Has anyone here actually had any decent luck with it, or is it just another headache waiting to happen?

Look, I’ve had great luck with port forwarding before, but honestly, it won't do much for you here.
If you set everything up right, those two VPNs should play nice together. I'm assuming your corporate VPN from your firm in the US is mostly just there for encryption, while your personal VPN is just to mask your IP. Think of it as just building a tunnel straight back to the States.
The personal one probably encrypts too, sure, but that’s irrelevant. You can always wrap encrypted data inside another layer of encryption; it doesn't change the core logic.

Bottom line: if the configuration is correct, it'll work. But that's not a guarantee. There’s always some random glitch waiting to pop up. You won't really know until you pull the trigger and test it.
One thing that comes to mind: your company in the US might already know about that specific VPN service you're using and could just be blocking its IP addresses across the board. If they do that, it won't matter how perfectly you tweak your hardware; you're still stuck.

Whether that's happening to you? Beats me.

wiredcanyon94 said:Look, I’ve had great luck with port forwarding before, but honestly, it won't do much for you here.
If you set everything up right, those two VPNs should play nice together. I'm assuming your corporate VPN from your firm in the US is mostly just there for encryption, while your personal VPN is just to mask your IP. Think of it as just building a tunnel straight back to the States.
The personal one probably encrypts too, sure, but that’s irrelevant. You can always wrap encrypted data inside another layer of encryption; it doesn't change the core logic.

Bottom line: if the configuration is correct, it'll work. But that's not a guarantee. There’s always some random glitch waiting to pop up. You won't really know until you pull the trigger and test it.
One thing that comes to mind: your company in the US might already know about that specific VPN service you're using and could just be blocking its IP addresses across the board. If they do that, it won't matter how perfectly you tweak your hardware; you're still stuck.

Whether that's happening to you? Beats me.

Thanks for the reply. I'm a bit lost here, sorry. Could you clarify? Regarding port forwarding, my idea was to connect something to a router back in America, and then have that equivalent connection link up to a router in the USA. In that scenario, I'd connect to the American router and appear as though I'm physically at a USA address. That's the direction I'm leaning toward, but I've been told it costs nearly a thousand dollars.🙄
If I'm going to shell out that kind of money, I want a guarantee that it will actually work. Why do you think it might fail? If that were the case, I wouldn't even bother adding a second VPN.

As for the dual VPN setup—what exactly do you mean by a VPN on a computer blocking IP addresses in the USA? If I install the VPN on a router in America, will my IP look like a USA address, or will it just get blocked?

What’s this deal with the "1000 EUR" thing? Is that just the specs for a router you could flash with ExpressVPN?
When you set up the software, once the VPN is installed, a new virtual network adapter pops up on your computer. It acts like it was physically plugged in, but really, everything routed through that connection is being tunneled through the VPN.

That way, you can actually run a VPN inside a VPN—like having a second VPN endpoint, say Cisco AnyConnect, nested right inside ExpressVPN.

Once the connection hits the USA, the rest of the world sees your ExpressVPN IP address. The catch? If ExpressVPN has a bad reputation, some routers might block the connection entirely because they recognize the IP range belongs to a specific organization.

Michelle Bennett5 said:What’s this deal with the "1000 EUR" thing? Is that just the specs for a router you could flash with ExpressVPN?
When you set up the software, once the VPN is installed, a new virtual network adapter pops up on your computer. It acts like it was physically plugged in, but really, everything routed through that connection is being tunneled through the VPN.

That way, you can actually run a VPN inside a VPN—like having a second VPN endpoint, say Cisco AnyConnect, nested right inside ExpressVPN.

Once the connection hits the USA, the rest of the world sees your ExpressVPN IP address. The catch? If ExpressVPN has a bad reputation, some routers might block the connection entirely because they recognize the IP range belongs to a specific organization.

So, an IT firm offered to order some specialized routers for that price. They’d put one here in the States and one in the USA. Those two routers would be linked, so when I log in from here, my IP, location, and all that would show the USA data I used previously. To me, it sounds like a solid plan, but I want to know if anyone has experience with this and if a US-based company could catch on.

Do you think that’s even feasible?

Regarding the VPN, honestly, it’s pretty risky. It might look like a known ExpressVPN address rather than a standard residential US IP address...

I also wanted to ask, how realistic is using a mobile hotspot? I have a massive data plan (around 200 GB). Usually, when I'm in the States, I don't have issues with, say, US betting sites that normally restrict access outside US territory. When I check "what's my IP," it shows a US address even though I'm on AT&T or T-Mobile.

In that scenario, would they still be able to pinpoint my actual location?

Is it illegal to work outside the home country for a few months? Aside from potentially getting fired, could there be other repercussions? My contract doesn't explicitly forbid it. It does state that unauthorized persons aren't allowed to log in and could face legal action, but I *am* an authorized person. It doesn't specify anything about "unauthorized locations."

Some routers come with this "Teleport" feature. Take the Ubiquiti gear, like the Amplifi HD I’m running, for example. You just toss the app on your phone, set up a hotspot, and anything hitting that hotspot gets routed through the main router. So, if you had an Amplifi HD sitting in the UK, you’d basically be good to go...

ironcyclist58 said:Some routers come with this "Teleport" feature. Take the Ubiquiti gear, like the Amplifi HD I’m running, for example. You just toss the app on your phone, set up a hotspot, and anything hitting that hotspot gets routed through the main router. So, if you had an Amplifi HD sitting in the UK, you’d basically be good to go...

Thanks, ironcyclist58. So, what you're saying is, if someone at my office back in the UK tries to monitor my workstation, there’s absolutely no way for them to figure out I’m not actually sitting there in person?

Unless they’re using some seriously high-level, next-gen tactics against me, I don't think so.

ironcyclist58 said:Unless they’re using some seriously high-level, next-gen tactics against me, I don't think so.

Alright, thanks. But regarding legal liability—though, honestly, I can't see where any would even stem from—am I walking on thin ice here?

I can't really give you an answer on that. I have no clue what kind of contract you signed with your employer or how the labor laws work over in the States.

So I'm reading through this, but it looks like the Amplifi Teleport Android app won't play nice with a mobile hotspot at all... it seems like it's strictly for direct phone connections, so that’s a bust.
It does look like Teleport actually works if you've got two Amplifi routers set up, so I guess that's an option if you're willing to go that route.

ironcyclist58 said:So I'm reading through this, but it looks like the Amplifi Teleport Android app won't play nice with a mobile hotspot at all... it seems like it's strictly for direct phone connections, so that’s a bust.
It does look like Teleport actually works if you've got two Amplifi routers set up, so I guess that's an option if you're willing to go that route.

Thanks, ironcyclist58. Yeah, I was told you need two static IP addresses to pull this off. Does that setup have any potential for lag or latency issues, or is it pretty much instantaneous? I need to handle client calls using VoIP software built into my computer. As far as my contract goes, there’s nothing stating this is prohibited. Obviously, staying put too long brings up tax implications, but I don't plan on being here for more than three months. And you mentioned they won't notice unless they have a specific way of checking? Honestly, I don't see what would motivate them to dig that deep if they just see me connected via a USA IP address. My main concern is whether this can be spotted from the outside at first glance.

Nathan Davis3 said:Thanks, ironcyclist58. Yeah, I was told you need two static IP addresses to pull this off. Does that setup have any potential for lag or latency issues, or is it pretty much instantaneous? I need to handle client calls using VoIP software built into my computer. As far as my contract goes, there’s nothing stating this is prohibited. Obviously, staying put too long brings up tax implications, but I don't plan on being here for more than three months. And you mentioned they won't notice unless they have a specific way of checking? Honestly, I don't see what would motivate them to dig that deep if they just see me connected via a USA IP address. My main concern is whether this can be spotted from the outside at first glance.

It's tough to give you a straight answer. You're basically asking, "Can Company X pull off Move Y?"
The problem is, you aren't telling me the name of the company, what industry they're in, their technical capabilities, or how strict their IT admins actually are about following policy.

Generally speaking, the answer is yes—any company could technically do XYZ. But whether *your* specific company will actually do it? Nobody knows, because there's just not enough info to work with.
The only person who can give you a real answer is a network admin at your firm. They're the ones who know exactly what's implemented on the hardware, how things are logged, and whether there's some kind of backdoor installed on your machine that lets them monitor your activity.

Also, regarding that port forwarding thing you asked about earlier—it doesn't apply here. Port forwarding isn't used for a VPN in your specific setup; it's for NAT, which is a different beast entirely. Just forget about port forwarding for this particular situation.

wiredcanyon94 said:It's tough to give you a straight answer. You're basically asking, "Can Company X pull off Move Y?"
The problem is, you aren't telling me the name of the company, what industry they're in, their technical capabilities, or how strict their IT admins actually are about following policy.

Generally speaking, the answer is yes—any company could technically do XYZ. But whether *your* specific company will actually do it? Nobody knows, because there's just not enough info to work with.
The only person who can give you a real answer is a network admin at your firm. They're the ones who know exactly what's implemented on the hardware, how things are logged, and whether there's some kind of backdoor installed on your machine that lets them monitor your activity.

Also, regarding that port forwarding thing you asked about earlier—it doesn't apply here. Port forwarding isn't used for a VPN in your specific setup; it's for NAT, which is a different beast entirely. Just forget about port forwarding for this particular situation.

Look, I don't claim to be an expert on technical capabilities. I just know I was going through some internal testing, and they flagged a "stepping stone" attack as a potential vulnerability. I assume that means they have the ability to track something like that.

What I really want to understand is the configuration itself. That IT firm in Washington, D.C. explained it that way to me, though I haven't received all the specifics yet. Maybe they weren't strictly talking about port forwarding, but rather NAT, like you suggested.

But let's say there *is* a backdoor on my work computer. How would they tell the difference between me logging in from an IP address in the USA versus using this setup provided by the IT firm? This setup involves connecting to a specific router in America that mirrors or links back to the same router here in the USA, so the IP address remains identical. I'm not trying to hide; I just want to know if they can see—"Aha, his computer isn't actually in the USA, it's somewhere else, and the final destination is just the USA"—or how that mechanism actually works.

The IT firm back in America tells me the only way the US office would ever find out is if my ISP handed over my personal data directly. Is that actually plausible? Or could the folks in the US, looking at my WiFi configuration here in the States, see that I'm not actually where I claim to be? Or is this visibility limited strictly to a backdoor on the computer itself?

Nathan Davis3 said:Look, I don't claim to be an expert on technical capabilities. I just know I was going through some internal testing, and they flagged a "stepping stone" attack as a potential vulnerability. I assume that means they have the ability to track something like that.

What I really want to understand is the configuration itself. That IT firm in Washington, D.C. explained it that way to me, though I haven't received all the specifics yet. Maybe they weren't strictly talking about port forwarding, but rather NAT, like you suggested.

But let's say there *is* a backdoor on my work computer. How would they tell the difference between me logging in from an IP address in the USA versus using this setup provided by the IT firm? This setup involves connecting to a specific router in America that mirrors or links back to the same router here in the USA, so the IP address remains identical. I'm not trying to hide; I just want to know if they can see—"Aha, his computer isn't actually in the USA, it's somewhere else, and the final destination is just the USA"—or how that mechanism actually works.

The IT firm back in America tells me the only way the US office would ever find out is if my ISP handed over my personal data directly. Is that actually plausible? Or could the folks in the US, looking at my WiFi configuration here in the States, see that I'm not actually where I claim to be? Or is this visibility limited strictly to a backdoor on the computer itself?

I can only say the same thing again.
Everything you're saying is technically possible. But whether it actually applies to your specific situation? Honestly, I don't think anyone on this forum has a clue.
It’s possible there’s a backdoor in place, and it’s equally possible there isn't. If one actually exists, whether they can see everything depends entirely on what kind of backdoor we're talking about. They aren't all built the same. Some give you total access to everything, while others are much more limited in what they can actually sniff out.
If they actually pull this off and merge... Remote work. It’s funny how much people fight about this lately. You’ve got one side acting like being in an office is the only way to prevent total societal collapse, and the other side treating a home setup like they’ve discovered fire. Personally, I don't see the big deal. I remember back when I was working for a tech firm in Seattle, everyone was obsessed with "office culture." They thought if we weren't all sitting in ergonomic chairs staring at each other's heads, the magic wouldn't happen. Turns out, most of that "magic" was just people pretending to be busy while scrolling through Reddit. Now, everyone's arguing over hybrid models and return-to-office mandates. If you can get your job done from a kitchen table in Austin or a coffee shop in Denver without bothering anyone, why should you have to commute two hours through traffic just to sit in a cubicle? It feels less about productivity and more about middle management wanting to feel like they actually have control over something. It's not perfect, obviously. Sometimes you miss the spontaneous vent sessions with coworkers or having someone to grab lunch with, but I'll take my own coffee and zero commute over a fluorescent-lit breakroom any day. Of course they’re going to see your network card configuration. It’s not exactly rocket science. They’ll also definitely know you’re running a VPN to connect to the USA. But here’s the thing: if they have some sneaky little backdoor that only exfiltrates specific bits of data—stuff that doesn't include your location markers—then they won't see where you actually are. I mean, unless they’ve established a full remote connection to your machine, they're basically flying blind on your physical coordinates.
It’s about time we face the reality that they could basically have a full remote connection to your PC without you ever catching a whiff of it. We aren't even talking about those standard remote desktop tools where a little icon pops up or a notification tells you an admin is currently logged in. I'm talking about the silent kind—the stuff happening entirely behind the scenes while you're just trying to finish your work.

It’s entirely possible they’ll figure out you’re working from the States, and it’s equally possible they won't. There's a chance their payroll provider hands over all your data, or maybe they don't. Honestly, I'd bet on them keeping it quiet. To actually get that kind of info, they’d need a court order. Is this really such a massive deal to them that they’d go through the headache of getting a judge to sign off on it? I don't know, you tell me.

In your specific situation, only the system administrator actually knows what’s going on. Nobody else on this forum has a clue—unless, of course, the admin happens to be hanging out here with us.

Edit:
Alright, let me give you a real-world example.
I occasionally fire up a VPN just to get around those annoying geoblocks. You know the drill—some services won't let you in unless it looks like you're making a "local connection" from within the States.
The big difference here is that my setup wasn't touched by some service admin. I installed everything myself and handled all the configurations from scratch.
There’s zero chance the admins of that service are ever going to figure out where I’m actually logging in from. All they see is that I'm hitting them through a VPN, since my entire digital footprint stops at the VPN provider's exit node. If they really wanted to be difficult and decide to block the VPN itself, then fine—I lose my connection entirely. But they aren't getting my location.
In that case, I guess I'll have to hunt around for a different VPN provider that actually follows the rules.

It’s the same story with you and your admins. If that US service wants to block that VPN, they can. Whether they actually pull the trigger is their call, not ours to make here on the forum. Can they do it? Yeah, absolutely.