Product
Smart Connect + VLESS Reality: how FollowNet recovers on hard networks
Not a magic invisibility cloak — a real fallback chain with egress checks, so “Connected” means traffic actually works.
What Smart Connect actually does
When Protocol is on Smart, FollowNet asks the backend for network context (geo / ISP hints when available), then picks a starting tunnel among Hysteria2, VLESS Reality, AmneziaWG, WireGuard, and IKEv2. If geo is missing, it prefers obfuscated stacks first — not IKEv2 as a first guess on hostile mobile networks.
The fallback theater you see
On a tough path the UI can step through candidates roughly as Hysteria2 → VLESS → AmneziaWG → WireGuard → IKEv2 (skipping protocols your plan/server list cannot offer). That order is a recovery ladder, not a speed ranking for home fiber.
Why VLESS Reality is in the chain
Some ISPs fingerprint or stall classic WireGuard / even AmneziaWG. VLESS with REALITY-style camouflage is another path when UDP-heavy tunnels look “connected” but do not pass real traffic. FollowNet still verifies egress — a green NE status alone is not enough if the tunnel is a dead fallthrough.
When to lock a protocol manually
If home Wi‑Fi is calm, lock WireGuard and stop paying the cost of probing. If one hotel chain only works on AmneziaWG or VLESS, pin it in Settings → Protocol or save it inside a Network Profile. Use in-app Speed Test after each change — “feels faster” burns Free weekly quota without data.
Honest limits
Smart Connect cannot invent a path through a captive portal you have not completed, a fully dead uplink, or every DPI fingerprint forever. It automates best-effort recovery inside FollowNet’s five-protocol stack on iOS. Chrome on desktop is a separate browser proxy — it does not run this Smart Connect chain.