Can't Install Bitdefender VPN

[kiyuu]

I discovered from browsing the Bitdefender website that the version of Antivirus for Mac provided through armor.netgear.com is not the latest version so I uninstalled it and reinstalled it hoping to get the current version.  It's still the same older version but now I am unable to reinstall Bitdefender VPN.  When I click on the Install button for the VPN in the Antivirus for Mac main window nothing happens.  Nothing downloads or installs and there are no error messages.  The install button for the VPN is completely unresponsive.  If I download the VPN directly from Bitdefender I can't use it because it requires a Bitdefender account, it doesn't accept my Netgear Armor account.  It's really quite frustrating.

[Huey37]

Same problem here too. Just installed the Armor-Bitdefender (thru NETGEAR Acct) on my phones - VPN included and working, but not the same experience when downloaded to our MacBook Pro (running OS Monterey 12.4). The install VPN button is inop when I click to install. Everything else seems to be working.

[kiyuu]

The weird thing is that it worked previously but doesn't now.  I don't know what changed but I'm wondering if it's because the version of Antivirus for Mac downloaded through Netgear Armor is too old.  The Netgear Armor version is 8.3.0.30 while the current version directly from Bitdefender is 9.0.4.4.  It's hard to figure why Netgear is still providing such an old version rather than the current version.

[med8or]

I've been trying to deal with this issue for weeks now, jumping between Netgear support and Bitdefender. Incredible really how poor the service is. I too was trying to force a newer version of Antivirus to install through my netgear armor account. But once I deleted, I couldn't reinstall VPN.

Let me see all the things they've told me:

It's working as intended. But it won't install? The VPN is built into the Orbi so you need to deal with Netgear. But I'm not using router level VPN service - just the client that i"m actually paying for. Oh and did I mention it did work, and is still working on another mac I have that I didn't uninstall.

Probably the worst customer support between netgear and bitdefender I've experience in the tech space. I presume it has to do with the most recent upgrade to MacOS 12.4 and a security feature that has broken part of the install function?

[kiyuu]

One person from Bitdefender told me the same thing, that since the Netgear router has a VPN the Bitdefender VPN won't install on Macs by design because they don't need it.  I pointed out to them that the VPN in the router is a VPN server, not a VPN client.  It has no relevance to the Bitdefender VPN.  I also said that I have a paid premium VPN subscription, so telling me it won't install by design is completely unacceptable.  I got a response back saying they are still investing the problem and will get back to me.

Trying to manage the Bitdefender products distributed through Netgear Armor is a nightmare.  Netgear refers me to Bitdefender for support and Bitdefender seems to have no idea what Netgear is doing with them.  The versions of Antivirus for Mac and Bitdefender VPN from Netgear are really old.  There's no excuse for that.

I upgraded Antivirus for Mac by going to my Bitdefender Central account, selected My Devices, Add Device, and got the installation file from there.  It installed the Bitdefender VPN automatically when it installed Antivirus for Mac.  The problem I have now is that the Bitdefender VPN is running as the free version even though my Bitdefender account shows that I have a valid premium subscription.  I have a support request in to them for that problem.  Bitdefender and Netgear seem to be completely disconnected regarding the distribution and support of Bitdefender products through Netgear Armor.  The Bitdefender products for Mac that are distributed through Netgear Armor are inexcusably old.

[JamesSimpson]

Yes, exactly the same problem and same experience with dreadful customer service, tried an failed both with NG and BD!

[med8or]

They’ve all but stop responding to me. Needless to say I won’t be renewing my VPN and Armor subscription and seriously considering jumping ship, selling my Orbis and moving to a competitor! Neither has worked properly since day 1.

[kiyuu]

I asked Bit Defender support to transfer my VPN registration from Netgear to my Bitdefender Account and they agreed to do so.  Then I downloaded the current Anti-Virus for Mac directly from Bitdefender and it installed the VPN and everything is working now.  The problem is the files provided by Netgear.  If you can download and install them from Bitdefender they work.

[kiyuu]

I plan to keep Netgear Armor on my Orbi because it's working.  The Bitdefender files provided through Netgear Armor are useless, however, because they're too old, so they have no real value.  I'm going to continue to maintain Anti-Virus for Mac and the VPN through my Bitdefender account and not through Netgear.

[JohneC]

I have exactly the same experience. Uninstalled Bitdefender Total Security supplied through my Armor subscription because I was having problems with Bitdefender blocking websites I could previously access e.g. Ancestry, FindmyPast etc. Prior to uninstalling it, my subscription VPN service through Armor was working. It is still working on my MacBook Air. Now I can't re-install the VPN. Click on the button and nothing. The button is now a "do nothing" button. I had this problem a year or two back and I found an obscure fix on the net which from memory involved uninstalling Bitdefender then running a terminal command(s) followed by a re-installation but for the life of me I can't recall where on the net I found the fix. Needless to say Netgear support have been less the useful in trying to solve this issue and Bitdefender support are rightly saying NOP! My solution is to cease my automatic subscription renewal and when it expires uninstall Bitdefender and start a subscription direct with Bitdefender which is what I had before I purchased my Netgear Orbi mesh system. Given the number of people having this issue you would think that Netgear would put some priority into developing a fix for their paying customers. Me thinks their focus is more on hardware solutions and at some point some marketing guy convinced them this would be a good sideline for additional revenue and now they find it too hard but don't know how to exit the strategy.

[kevinator68]

Im a new customer and ran into this right away. Works fine on iOS devices but on my Mac when clicking the install button literally nothing happens. Frustrating and then reading this forum with others having the same issue with no support success is discouraging. 

[kiyuu]

It's amazing that the problem still hasn't been fixed after all this time.

[JohneC]

I solved the issue! I ended my subscription and took out a subscription with Bitdefender directly. Bitdefender VPN now works on all my devices both Mac OS and IOS. I got tired of the lack of support from NETGEAR.

[kevinator68]

I finally got Netgear bitdefender VPN installed on my Mac! I didn’t do any magic I just clicked install, and I walked away for hours, as a matter fact i waited overnight, and I checked on it in the morning, and Wala it was installed! I have no idea why it is so slow and why are you get no indication something is happening, but it worked for me. I hope this helps others!

[JohneC]

That is interesting but too late for me to try. I wouldn’t have thought that “Do nothing button” may actually do something. I will be interested to hear if others have the same success.

[med8or]

Glad you got to work, though a bit surprised as you would have had to approve (with a password) the software install once it downloaded - a mac wouldn't allow software to install on it's own.

Anyways, I'm still completely amazed at the incompetence of the tech support, the finger pointing (Netgear vs BitDefender), the old version of Antivirus for mac that is provided as part of an armor subscription, etc.

[Trevor-B]

Just upgraded to a Mac Mini with Ventura and I had the same issue - no response from Install VPN button.  That's what brought me to this site.  However despite getting no response from the button - i.e. I thought nothing happened - it did install VPN - took about an hour and then I got a Bitdefender VPN Notification which alerted me to the fact that it had installed.

[togi]

As with everyone, I'm having the same problem and not getting any responses from NetgearArmour.

I found this last night saying that at least the 9.2.X.X version is compatible with Ventura and M1.

I have a Ventura/i9 based Mac, but I'm guessing that it's the same problem that everyone else has had with pressing the blue install button and nothing happens....has to be an incompatibility.  

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/3779/

I'm just not sure how to use the current installer and get it to not ask for a validation code...

Todd

[togi]

All, 

I figured it out and it didn't have anything to do with bitdefnder or netgear tech support help but I realized that I had probably installed this at least once or twice (maybe not from the Netgear Armor site), and didn't know that the uninstaller DOESN'T uninstall everything so I used a combination of these two Bitdefender sites (so maybe they did help a little but tech support is still supposed to get back to me) to completely uninstall the Mac antivirus:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/1784/

and

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/1446/

I never found the 3 kext extensions they were talking about and even now with it working, those kext extensions aren't in the Extensions folder, so I wouldn't worry about them.

Once I did that, re-downloaded the netgear armour Mac installer (yes, it's still version 8.4.0.36), and installed it being careful to allow whatever it wanted to do, and it the VPN component installed!

Crazy, not sure what was jamming it up before but I'd give a complete uninstall and a complete reinstall a chance and see if it worked for you like it worked for me.  

FYI the VPN install button worked the first time like it's supposed to once I had the clean install on there.

Good luck.

Todd

[med8or]

Looks like Netgear has pushed an update to the Bidfender Antivirus for Mac. It now is 8.4.0.36. I noticed that VPN was working again (installed) on both of my Macs. Still not the version that Bitdfender provides to its customers but at least this issue has been resolve - a year or so later.

FYI.

[mgillard1990]

Works for me too now with the update. Thanks.