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Answereda year ago

How can I manage system time issues when working remotely on a company laptop with VPN access?

Benedikt *********
asked Jun 13, 2025
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Hello everyone,

If I were working remotely for a German company and using a company laptop without admin rights, the system time on the laptop is set to Thai time and cannot be changed because I don't have administrator rights. I connect to Germany via WireGuard VPN.

Does anyone have experience with this?

How do you deal with the incorrect system time?

Is there a way to change the time zone or system time without administrator rights?

Is this causing problems for you, e.g., with time tracking or logging in?

How do you handle this with your IT department?

Thank you for your advice!
Answer summary
The user is experiencing issues with the system time on their company laptop set to Thai time due to lack of admin rights while working remotely for a German company via WireGuard VPN. They seek advice on how to manage this situation, specifically looking for ways to change the time zone or system time without admin privileges, and whether this creates complications with time tracking or login processes. Community responses suggest contacting the IT department, using auxiliary tools or scripts, and emphasizing the importance of using a VPN while acknowledging potential challenges in hiding one's actual location.
28 repliesnewest first
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Ken ********
Ken ********
Why wouldn't you do your work on Germany's time so if its 4 or 5 hrs difference so 9am in Germany would be1pm here can't you work on that time frame..or what ever the time difference is?
Baran ********
Baran ********
Living debt-free can significantly shorten your working years.Check out Honor & Independence: Your Mission to Early Retirement
Connor *******
Connor *******
The time is not "incorrect", it is just displayed in a different timezone. It won't cause issues unless the system actually has an incorrect time set
Will ************
Will ************
If you get a DTV with remote working you need written permission from your company to work remotely in Thailand.
Matts *************
Matts *************
You shouldn’t lie to your employer about your location

If the laptop breaks and they ask you to bring it in tomorrow, what would you do?

If you’re connecting to the company vpn, they can see your location whenever you connect
Zak ********
Zak ********
Just open a tab on Google with German time on it ?
Dany ********
Dany ********
if you allways use the VPN and never connect directly to a local thai network, then it wont change the timezone. but you need to also disable the location features in your settings! you might not be able to disable that, without admin rights… they can also see your Microsoft logins and location. allways need to use a VPN. even on your mobile phone with authenticator. something will surely leak your location. the question is if your IT department cares about it or not. there is definitely methods to track locations of company devices. some even have build-in GPS. some will remotely activate your wifi and with wifi you can also get a location. you definitely need to deactivate wifi and only hardwire to your vpn router… some IT departments will block VPN or ask questions. also latency will be high and raise questions. an option would be to leave the laptop in germany and connect to it remotely (if even allowed), but other problems will come with that like taking calls. difficult to be 100% safe… with wireguard i would set up a private vpn server in germany and connect to it. some recommend a computer/router at your home in germany. so it doesnt raise the VPN questions…
Peter **********
Peter **********
@Dany *******
I managed an IT department of 20 employees. We installed anti-theft firmware on all laptops, continuously reporting the location of the laptop and mandating use of anti-virus and VPN.

No way anyone could simulate a different location.
Brandon ************
Brandon ************
@Dany *******
finally someone who knows what they are talking about. Luckily my IT department didn't care enough about the ancillary things like authenticator and Mobile outlook login, as long as my personal tunnel to my house was always used for the laptop to make it look like I was at home
Tony **********
Tony **********
What are you doing where the local time in your laptop shows? If your using a VPN, then any timestamps on files or logs should show the timezones of the VPN server.
Brandon ************
Brandon ************
Can you go into the BIOS settings and change the time? It's very rare that an IT organization would have locked the BIOS settings, and you can get into those before windows even loads. The computer time should be set in there as well and you might be able to change it.
Dany ********
Dany ********
@Brandon ***********
BIOS is usualy allways locked.
Brandon ************
Brandon ************
@Dany *******
I've never had a work computer with a locked BIOS.
Dany ********
Dany ********
@Brandon ***********
you cannot truely hide your location. any new laptop has location features implemented and companies usually use them. you need to disable those as well, otherwise your location will be leaked. then some companies use GPS tracker. But what every admin can use is your wifi. with wifi you can allways get your location. they can even remotely enable your wifi, scan for networks and get your location. plus the authenticator apps can track location as well. have it on your phone? your location will be leaked over the mobile phone network. it is pretty crazy how many options admins have these days. some companies also block VPN servers (IP ranges). have alerts for 200+ms latency, etc… there is no flawless setups these days. you were just lucky or your it dept didnt care.
Brandon ************
Brandon ************
@Dany *******
He has a Wireguard VPN to Germany. That hides his location. I used the same exact setup when I worked remotely and it was flawless. But at some point he was connected to the internet without a VPN or his computer would not have auto-updated to the new timezone.
Dany ********
Dany ********
@Brandon ***********
all my BIOS were locked at various employers. i even usualy had admin rights on the laptops but BIOS always locked. but whatever. it will not really help him to hide his location.
Darren *********
Darren *********
I used a powershell command line script to set the time correctly.
Michael **********
Michael **********
Contact your IT department and have them remotely adjust the settings.
Jeremy ********
Jeremy ********
I’m retired so I don’t have to deal with these issues anymore

Good luck explaining to your boss manager why you’re not in Germany but getting paid German wages
Benedikt *********
Benedikt *********
OP
@Jeremy *******
I'm writing that I'm still working in Germany but am considering working in Thailand for 180 days with the DTV visa. The taxes will still be paid in Germany.
Jeremy ********
Jeremy ********
@Benedikt ********
German taxes are the worst

Just get with the IT section or your hookup and have them change the time
Pete *******
Pete *******
@Jeremy *******
Nein, German taxes are the wurst…..
Peter **********
Peter **********
Windows systems communicate internally using utc. If you connect to windows services using your windows laptop then the server will log you at his local time.

Are you trying to hide that you are abroad, or is there another reason for your question?
Benedikt *********
Benedikt *********
OP
@Peter *********
Thank you for the detailed answer.

I don't really want to make my work abroad (especially in Thailand) public, as there are unfortunately still very few remote positions in Germany, and many employers are skeptical if you don't work on-site. So, are there any ways to change the time without administrator rights?
Marvin *********
Marvin *********
Benedikt Wilhelm The solution is to work independently (self employed) and then simply choose your own notebook.
Peter **********
Peter **********
@Marvin ********
Some companies will not accept BYO on their network.

I know I wouldn’t allow it. We didn’t even allow BYO mobiles to connect to the corporate mail servers.
Christopher ********
Christopher ********
If you have Outlook on the laptop you can set multiple timelines and switch between them
Dave *********
Dave *********
@Christopher *******
yeah I think you’d have to manage it within Office settings.

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