New c8 is not found no matter what i do

So you are searching for the hub using a PC that uses a VPN for outgoing, connections, or are you running a VPN server in your home so that you can access the hub remotely?

Assuming the former, you can only discover the hub when you are on the same local network. The VPN will make the PC appear to be on different network and hub discovery will fail.

I know you said you turned off the VPN, but to be safe, please try discovery using a different device, which is not running a VPN client. An Android device would be best because you can install "Network Analyzer" or "Fling" to scan your entire network. Or run "Angry IP Scanner" on another PC.

Since your LED is green, it's almost certain that the hub is on your network.

I received a second hub, and it easily connected via Wifi. Same iPhone, same network, same procedure as the first hub

Glad to hear you’re up and running now. It’s possible there was a hardware issue with that last hub, but no way to confirm that if you’ve returned it already.