What is OpenVPN on a Router?

If you are reading this, I assume you either have a router or are about to get one. This article will tell you everything you need to know about OpenVPN on a router.

Setting Up Your Router To be a VPN Server

Your router is a vital part of your home network. It connects your computer or mobile device to the Internet and other devices on your network. You can use it to filter traffic, set up parental controls, and more. You should set it up to be a VPN server first and then add more clients (users) on when you are happy with the connection.

There are several steps to getting your router to be a VPN server. First, you will need to determine the IP address of your router. You can find this by going to Settings on your mobile device and looking at the “About” Section. This will tell you the IP address of your router. You can also find this information on the packaging of your router (the box).

Once you have the IP address of your router, you can use software such as VPN software to connect to it from your computer or mobile device. As a precaution, you can choose to encrypt the connection to protect your privacy. Just make sure you have a strong password. You will also need to allow access to the VPN server from the outside (Internet)

Installing And Configuring OpenVPN On Your Router

Once you have connected to your router successfully using the VPN software, you can begin installing and configuring OpenVPN on it. This process is quick and easy. Just follow the instructions in the software.

OpenVPN can be configured to allow clients (users) to connect via various methods (PPTP, L2TP, or SSTP). You can choose the one that is most convenient for your network. For example, you can use L2TP for your computers and PPTP for your mobile devices. Your router will need to be set up to allow these types of connections first. Once you have done that, you can use the OpenVPN client to connect to your VPN server from any device.

Make sure you check the IP address of your VPN server from time to time to ensure it is still the same. If it changes, you will need to update your router’s settings to allow for the change. Changing your VPN server’s IP address is very easy to do and should not take long.

You can also allow or deny access to specific websites or other devices on your network via the OpenVPN server. To achieve this, you will need to open up certain ports on your router (or use a different router if it is a different make and model). There are several articles on this website that you can use to help you find the right ports for your specific needs.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) And TLS

A VPN server should use a secure protocol called TLS (Transport Layer Security) or SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to protect all communications between the client and server. TLS is a little more secure than SSL since it has a higher level of encryption. Most VPN software such as OpenVPN will automatically configure your router to use TLS.

You should not have to do anything else to make your router use TLS. However, if you are experiencing problems connecting to your VPN server (incompatible protocol or handshake failure), then you should check to see if TLS is enabled on the server first.

Performance And Reliability

Your router’s IP address is crucial to ensuring a fast and stable connection to your VPN server. When choosing a VPN server, make sure that its IP address is either in a reserved IP space or on a subnet that does not have any conflicts with other devices on your network. Poorly configured or shared IP addresses can create serious stability issues for your devices connecting to the Internet via the router. If you are using a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server to assign IP addresses to your devices, then ensure that the range of IP addresses it gives out is within the acceptable range for your needs.

If possible, you should get a dedicated IP address for your router so that other devices on your network do not conflict with it. A dedicated IP address can also be used to access the Internet with a higher level of security and privacy.

Your router should also be set up to automatically renew Internet connections on a regular basis (this is particularly important if you are using a mobile device as your Internet connection could be lost at any time).

Summary

If you are looking for a simple way to secure your home network, then you should seriously consider implementing a VPN server for your router. Not only does it protect the contents of your devices from being accessed by hackers or others, but it also allows you to control what information gets stored on your computer or mobile device (enabling parental controls).

You can even restrict access to specific websites or other devices on your network if you wish via the VPN server. Finally, a VPN server makes it much easier to maintain a secure connection even when connecting via a public Wi-Fi (since all communications are encrypted).