how to use openvpn for remote access to a network

Using OpenVPN to Securely Access Your Network Remotely

• 1) Visit http://tplinkwifi.net, and log in with your TP-Link ID or the password you set for the router.
• 2) Go to Advanced > VPN Server > OpenVPN, select the checkbox to enable VPN Server.
• 3) Select the Service Type (communication protocol) for OpenVPN Server: UDP, TCP.

Full Answer

How to use OpenVPN server on your router?

In the OpenVPN connection, the home network can act as a server, and the remote device can access the server through the router which acts as an OpenVPN Server gateway. To use the VPN feature, you should enable OpenVPN Server on your router, and install and run VPN client software on the remote device.

What is a remote access VPN?

A remote access VPN means your remote employees can log on to your office network from anywhere — home, traveling, in transit — that has access to the internet. They then have access to all your company resources, and somehow your data is *still* secure, even if they’re using (gasp!) public Wifi.

What is OpenVPN for AWS?

What is OpenVPN? OpenVPN provides Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions to secure data around the world Extend your AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to remote users and other sites using OpenVPN Access Server 1.

How do I set up OpenVPN on Windows 7?

Routes on both sides of the VPN tunnel are required. Also IP Routing must be enabled on the server. For example on Windows 7: Create a set of keys for the server and clients. Check the README in the OpenVPN installation dir ..\OpenVPN\easy-rsa\README.txt for instructions how to generate those.

Can I use OpenVPN to connect to home network?

In the OpenVPN connection, the home network can act as a server, and the remote device can access the server through the router which acts as an OpenVPN Server gateway. To use the VPN feature, you should enable OpenVPN Server on your router, and install and run VPN client software on the remote device.

How do I connect to another computer using OpenVPN?

All you have to do is configure and connect the RDP computer to OpenVPN Cloud as a host.Sign Up For OpenVPN Cloud.Provide an identifier for your VPN URL.Log in to user portal.Download and install OpenVPN Connect.Launch OpenVPN Connect.Import profile.Configure RDP Computer as host in admin portal.More items...

How can I access a private network remotely?

The best solution that will allow organizations to access files remotely is to set-up a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN provides a cable-like connection via the Internet between a remote PC and your office's server.

How do I setup a VPN remote access?

Configure Remote Access as a VPN ServerOn the VPN server, in Server Manager, select the Notifications flag.In the Tasks menu, select Open the Getting Started Wizard. ... Select Deploy VPN only. ... Right-click the VPN server, then select Configure and Enable Routing and Remote Access.More items...•

Is OpenVPN Access Server free?

OpenVPN Access Server is free to install and use for 2 simultaneous VPN connections for testing purposes. The OpenVPN community and the OpenVPN Inc. team work together to provide a robust and transparent security product.

How does OpenVPN client connect to server?

Connect to the VPN without configuration files. Start OpenVPN and enter the IP address or hostname of the server. Enter your username and password when prompted. Select your profile if prompted. Select "Always" when prompted to accept the certificate.

Which VPN is best for remote access?

NordVPN is one of the best remote access VPNs on the market with support for enterprises and consumers alike. It has over 5,000 servers in 60 countries.

What is the difference between remote access and a VPN?

A VPN is a smaller private network that runs on top of a larger public network, while Remote Desktop is a type of software that allows users to remotely control a computer. 2. Remote Desktop allows access and control to a specific computer, while VPN only allows access to shared network resources.

How does VPN work for remote access?

A remote access VPN works by creating a virtual tunnel between an employee's device and the company's network. This tunnel goes through the public internet but the data sent back and forth through it is protected by encryption and security protocols to help keep it private and secure.

How do I create a secure connection between two computers?

Step 1: Connect two Computers using an ethernet cable.Step 2: Click on Start->Control Panel->Network and Internet->Network and Sharing Center.Step 4: Select both the Wi-Fi connection and the Ethernet connection and Right-click the Wi-Fi connections.Step 5: Click on Bridge Connections.More items...•

How do I add a device to my VPN?

Here's how to set-up a VPN on multiple devices:First, sign up for a suitable VPN (we recommend NordVPN).Next, download and install the app, making sure to get the correct version for your device.Repeat this step with all of your devices (or share your details with members of your household).More items...•

How to create a remote access network?

The first step in creating Remote Access for employees is to create your OpenVPN Cloud network and connect it to your existing business network. In-depth details can be found here: Connecting networks to OpenVPN Cloud. Here’s the overview: 1 Create an OpenVPN Cloud account 2 Add a new Network in the OpenVPN Cloud Administration portal 3 Install the connector software from this network on a computer in the business network (shown above) 4 Connect the connector to the business’s private OpenVPN Cloud network 5 Enable routing on this computer (either NAT or by adding a static route, per the Routing details here) 6 Create a new user in the OpenVPN Cloud Administration portal 7 User receives invitation email where they can download and connect their device with OpenVPN Connect

What is OpenVPN Cloud?

OpenVPN Cloud is a managed VPN service that provides secure networking between an organization’s private networks, and it’s remote users. There is no need to install or maintain servers. OpenVPN takes care of that for you. It’s a VPN — in the cloud.

Why is VPN important?

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) becomes absolutely essential to keep operations running smoothly. A reputable business VPN: Allows remote access to a network.

Why are office admins working remotely?

Because of a state mandate to close the physical location of non-essential companies, those office admins will be working remotely for the foreseeable future. They will be working out of their respective home offices, and need to access the corporate network.

How to download OpenVPN?

1. Visit http://openvpn.net/index.php/download/community-downloads.html to download the OpenVPN software, and install it on your device where you want to run the OpenVPN client utility.

What is the port number for VPN?

Enter a VPN Service Port to which a VPN device connects, and the port number should be between 1024 and 65535. 5. In the VPN Subnet/Netmask fields, enter the range of IP addresses that can be leased to the device by the OpenVPN server. 6.

Does OpenVPN have a tun mode?

Additional info: Client and server run windows and OpenVPN runs in tun mode with the udp protocol. Firewalls are turned off on the client and the server.

Does OpenVPN work with router?

This setup works if the server running OpenVPN is also a router and set as the default-gateway on all the clients on the server-side subnet.

How to create a user in OpenVPN?

To do this we will need to create a user. Go to System > User Manager and add a user. You will need to configure a username and password as per the picture below. The other settings can be left as default although if you are only planning to grant the user temporary access you may want to set the account to expire automatically when access is due to be revoked.

What port does OpenVPN use?

The other setting you may wish to change is the listening port. By default OpenVPN listens on port 1194 in either UDP or TCP mode. You can change the port if you wish, either based on personal preference or if you are on a network which blocks VPN traffic or outbound ports.

How to export OpenVPN client?

The easiest way to configure client settings is to use the openvpn-client-export package we installed earlier. Go to VPN > OpenVPN > Client Export. At the bottom of this there is a section called OpenVPN Clients. In this section you will see a list of available users whose configuration we can export.

What branch of OpenVPN is used for Windows 7?

For Windows 7, 8 or 10 and their corresponding server versions you will want to use the 2.4.8 branch of OpenVPN client. For Windows XP or Vista (shown as win6 in this interface) you will need the older 2.3.18 branch (also, upgrade your PC). Download the installer you want and transfer it to the target PC. Download the correct installer and copy it to your target PC. The installer behaves like any standard Windows installer, just run it, click the “install” button and follow the prompts.

How to install OpenVPN client export?

From the pfSense dashboard go to System > Package Manager > Available Packages and search for the openvpn-client-export package. Click the Install button to install it.

How to create a certificate for OpenVPN?

From the pfSense dashboard, go to System > Cert. Manager > CAs and click Add to create a new CA. Enter a descriptive name to help you identify what the CA is called and a common name which will appear on the certificates. The rest of the settings can be adjusted if required but the defaults should provide a reasonable balance between security and performance for most use cases. By default the CA lifetime is set to 3650 days (10 years) which is reasonable for a CA but can be adjusted if desired. If you wish you can also include location and organisation data but this is entirely optional.

What is IPv6 tunnel?

The tunnel network is the network that the members of the tunnel will use.

What is the default port for OpenVPN?

At this point, you will need to add a firewall rule on the WAN to allow remote access if you desire remote access. The default OpenVPN port is 1194. In my example I changed it to 1193. This is not necessary, but I think it may not be a bad idea to change from the default port to avoid being scanned by sites such as Shodan. If there is a known vulnerability and you have the default port exposed, your server will likely show up in the search results. Changing the port number reduces the likelihood of this happening unless the scanners are searching a wide range of ports, which takes much longer to do when scanning the entire Internet. It is similar to changing the default SSH port – you will likely be exposed to less scans and attacks on non-default ports (but of course do not rely on that completely for security!). This is considered “security by obscurity”, which does not guarantee security.

How to create a certificate for OpenVPN?

Now we need to create a certificate for the OpenVPN service. On the “System > Trust > Certificates” page, click “Add” to create a new certificate. You may notice that there is already one certificate in the list. That certificate is used by the web admin page you are currently using. It was created upon the OPNsense installation since HTTPS is enabled by default (which is a good thing).

How to add a VPN user?

Adding VPN Users. For users to make use of your VPN service, they will need user accounts. The “System > Access > Users” page shows a list of users, and you can click “Add” to create a new user account. Enter the unique username and password for the account as well as other basic user information.

How to add factor of authentication to VPN?

If you wish to add an additional factor of authentication beyond a password and a client certificate, you may generate an OTP (One Time Password) key which you will be prompted for when logging into the VPN service. There is a checkbox below the “OTP seed” box to generate the key automatically. I think for a home network usage, especially when using mobile devices, a password and a certificate should be sufficient for solid security. I am not sure what a third factor will buy you in terms of security. However, you may be able to choose to use OTP and a password instead so that you still have two factors of authentication. I have not tried that configuration so it will no be included in this example. I wanted to make you aware of that option.

What does it mean when a VPN server does not export?

Choose your server if you have created more than one VPN server. For the “Export Type”, choose “File Only” if that is not already your default option. The “Hostname” should already be set to your external IP address.

What is VPN server?

A VPN server can provide an encrypted connection to your home network. It is a great way to remotely access your network since it provides a high level of security. Once you are connected to the VPN server, you essentially become a part of the network in which you are connected. This is different than using an SSH server because you are not ...

Can you use a VPN to communicate with another VPN?

If you want your VPN users to communicate with one another, you should enable the “Inter-client communication” option. In my network, I leave it disabled since I do not need such connectivity. It is more secure if you do not allow devices on your VPN service to communicate with one another.

How to connect to OpenVPN?

Enter “openvpn” as the Username, and enter the same password as before and click “Connect”.

What is OpenVPN access server?

OpenVPN provides Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions to secure data around the world. Extend your AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to remote users and other sites using OpenVPN Access Server.

Can you validate SSL certificate in OpenVPN?

In your web browser enter the ElasticIP from your OpenVPN Access Server https://elastic-ip-here:943 Note: On your first attempt to connect you will be warned by your browser that the SSL certificate cannot be validated. This is OK for our demo but in a real world you will want to set up a real SSL certificate in your setup.

Can you connect to OpenVPN using a credential?

2. Users will be installing the OpenVPN Client and will connect to OpenVPN using the credential provided, once they logged into OpenVPN they will able to connect to the private IP of the Instances.