Remote-access Guide

pfsense openvpn remote access setup

by Prof. Stephania Altenwerth IV Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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How to set up your own OpenVPN server in pfSense
  1. Thinking about authentication.
  2. Generating the Certificate Authority (CA)
  3. Generating the server certificate.
  4. Create your OpenVPN user and your user certificate.
  5. Creating the OpenVPN server.
  6. Create firewall rules.
  7. Install the OpenVPN Client Export Utility.
Feb 18, 2022

Full Answer

How to setup a proxy server using pfSense?

PFsense - Outbound Proxy Configuration

  • Pfsense 2.4.4-p3 PFSense - Outbound Proxy Configuration Open a browser software, enter the IP address of your Pfsense firewall and access web interface. ...
  • Username: admin
  • Password: pfsense After a successful login, you will be sent to the Pfsense Dashboard. ...
  • Proxy URL - The IP address of the Proxy server.

More items...

How to setup NordVPN on pfSense?

pfSense 2.5 Setup with NordVPN 1. To set up OpenVPN on pfSense 2.5.0, access your pfSense from your browser, then navigate to System > Certificate... 2. For this tutorial, we will configure our pfSense to connect to a server in the Netherlands, but you should connect to... 3. Navigate to VPN > ...

Can I install pfSense on a Linux server?

PfSense can be installed on a dedicated hardware or VM just like any other OS. If you want to protect a Linux Sever behind firewall (PfSense in this case), I suggest you to install PfSense on a dedicated hardware or VM that will be placed in line with Linux server, thereby forcing all traffic to go through this firewall.

How to create and configure VLANs in pfSense?

To configure VLANs in the pfSense web interface:

  • Navigate to Interfaces > Assignments to view the interface list.
  • Click the VLANs tab.
  • Click Add to add a new VLAN
  • Configure the VLAN as shown in Figure Edit VLAN. ...
  • Click Save to return to the VLAN list, which now includes the newly added VLAN 10.
  • Repeat the process to add additional VLANs, such as VLAN 20. ...

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How do I use OpenVPN for remote access?

How to Add Remote Users On OpenVPN CloudCreate an OpenVPN Cloud account.Add a new Network in the OpenVPN Cloud Administration portal.Install the connector software from this network on a computer in the business network (shown above)Connect the connector to the business's private OpenVPN Cloud network.More items...

How do I connect to pfSense OpenVPN?

Part 1: OpenVPN Server configurationLogin to pfSense at your Main Office location.Click on VPN→OpenVPN.Within the Servers tab Click on green Add button.Fill out the following information: General Information. Disabled: Unchecked. Server mode: Peer to Peer (Shared Key) ... Click on the blue Save button.

How do I access my pfSense remotely?

To enable the service, log into the web interface of the pfSense router.Access the advanced settings page in the system menu.Check the box labeled 'Enable Secure Shell'Change the default port by entering a new port number in the 'SSH Port' box.More items...•

Is OpenVPN on pfSense free?

Secure Remote Network Access Using OpenVPN Since pfSense is open source and available for free this project won't cost you anything to complete.

Is WireGuard better than OpenVPN?

WireGuard offers a more reliable connection for mobile users than OpenVPN because it handles network changes better. OpenVPN adds a data overhead of up to 20%, whereas WireGuard uses just 4% more data (compared with not using a VPN). VPN services need to include mitigations to ensure user privacy when using WireGuard.

How do I connect to OpenVPN?

To obtain the OpenVPN Connect app, go to the Google Play Store on your Android device, or open the link below to the Google Play Store. On the Google Play Store on your device, look for the words "openvpn connect" and the application will show up in the search results. You can install it from there.

How do I remotely access pfSense SSH?

Enable SSH via GUINavigate to System > Advanced, Admin Access tab.Check Enable Secure Shell.Set SSHd Key Only to Public Key Only to allow only key-based SSH authentication.Enter a port number in SSH Port if the SSH daemon should listen on a non-default port. Leave the field blank for the daemon to use port 22.Click Save.

Does pfSense support VPN?

pfSense® software offers several VPN options: IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuard and L2TP. This section provides an overview of VPN usage, the pros and cons of each type of VPN, and how to decide which is the best fit for a particular environment.

Is OPNsense better than pfSense?

Comparison Results: OPNsense ultimately won out in this comparison. Our reviewers agree that OPNsense is easy to install and easy to use, while pfSense was less so. One area where pfSense did come out on top was in the free support category.

What is OpenVPN in pfSense?

The OpenVPN wizard on pfSense® software is a convenient way to setup a remote access VPN for mobile clients. The wizard configures all of the necessary prerequisites for an OpenVPN remote access server: An authentication source (Local, RADIUS server, or LDAP server) A certificate authority (CA) A server certificate.

How do I add a VPN to pfSense?

OpenVPN ruleFrom the menus at the top of the screen, select Firewall > Rules.Select the OpenVPN sub-menu.Click the Add button to create a new rule at the top of the list.Set the Address Family to IPv4 + IPv6 if your system is using both IPv4 and IPv6. ... Set the Protocol field to Any.Set the Source to Network.More items...•

How do I download OpenVPN from pfSense?

OpenVPN Client Export PackageNavigate to System > Packages, Available Packages tab.Locate the OpenVPN Client Export package in the list.Click. Install next to that package listing to install.Click. Confirm to confirm the installation.

What is OpenVPN in pfSense?

The OpenVPN wizard on pfSense® software is a convenient way to setup a remote access VPN for mobile clients. The wizard configures all of the necessary prerequisites for an OpenVPN remote access server: An authentication source (Local, RADIUS server, or LDAP server) A certificate authority (CA) A server certificate.

What is the default password for pfSense?

The default credentials for a pfSense® software installation are: Username. admin. Password.

How do I download OpenVPN from pfSense?

OpenVPN Client Export PackageNavigate to System > Packages, Available Packages tab.Locate the OpenVPN Client Export package in the list.Click. Install next to that package listing to install.Click. Confirm to confirm the installation.

Is OPNsense better than pfSense?

Comparison Results: OPNsense ultimately won out in this comparison. Our reviewers agree that OPNsense is easy to install and easy to use, while pfSense was less so. One area where pfSense did come out on top was in the free support category.

How to create a new certificate in PfSense?

If there is an existing Certificate defined on the pfSense firewall, it may be chosen from the list. To create a new Certificate, choose Add new Certificate. If no Certificates are defined, this step is skipped.

What is OpenVPN wizard?

The OpenVPN wizard is a convenient way to setup a remote access VPN for mobile clients. It configures all of the necessary prerequisites for an OpenVPN Remote Access Server:

What is the IP subnet in OpenVPN?

An IP subnet must be chosen for use by the OpenVPN clients themselves. This is the subnet filled in under Tunnel Network in the server configuration. Connected clients will receive an IP address within this subnet, and the server end of the connection also receives an IP address used by the client as its gateway for networks on the server side.

What is the backend type of OpenVPN?

The choices available for Authentication Backend Type are Local User Access, LDAP, and RADIUS.

What port is used for authentication?

Port used by the RADIUS server for accepting Authentication requests, typically 1812.

What is the default port for LDAP?

The port on which the LDAP server may be contacted. The default port is 389 for standard TCP connections, and 636 for SSL.

Does VPN allow traffic?

As with other parts of the firewall, by default all traffic is blocked from connecting to VPNs or passing over VPN tunnels. This step of the wizard adds firewall rules automatically to allow traffic to connect to the VPN and also so connected clients can pass traffic over the VPN.

1. OpenVPN Server Setup

The easiest way to set up OpenVPN is by using the OpenVPN wizard. It will guide you through most of the process.

2. Client Export Package & User Accounts - How to Set Up OpenVPN on pfSense

Ensure that you install the openvpn-client-export package from the Package Manager ( System > Package Manager > Available Packages ).

3. OpenVPN Client Configuration

Now that the client export tool and user account are created, we can proceed in exporting our configuration file.

4. Conclusion - How to Set Up OpenVPN on pfSense

This tutorial showed how to set up OpenVPN on pfSense. Fortunately, by using the wizard and client-export tools, the process to set up a OpenVPN on pfSense is relatively straight forward. You can now create as many users as you’d like, export their own configuration file and they will be able to connect to your VPN server!

What is pfSense package?

pfSense provides a package called openvpn-client-export which creates preconfigured OpenVPN profiles for you to download containing all the VPN settings and the user certificate if one is used. For Windows users it also allows you to download an OpenVPN client installer which will automatically install the OpenVPN client application and configure it with the VPN settings. This step is optional as you could configure the client settings manually but in most cases, doing it will simplify deployment.

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 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 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.

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 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.

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.

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