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Runninjbw's avatar
Runninjbw
Follower
Oct 29, 2022

Orbi VPN using iPad

I am using an Orbi router and have VPN activated on the router and can access my files on the network remotely with various computers using the OpenVPN client without any issues.  However, I am trying to use my iPad Pro with iOS 16 and can connect to the VPN remotely and my Orbi shows the iPad is connected, but I am unable to access my files.  I’ve noticed that the local IP address given to my iPad does not follow the same format the other connected devices follow and I’m not sure how to fix this.  Any help would be appreciated!

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    • CrimpOn's avatar
      CrimpOn
      Guru
      Oct 29, 2022

      I neglected to ask if those "other devices" which have different IP addresses are Windows machines?

       

      There are two types of VPN tunnel: tap and tun.

      https://internet-access-guide.com/openvpn-tap-vs-tun/ 

      Orbi routers support both tap and tun.

       

      The default .ovpn file created by my Orbi for Windows is set for tap.  This means that the computer tunneling into the network gets  an IP address on the primary IP network.  (as described in that article).

       

      Smartphones and tablets (Apple and Android) do not support tap, so the configuration files for these devices specifies a tun connection.  This means that the VPN device get an IP address in a different IP subnet.  There is a static route internally on the Orbi router which connects the two IP subnets, but things like broadcast packets do not propogate across this link.

      My guess is that "Access my files" is depending on something that works only on the same subnet.