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Forum Discussion

Ken2122's avatar
Ken2122
Tutor
Oct 20, 2019

Set-up OpenVPN on Orbi RBR50 to allow OUTBOUND connections

I just bought the Orbi router. I checked the Netgear forums for my question, most of the answers that pertain to this were from 2018. Hoping a new solution is available?   My current set-up: Cable...
ekhalil's avatar
ekhalil
Master
Oct 20, 2019
  • Orbi works only as VPN server (INBOUND) and not as VPN client (OUTBOUND).
  • Needless to say that your wifi devices can work as "individual" VPN clients while attached to Orbi, but Orbi can't work as a "shared" VPN client.
  • If you have another router that can works as VPN client then you can change Orbi to AP mode and use the VPN capabilities of the other router
lfbarbieri's avatar
lfbarbieri
Aspirant
Dec 15, 2019

Here I thought I had one of the latest routers available.  Disappointing to see that it does not support outbound VPN.

  • CrimpOn's avatar
    CrimpOn
    Guru - Experienced User
    Dec 15, 2019

    I had thought (back in 2018) that Orbi was one of the "Best WiFi systems around" in terms of being a seamless mesh on both 2.4G and 5G with amazing interconnection speed between the nodes.  Its capabilities as a router were largely ignored in product reviews.

     

    I dearly wish some knowledgeable entity would publish a comparison of the prominent mesh systems (Amazon eero, Asus Lyra, Google Nest, Linksys Velop, Samsung Smart Things, TP-Link Deco M5 and M9, Ubiquiti Unifi, Netgear Orbi and Nighthawk, etc.) in terms of:

     

    • Do they (or don't they) support separate SSID's for 2.4G and 5G primary and Guest networks?
    • Do they (or don't they) support VPN into the system?  If so, which?
    • Do they (or don't they) support VPN of all traffic out of the system?  If so, which?
    • Do they (or don't they) support ethernet connections between the nodes?  "Daisy Chain" of nodes?
    • Do they (or don't they) support passing custom DNS entries to the devices?
    • Do they (or don't they) support forcing devices to connect to specific nodes?
    • Do they (or don't they) support custom QOS definitions?
    • Do they (or don't they) support a web management interface, an "app", or both?
    • Which 802.11 management standards do they support?
    • Maximum speedtest for 1G ISP?

    I have a strong suspicion that there simply is no "best" mesh WiFi system, just as there is  no "best" automobile.  Every system will have pluses and minuses and wildly different costs.  At some point, consumers have to make a decision and live with the consequences.

     

    And, of course, it is all starting over again with WiFi 6 systems.