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carl-chapman's avatar
carl-chapman
Tutor
Sep 24, 2025

MR7500 M7 Blocking VPN clients with MacOS Tahoe 26

Hi,

 

I run a MacBookPro M2 through a MR7500 Nighthawk M7 (on the Telstra network).

 

I use OpenVPN client software to connect to a remote business network, and it has been running fine for years.

 

However after recently upgrading to MacOS Tahoe 26 on my laptop, iPad and iPhone, my M7 is blocking my Open VPN connections.

 

If I run my iPad, iPhone or Macbook Pro directly through a seperate 5G hotspot everything runs as expected.

 

If I  run my iPad, iPhone and MackBook Pro through my MR7500 Nighthawk M7 via a Wi-Fi or wired connection, OpenVPN will connect  but I cannot access the business network. I have found I need to run OpenVPN through ProtonVPN (tunnel in a tunnel) to access the business network, which effectively hides OpenVPN from the M7.

 

I reset the M7 back to factory default, but still have the issue.

 

I have uninstalled and reinstalled VPN software multiple times.

 

I have the same problem with the Tunnelblick VPN client, so it is not just OpenVPN.

 

Looks like Apple may have removed some legacy IPsec protocols in Tahoe OS which is tripping up the M7.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

mr6500

4 Replies

  • plemans's avatar
    plemans
    Guru - Experienced User
    Sep 26, 2025

    If its an issue on all your devices after an upgrade, I'd check with apple. They might have changed something with how their VPN's operate. I don't have a MAC (sorry, not sorry) so I can't test it with you. 

    Could be something with apple relay or random mac/ip causing issues. 

    • carl-chapman's avatar
      carl-chapman
      Tutor
      Sep 27, 2025

      Hi plemans,
      Thanks for the reply.
      My understanding is all this is caused by Apple removing some legacy IPsec protocols in Tahoe OS.... Kind of frustrating as my M7 is only 4 months old (and 1 month out of Netgear Warranty).
      I do not like the chances of Apple reinstating them.
      By putting OpenVPN VPN Protocol = TCP, my MacBookPro and iPhone can connect to my business network without a tunnel-in-tunnel configuration, but my iPad is not able to connect to my business network through the M7 (it can connect if using another 5G hotspot).. there must be something the M7 just does not like.
      Regards
      Carl

  • pemaj88983's avatar
    pemaj88983
    Initiate
    Sep 26, 2025

    Hello!

    After upgrading to macOS Tahoe 26, your MR7500 Nighthawk M7 on Telstra seems to block OpenVPN traffic—connections succeed but can't access the business network. The issue likely stems from how the M7 handles VPN passthrough or DNS post-update. Since VPN works fine via a separate hotspot or through ProtonVPN, try enabling VPN passthrough on the M7, switching OpenVPN to TCP, manually setting DNS, or forwarding port 1194. Also check for firmware updates or test with WireGuard if available. These steps may restore direct access without needing a tunnel-in-tunnel workaround. 

    • carl-chapman's avatar
      carl-chapman
      Tutor
      Sep 26, 2025

      Hi pemaj88983, 
      Thanks for the feedback. 
      I have checked for firmware updates, but appear to have the latest firmware.
      Hardware Version 1.0
      Firmware Version NTGX75_10.04.09.00
      Software Version MR7500-1TLAUS_02_09
      I already have VPN pass-through enabled on the M7. I disabled and re-enabled it, but this did not fix the problem. 
      Changing OpenVPN to TCP seems to have fixed the problem on my MacbookPro, however it has not  fixed the issue on the iPhone or iPad. Although I can switch them to 5G to bypass the M7 unit.
      Regards
      Carl