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Orbi AX6000 NO-IP Port Setting Help needed
We have been using the NO-IP DDNS service to remote into our router as needed for the last 6 months. The setup was very smooth, but part of that setup relied on the Remote Management Feature in the ...
Teampipeline wrote:
I have not been able to find any clear guidance on how to setup port forwarding/port triggering to get the port open
As FURRYe38 pointed out, Netgear totally removed the web based Remote Management feature from Orbi routers. (Annoyed me no end. Their claim that Anywhere Access is an adequate replacement is sheer malarkey.)
DDNS (NO-IP is one of the three choices) has one purpose: to keep up with Internet Service Provider changes to customer public IP address. Every time the ISP changes your public IP address, the Orbi router informs the DDNS provider and their tables are updated. Since every DDNS provider has a unique method for updating information, Netgear functions with only the three DDNS providers listed in the drop down menu.
With the DDNS feature keeping track of "where IS this router today?", the user is able to make services available on the internet by forwarding ports on the router to specific devices on the Orbi LAN.
The substitute for Remote Management is to enable OpenVPN on the Orbi router. Once OpenVPN is enabled, the user can connect to the Orbi LAN from the internet using computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. I prefer to use a device that has a large enough screen to make the Orbi web interface usable, such as a laptop or tablet. With the device connected to the internet, use the OpenVPN Client to make a connection to the Orbi, then open a web browser to the LAN IP address of the router. This is usually 192.168.1.1.
If there is no internet connection, I create a Hot Spot on my cell phone. Connect the laptop to the Hot Spot. Then open the VPN client.
When OpenVPN is enabled on the Orbi, the required ports are opened automatically.
Teampipeline wrote:
I have not been able to find any clear guidance on how to setup port forwarding/port triggering to get the port open
As FURRYe38 pointed out, Netgear totally removed the web based Remote Management feature from Orbi routers. (Annoyed me no end. Their claim that Anywhere Access is an adequate replacement is sheer malarkey.)
DDNS (NO-IP is one of the three choices) has one purpose: to keep up with Internet Service Provider changes to customer public IP address. Every time the ISP changes your public IP address, the Orbi router informs the DDNS provider and their tables are updated. Since every DDNS provider has a unique method for updating information, Netgear functions with only the three DDNS providers listed in the drop down menu.
With the DDNS feature keeping track of "where IS this router today?", the user is able to make services available on the internet by forwarding ports on the router to specific devices on the Orbi LAN.
The substitute for Remote Management is to enable OpenVPN on the Orbi router. Once OpenVPN is enabled, the user can connect to the Orbi LAN from the internet using computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. I prefer to use a device that has a large enough screen to make the Orbi web interface usable, such as a laptop or tablet. With the device connected to the internet, use the OpenVPN Client to make a connection to the Orbi, then open a web browser to the LAN IP address of the router. This is usually 192.168.1.1.
If there is no internet connection, I create a Hot Spot on my cell phone. Connect the laptop to the Hot Spot. Then open the VPN client.
When OpenVPN is enabled on the Orbi, the required ports are opened automatically.
Thanks! This is very helpful.
I remember there being a learning curve with OpenVPN, probably because I did not read the instructions carefully. "I worked in IT for years. Who needs to read directions?"
Yes, each of the parameter files is different for specific reasons. There are two types of VPN tunnels: tun and tap.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TUN/TAP Smart phones support only the "Level 3" tap connection. Thus, the parameter files for smartphones clearly specify to use the tap connection. Early Windows versions of OpenVPN supported the "Level 2" tun connection, in addition to tap. Somebody must have thought, "Windows users would prefer to be 'on the LAN' and have every broadcast packet go across the VPN tunnel, etc." so they made that the default. I hear rumors that the latest versions of OpenVPNConnect no longer support tun, so the parameter file is rejected. (sigh)
So, there may be some effort required to get everything working.
OpenVPN connnections have to come from "outside" (not from the LAN), so testing is a bit of a chore. My practice is to:
- Disconnect my phone from the Orbi. Connect to LTE data. Then activate the OpenVPN client and see if I can access the Orbi LAN.
- I have apps on the phone that can 'ping' IP addresses, so I attempt to ping the Orbi router and some other devices on the LAN, such as my printer. (some devices do not respond to ping at all, but that's a different issue.)
- Connect to the Orbi web interface with a web browser. Yes, the phone screen is too small to use the web interface, but it should connet.
- Now that I know OpenVPN is working, open a WiFi Hot Spot on the smartphone. For each of the devices I want to test, such as my laptop, tablet (big enough screen to use the web interface), linux laptop, etc.
- Disconnect from the Orbi LAN.
- Start the OpenVPN program on the device.
- Do the ping and web browser tests.
- After veriifying that OpenVPN is working, put everything back the way it was before.
Of course, when connected to the internet somewhere else, there is no need to use the phone Hot Spot.
- Disconnect my phone from the Orbi. Connect to LTE data. Then activate the OpenVPN client and see if I can access the Orbi LAN.