NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Can't connect to VPN Service
I'm trying to set up a local VPN on my new RAX50 router, but I can't seem to connect to it. I've enabled the VPN Service from the router settings, installed OpenVPN to the client computer I want to c...
I see. I figured there would be some sort of problem with connecting to the local VPN while already connected to the VPN, I just couldn't think of any other solution. However, I forgot I had the ability to use USB tethering with my phone to connect to the internet on a computer. As far as I know, there shouldn't be any issues in doing that.
To answer your question about Mullvad, it was running on the laptop I was using to connect to the local VPN.
While connected to the mobile hotspot I was able to connect to the VPN successfully, both with and without the DDNS server. I made sure I had WiFi turned off just to be sure I'm not accidentally connected to my local network that way. I'm not sure why I wasn't able to connect while in a different network before, maybe it has something to do with it being a university network?
I won't have an opportunity to physically move to another network until early next week, but as soon as I can I'll test this again at a public library. I'll reach back out if I can't connect to the local VPN there, if I can then I'll set this post as the solution. If I end up doing that, then the solution was that connecting to the local VPN while still connected to your local network will always fail.
I see, probably should have figured it wouldn't work if I was already connected to my local network.
I went to a different network and tried to connect to the local VPN there, and this time I got different results. First, it got stuck at MANAGEMENT: >STATE:1690477355,TCP_CONNECT for over a minute, and then it would say that it couldn't connect due to an unknown error. I did make sure the local area connection labelled TAP-Windows Adapter was renamed to NETGEAR-VPN, and I also changed the VPN settings as you suggested before trying to connect and then generated the configuration files that I used to try to connect. I even set up a DDNS server previously and set my PC to update the IP address, and while I was connected to the external network I edited client1.ovpn and changed the IP address in the line that stars with "remote" to the URL of the DDNS server and got the same result when I tried connecting.
This might be unrelated, but I'm also having issues with the router's Wifi. The router settings say it's been turned off, and when I go to turn it on it says I have to press the Wifi On/Off button on the router. I do that, and it still won't broadcast the SSIDs and now I can't connect to the router settings anymore, either through routerlogin.net or 192.168.1.1, until I restart the router. The only thing I changed is the VPN settings.
gmgrey wrote:I see, probably should have figured it wouldn't work if I was already connected to my local network.
I went to a different network and tried to connect to the local VPN there, and this time I got different results. First, it got stuck at MANAGEMENT: >STATE:1690477355,TCP_CONNECT for over a minute, and then it would say that it couldn't connect due to an unknown error. I did make sure the local area connection labelled TAP-Windows Adapter was renamed to NETGEAR-VPN, and I also changed the VPN settings as you suggested before trying to connect and then generated the configuration files that I used to try to connect. I even set up a DDNS server previously and set my PC to update the IP address, and while I was connected to the external network I edited client1.ovpn and changed the IP address in the line that stars with "remote" to the URL of the DDNS server and got the same result when I tried connecting.
This might be unrelated, but I'm also having issues with the router's Wifi. The router settings say it's been turned off, and when I go to turn it on it says I have to press the Wifi On/Off button on the router. I do that, and it still won't broadcast the SSIDs and now I can't connect to the router settings anymore, either through routerlogin.net or 192.168.1.1, until I restart the router. The only thing I changed is the VPN settings.
What is the brand name and model number of the modem/ONT that is connected between your router and the internet?
In general, editing of the VPN configuration files generated by your router is not required for them to establish a connection.
Issues with your being able to connect to the router's Wi-Fi or to your router through Ethernet are not related to your VPN configuration. My first question in this post is critical to your being able to access the router.
Issues relating to your manual Wi-Fi on/off switch and the SSID broadcast need to resolved first. A pull the power cord restart is a good beginning.
Never mind about the wifi, the SSID seemed to start broadcasting again after a bit. I still can't access the router settings page without restarting it, though.
My modem is an Arris Surfboard SB6190.
I edited the VPN configuration files as per the instruction of this video. I followed every step in this video, including using the same DDNS provider. Going forward I'll test the connection both with and without the DDNS server.
gmgrey wrote:Never mind about the wifi, the SSID seemed to start broadcasting again after a bit. I still can't access the router settings page without restarting it, though.
My modem is an Arris Surfboard SB6190.
I edited the VPN configuration files as per the instruction of this video. I followed every step in this video, including using the same DDNS provider. Going forward I'll test the connection both with and without the DDNS server.
Your SB6190 is strictly a modem. It is not a combination modem/router. The combination devices with a router connected downstream are usually the root cause of users not being able to access the router interface page.
The video focuses on using a different DDNS than shown in the Netgear configuration page. As shown, it should work. He was using an older Netgear router and appeared to recommend an out of date version of the Open VPN client software. In your router configuration, on the VPN Service page it tells you what version of Open VPN is coded into your firmware. Mine shows Open VPN 2.5.x. I successfully use the Open VPN client software version 2.6.5 on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 machines. On Android devices, the current version I use is Open VPN Connect version 3.3.4.
Since you are already past editing the configuration files, toward the bottom of the client.ovpn text file, there is a line that shows verb 0. If you edit that line to read verb 5, it will provide more details about the connection or attempted connection in the client application log. Maybe some indication why your connection is not being completed will be shown there.
I never claimed I had a combination modem/router. I don't know what my modem has to do with me not being able to access my router's settings.
I am using the latest version of OpenVPN, 2.6.5.
The client.ovpb file was already set to verb 5. I would add the log files under spoilers in this post, but for some reason the post keeps deleting itself when I do that (this is my third attempt in posting this), so I've attached screenshots of .txt files of the logs (left is without DDNS, right is with DDNS). I can't move to a different physical location, so I decided to connect to Mullvad VPN and then connect to my local VPN. Let me know if there are any issues with that setup. Oddly enough, I can connect to the local VPN without a DDNS server, but I can't access any websites or connect to my NAS. Pinging a IP address (i.e 8.8.8.8) gives a general failure, while pinging a URL (i.e. google.com) works fine. Trying to connect to the local VPN using the DDNS server gives the same result as before.
