Support for Linux clients and OPENVPN on R7000 or any other Netgear router

Here is how I configured OpenVPN on Ubuntu 14.04 to access my network using the Netgear R7000 using the GUI interface.

• After logging into the router I changed the ports on the VPN configuration screen to 1194 which are the official OpenVPN ports.https://docs.openvpn.net/frequently-asked-questions/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_TCP_and_UDP_port_numbers
• Next I downloaded the OpenVPN configurartion file "For Smart Phone", because I did not need a TAP device as a TUN device met my needs. You can google what the differences are between a TUN and a TAP device. The non-windows config file sets up a TAP device and the setup below should also work, but I have not tried it.
• I then copied the smartphone.zip file to my Ubuntu Laptop to a subdirectory in the "Documents" directory and unzipped the file. Since I am the only user of the system (laptop) locating the files there works for me.
• I then installed network-manager-openvpn and the network-manager-openvpn-gnome (sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn) This will install both.
• Launch the Gnome GUI for Network Connections (pull down top Right Hand corner) and select "Edit Connection". click on "Add", slect "Import a Saved VPN configuration". Import the " *.ovpn" file. 
• A new menu will open up then point to the location of the User Certificate file (client.crt), the CA Certificate file (ca.cert) and the Private Key file (client.key).
• For the Authentication type select "Certificate (TLS)
• Click on save.
• You should now be able to enable or disable your VPN connection by Launching the Gnome GUI for Network Connections (pull down top Right Hand corner, selecting the "VPN Connection" to connect or disconnect the VPN connection.

I have also been able to use the command line to open the VPN connection to the Netgear R7000 router as follows.
https://openvpn.net/index.php/access-server/docs/admin-guides/182-how-to-connect-to-access-server-with-linux-clients.html

• Open a terminal in the directory where the *.ovpn file is located and issue the (sudo openvpn --config *.ovpn) command to start the connection.
• In order to stop the connection from the command line see the following: http://askubuntu.com/questions/298419/how-to-disconnect-from-openvpn

In order to test if your VPN connection works you will have to try it while connected to another network other than the network to which you want to access. ie: from a coffee shop, McDonals, Starbucks, a friends network, etc....

Note: The external network from which you are testing your VPN connection must not have blocked port 1194. If they have then you will not be able to connect. Since 1194 is the official openvpn port the chances of it being blocked are minimal as many companies use openvpn in order for their mobile employees to work remotely and while trevelling. I have used a PPTP server at home in the past to access my network but found that port 1723 is blocked at times on the network to which I am connected.

As mentioned before the non-wiondows and the smartphone OpenVPN config files from the R7000 are very similar other than the fact that one configures a TAP device and the other configures a TUN device. To date I have been successful in configuring my Android tablet and my Ubuntu Laptop to access my home network via the Netgear R7000 router.