Neither Windows nor Android clients can establish an OpenVPN connection to my new Nighthawk AX2700/CAX30 device. I am attempting to establish a VPN connection using my DDNS hostname registered with No-IP.com.
To start, the device produces OVPN files that are NOT viable. Using the unmodified client*.ovpn file directly from the device on an Android phone results in a parsing error. Windows experienced a similar problem. This was resolved by including the certificate and key hashes in client*.ovpn file and removing the references to the files themselves. Although these modifications enabled OVPN to import the client*.ovpn file, I am still unable to establish a VPN connection. The log file on my Android phone shows a connection error when attempting to reach the host. On Windows, I get a TLS key failure.
Here is what I have already tried:
- Upgrade firmware (currently on 1.4.10.10)
- Downgrade firmware (attempted 1.4.10.4)
- Port forward (pointless at this stage, but worth a try)
- Changed access type (auto, home, everything, etc.)
- Change DDNS hostname (using No-IP.com)
- Register a mynetgear.com hostname (more on this later)
- Disable DDNS (does not disable once it's enabled)
- Rebooted
- Factory reset
While troubleshooting, I found that DDNS connection status was inconsistent. Sometimes I would get a username/password error, while other times it would update its status with No-IP.com flawlessly. Strange. I decided to disable DDNS, but the device won't let me. I tried switching the option to Netgear, No-IP.com, and dyndns.com. I also tried deleting my DDNS info and turning off VPN, but the device leaves the DDNS box checked and reverts to the Netgear option every time I attempt to apply the new settings. In other words, I cannot disable DDNS once it has been enabled. At this point, I decided to play 'nice' and register a mynetgear.com hostname, but that too failed. The device would report that registration failed regardless of the name used. I typed gibberish on a couple of attempts and it still failed.
Here's where things get interesting. Upon reviewing the device logs, I found that it was sending incorrect information. For example, if I configured the device to use my No-IP.com hostname, it would attempt to send: hostname.ddns.net.mynetgear.com (or something like that). But, when I attempted to register a hostname with mynetgear.com the log would show either a blank hostname or the hostname I used in the No-IP.com area.
Unfortunately, I didn't save my log files and I have since reset my device in another attempt to fix this, but I believe I have provided ample information for troubleshooting purposes. At least someone should be able to recreate the problem with this information.
So far, Netgear support has been absolutely useless. Unless you have a very basic configuration question or problem, chat and phone support can't help you. They pass you on to "level 2" that 'promise' a 24-48 hour turnaround time. I've been working on this for 5 days and still no calls. What a joke!
I'm grateful for any help I can get!
