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Forum Discussion
OpenVPN won't connect
Hello and thank you in advance for any advice/help.
R7000 Nighthawk on firmware V1.0.11.106_10.2.100
I cannot for the life of me get the OpenVPN to work. I have followed both the onboard instructions to the best of my ability and watched several youtube set up videos and followed those meticulously and all I get is "connecting" on the OpenVPN GUI.
The error messages I get in the log on OpenVPN on connection start are, in order:
"WARNING: No server certificate verification method has been enabled"
Then about 1 minute later into trying to connect I get:
"2020-12-31 09:13:05 us=268494 TLS Error: TLS key negotiation failed to occur within 60 seconds (check your network connectivity)"
"2020-12-31 09:13:05 us=268494 TLS Error: TLS handshake failed"
I have a static IP address.
I have tried rebooting several times and then redownloading config files.
Test method is to connect my PC via wifi to my phone hotspot, ensuring the wifi connection to my home network is turned off on my phone and is only using cellular data.
4 Replies
Mmm, 'tis a strange one.
I have expressvpn and I've never had any issues with connecting to that. Maybe Openvpn uses different protocols, I genuinely have no idea. I'm assuming here that you are attempting or have downloaded the correct software for the OS you are using on your computer? What OS are you using on your PC? When was it last updated?
Your anti-virus isn't preventing it from connecting is it?
It shouldn't make the slightest difference, but you're one behind on your firmware update. V.110
https://kb.netgear.com/000062418/R7000-Firmware-Version-1-0-11-110
If you decide to upgrade the firmware, do it over ethernet not wi-fi, indeed, I'd recommend personally disabling wi-fi in the router browser GUI before upgrading. Some will say this isn't necessary and they are most likely right, it's just a personal preference for me.
While not opposed to a paid solution, The free option sure is appealing. :)
Not sure how I got behind on the firmware. I have it set to auto update.
The only antivirus I have is windows defender.
Windows 10 is up to date.
*edit*
neither the Nighthawk app nor the "check" feature on the router itself is finding new firmware version to upgrade to.
Cropgun wrote:While not opposed to a paid solution, The free option sure is appealing. :)
Not sure how I got behind on the firmware. I have it set to auto update.
The only antivirus I have is windows defender.
Windows 10 is up to date.
Free is not always the best option. At the end of the day though, it's your choice. You came here looking for advice because you can't get your 'Free' Openvpn to work. I paid for a vpn subscription and I use it with my R7000 and it's flawless. There's plenty to choose from, but you really should research vpn providers carefully before you take the plunge.
Firmware, lots of folks well behind on the firmware, many never bother to update and depending on which country you live in and how old your router is, might depend on whether it is able to handle a firmware upgrade.
Auto update, personally, I have disabled auto update. I prefer to have some control over what my router is doing.
Nothing wrong at all with Windows Defender, it's the best mate for W10 and it's free. That being said, I prefer to pay for Bitdefender Total Security and of course, I pay for my VPN.