R7000 V1.0.7.10_1.2.3 and V1.0.7.12_1.2.5 OpenVPN cannot connect

[Kitsap]

@winger13

I do not know.  I have never had to reset one.  Easy enough to check after reset.  Just logon and look.

Suggest you get your router reset and updated and working with the most recent firmware before starting on the VPN.

[winger13]

The Factory Reset solved this issue, but not without a couple of small hiccups (unexpected behavior).  Here is an abbreviated listing of steps I took:

R7000 Reset

Minor config changes like router pwd change, DHCP Range update, Dynamic IP setup, OpenVPN setup D/L OpenVPN config files to laptop (still running:  openvpn-install-2.3.14-I601-x86_64.exe)
Verified that R7000's firmware has NOT changed:  V1.0.7.6_1.1.99

Tested OpenVPN connection - SUCCESSFUL

Updated Laptop OpenVPN to: openvpn-install-2.4.1-I601.exe

Tested OpenVPN connection - SUCCESSFUL

Updated R7000 firmware to: V1.0.7.12_1.2.5
Tested OpenVPN connection - SUCCESSFUL

Setup Control Access entries on R7000

*** After setting some actively connected devices to "Allowed", I turn on the option "Block all new devices from connecting"  (it was defaulted to "Allow all new devices to connect" )
Setup Static IPs for four devices (Reserve IP Address)

Powered on two devices identified as having Static IP

*** Noticed Static IP rules are NOT being followed

Tested OpenVPN connection - NOT SUCCESSFUL
*** A line trying to open the router's ip address (192.168.1.1) keeps repeating

I turned on the option "Allow all new devices to connect"

Tested OpenVPN connection - SUCCESSFUL

unsure if I did anything at this point, but it was not anything major

I turn on the option "Block all new devices from connecting" (expecting the OpenVPN connection to possibly fail, again)

Tested OpenVPN connection - SUCCESSFUL (UNSURE why this did not work earlier)

Powered off two devices identified as having Static IP

Rebooted R7000

Powered on two devices identified as having Static IP

*** Verified Static IP rules are now being followed (UNSURE why this did not work earlier)

Tested OpenVPN connection - SUCCESSFUL

With

o R7000 firmware: V1.0.7.12_1.2.5

o OpenVPN from:  openvpn-install-2.4.1-I601.exe

One last note: I did notice my ISP's assigned IP had changed after the R7000 reset to something totally different than for the past three+ years.  Unsure if the ISP's IP address to my home changed during the same time I originally upgraded R7000 to V1.0.7.10, which is when I noticed OpenVPN not connecting,  and/or whether the Dynamic IP service failed at the same time, or a combination.  But just wanted to point this out.

Thanks everyone for the help, especially Kitsap.  

If anyone likes to comment on the small hiccups (unexpected behavior) above  and/or the change in ISP assigned IP address, feel free.

[Kitsap]

@winger13

I am glad everything is up and running.

[winger13 · Accepted solution]

Just one note - someone had taken it that my OpenVPN is now up-and-running, but  intermittently.  In case anyone else have misunderstood me, let me clarify that this is not the case; rather, the hiccups I encountered was only during the initial Restore-to-Factory post above but have went away (without an explanation). 

I am however going to test this new setup over the next week or two, and if all goes well, I will proceed by classifying this thread as "SOLVED".  Until then, I will leave it as is.

[winger13]

Marking this as RESOLVED.  All seems to work now.  It appears one of the previous firmware upgrades somehow resulted in the OpenVPN Server not working.