×

Introducing the Orbi 970 Series Mesh System with WiFi 7(BE) technology. For more information visit the NETGEAR Press Room.

Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
Reply

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

SleeplessInPDX
Aspirant

ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I have setup my Orbi for OpenVPN and followed the instructions closely on both the Orbi router side and client side.  For Android and iOS devices, Orbi's OpenVPN is working such that a VPN session is established between Orbi and Android/iOS devices and traffic from internal LAN machines are tunneled successfully to Android/iOS devices.   However, on Windows 10 client it does not work.

 

I followed the Orbi's OpenVPN setup instructions closely for Windows 10 where I used the "windows.zip" files downloaded from Orbi's OpenVPN page to setup the OpenVPN Windows client.  All instructions are followed including renaming the TAP adapter to NETGEAR-VPN as stated in the instruction.

 

The problem is see is after after I do "Connect" on OpenVPN Windows app to begin establishing an VPN session, it says tunnel is established but there is no Assigned IP address given.  Afterwards, I open a Windows command line session to do "ipconfig" and I see the IP address given by Orbi to "NETGEAR-VPN TAP adapter" is the wrong IP address such that the assigned IP address' subnet is the same subnet as the internal LAN side.  This will not work.  As a result, no traffic flows between the internal LAN and the Windows 10 client.

 

As a sanity test, with Android and iOS OpenVPN clients, I see Orbi assigns the correct IP address (which have different subnet as the LAN side) and internal traffic flows successfully between Android/iOS devices and internal LAN machines.

 

On Windows 10 client, it's running the latest OS with latest updates and I'm using OpenVPN 2.4.8 (the latest).  On Orbi, it's running the latest firmware (V2.5.1.8).  

 

Please advise.

 

Model: RBR50|Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi Router
Message 1 of 25

Accepted Solutions
EricClarke
Guide

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I worked with Netgear tech support a few weeks ago on this. The problem is solved. Apparently, the configuration file was bad on the particular revision of Orbi firmware I was using. I had updated the firmware but not the configuration file. Tech support suggested replacing the Open VPN configuration file. When I did that it started working.

View solution in original post

Model: RBK53|Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi System
Message 19 of 25

All Replies
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I have Orbi OpenVPN configured on two Orbi's, and can access both from Windows 10.  Are you able to observe the Orbi "Attached Devices" web page while performing a test of OpenVPN?  If so, how does the Attached Devices describe the VPN client device?  On my Orbi's, the default subnet is 192.168.1.1 (the most common), and VPN devices show up with (a) an IP address in 192.168.2.x and a connection type of "vpn".

 

My test methodology is somewhat tedious.  I disconnect my smartphone from WiFi to use the LTE connection, and create a WiFi Hot Spot.  Then, I disconnect my Windows 10 machine from Orbi WiFi and connect it to the Hot Spot.  Then, open the VPN client.  That way, I can get to the Orbi using a wired PC while testing OpenVPN on the laptop.

Message 2 of 25
SleeplessInPDX
Aspirant

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

Hi CrimpOn,

 

Thanks for you reply.  When using an Android/iOS device connect to Orbi OpenVPN via LTE network, I am able to see the connected device listed as "OPENVPN-TUN" (in "Attached Device" web page) and see Orbi assigns an IP address of 192.168.2.2 to device (note: the internal LAN subnet is 192.168.1.X).  It works as expected and as you described.

 

However, with a Windows 10 client, Orbi assigns an IP address of 192.168.1.100 as seen in "Attached Device" web page and I can also see in "Logs" web page under "Administration" a line entry of DHCP IP address 192.168.1.100 assigned to the Windows 10 client .  To be clear, the Windows 10 client is connected to LTE network.  Made double sure the Windows 10 client is not connected to Orbi's LAN. It's a very basic test.  No other OpenVPN client is connected.  

 

As a test, on Windows 10 client I open a command shell to ping Orbi's IP (on LAN side, which is 192.168.1.1), the ping fails (because Orbi OpenVPN assigned the wrong IP address.  It should be 192.168.2.2... just like the Android device).

 

(Note: In my LAN network, I configured Orbi's DHCP Server to have a start IP address of 192.168.1.100 and end IP address of 192.168.1.254. IP address range from 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.99 are IP address statically assigned (using the Address Reservation UI).

 

This issue appears on both Firmware Version 2.5.1.8 and Version 2.3.5.30.   I believe this is a firmware bug in Orbi.

 

To Netgear Orbi team, please advise.

 

Model: RBR50|Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi Router
Message 3 of 25
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

You may want to open a support ticket here and get some help on this:

https://www.netgear.com/support/#


@SleeplessInPDX wrote:

Hi CrimpOn,

 

Thanks for you reply.  When using an Android/iOS device connect to Orbi OpenVPN via LTE network, I am able to see the connected device listed as "OPENVPN-TUN" (in "Attached Device" web page) and see Orbi assigns an IP address of 192.168.2.2 to device (note: the internal LAN subnet is 192.168.1.X).  It works as expected and as you described.

 

However, with a Windows 10 client, Orbi assigns an IP address of 192.168.1.100 as seen in "Attached Device" web page and I can also see in "Logs" web page under "Administration" a line entry of DHCP IP address 192.168.1.100 assigned to the Windows 10 client .  To be clear, the Windows 10 client is connected to LTE network.  Made double sure the Windows 10 client is not connected to Orbi's LAN. It's a very basic test.  No other OpenVPN client is connected.  

 

As a test, on Windows 10 client I open a command shell to ping Orbi's IP (on LAN side, which is 192.168.1.1), the ping fails (because Orbi OpenVPN assigned the wrong IP address.  It should be 192.168.2.2... just like the Android device).

 

(Note: In my LAN network, I configured Orbi's DHCP Server to have a start IP address of 192.168.1.100 and end IP address of 192.168.1.254. IP address range from 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.99 are IP address statically assigned (using the Address Reservation UI).

 

This issue appears on both Firmware Version 2.5.1.8 and Version 2.3.5.30.   I believe this is a firmware bug in Orbi.

 

To Netgear Orbi team, please advise.

 


 

Message 4 of 25
MTBBILL
Aspirant

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I am having the exact same issue.   Was this ever resolved?

Message 5 of 25
SleeplessInPDX
Aspirant

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I am having the exact same issue. Was this ever resolved?

 

No.  This issue remains open till this day.  I'm open to submit a bug report to Netgear but I dont know how and I have no time to research.

 

Model: RBR50|Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi Router
Message 6 of 25
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I recently learned more about OpenVPN and found that the way Android and Windows do OpenVPN is different.  Looking at the OVPN files that get downloaded from Orbi, it is clear that Android creates a "tun" connection and Windows creates a "tap" connection.  There is an excellent explanation of the two VPN types here: https://buffered.com/glossary/tun-tap/ 

 

This being the case, one would expect Android (tun) devices to get an IP address in a different subnet from the primary Orbi network and Windows (tap) devices to get an IP address in the same subnet as the primary Orbi network.

 

Given that the Windows machine has an IP address in the same subnet as everything else connected to the Orbi, what is "No traffic"?

Can the Windows machine not reach the Internet?

Can the Windows machine not print?

Message 7 of 25
EricClarke
Guide

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I too am having the same issue trying to set up VPN on an ORBI RBR50 (Firmware V2.3.5.30).  I have a working version of this on an R9000 router (Firmware V1.0.5.8).  I notice a couple of differences in the config files.  The config file for the R9000 is as follows:

 

client
dev tap
proto udp
dev-node NETGEAR-VPN
remote xxxxx.xxx 12974
resolv-retry infinite
nobind
persist-key
persist-tun
ca ca.crt
cert client.crt
key client.key
cipher AES-128-CBC
comp-lzo
verb 5

 

The ORBI version adds a couple of lines at the bottom as follows:

verb 0

sndbuf 393216

rcvbuf 393216

route-method.exe

 

The first thing that I did was change verb from 0 to 5.  Now there is lots more info in the log.  The error that seems to be stopping things is something about recursive routing.

The message:

Recursive routing detected, drop tun packet to [AF_INET] xx.xx.xx.xx:12974 (The xs are, of course, my ip address.)

 

I've tried to remove all three of the lines at the end.  It doesn't help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Message 8 of 25
schumaku
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client


@SleeplessInPDX wrote:

As a test, on Windows 10 client I open a command shell to ping Orbi's IP (on LAN side, which is 192.168.1.1), the ping fails (because Orbi OpenVPN assigned the wrong IP address.  It should be 192.168.2.2... just like the Android device).


No, there must be a different cause:. OpenVPN can be operated in TAP and TUN mode. TAP is kind of a bridging, while TUN requires NAT. TAP is not supported on non-routed mobiles (Android, iOS) so TUN must be used. TAP does create a bridge, just like a direct connection, so the router LAN-side DHCP server will assign addresses - this is the "standard" configuration for Windows, MacOS, Linux clients. TUN does use routing with the intermediate 192.168.2.0/24 network - this is the only version workable on most mobile devices in absence of a bridge (TAP) driver - that's why you see a different address on the mobile clients.

Do you have the Windows TAP adapter renamed to "NETGEAR-VPN" inside Control Panel as per How do I enable the VPN feature on my NETGEAR router using a Windows computer? ?

 

A possible reason is of the "local" Windows client LAN does make use of the same IP subnet like the remote OpeVPN connected one.

 

@EricClarke The presence of the routing exe config depends on the Netgear OpenVPN router side (OpenVPN term: Redirect gateway) control "Clients will use this VPN connection to access:    Auto   All sites on the Internet & Home Network   Home Network only "

Message 9 of 25
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I just now tested my Windows 10 OpenVPN client connecting to Orbi.  Still works.  Gets an IP address from the regular DHCP pool (192.168.1.x, NOT 192.168.2.x).  Ping to 192.168.1.1 works as it should.

I have sort of mixed feelings about "tun" vs. "tap".  Since with Windows 10 (tap) client is essentially "part of" the regular IP subnet, it is going to be bombarded by everything going on in the subnet (all the ARP's, all the broadcasts, etc.)  I have read articles complaining that the Android operating system does not allow "tap", so my guess is that people would rather other OpenVPN clients had the same characteristics as the Windows client.

 

I have no idea "what is wrong".  My experience is that "it works."

Message 10 of 25
schumaku
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client


@CrimpOn wrote:

I have sort of mixed feelings about "tun" vs. "tap".  Since with Windows 10 (tap) client is essentially "part of" the regular IP subnet, it is going to be bombarded by everything going on in the subnet (all the ARP's, all the broadcasts, etc.)  I have read articles complaining that the Android operating system does not allow "tap", so my guess is that people would rather other OpenVPN clients had the same characteristics as the Windows client.


Good description!

TAP would require a driver with change mode to Kernel - this is simply not allowed on Android or iOS.

 

What is an advantage that the broadcasts won't hit the VPN connection indeed. Cumbersome if you want to run some non-Multicast based discovery - read: broadcast - based Apps e.g. for IoT discovery and configuration. That wont be possible over the TUN mode VPN.

Message 11 of 25
flies4fun
Initiate

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I had the same issue and fought with it for a few days. Turns out the path where I was saving my downloaded unzipped Windows config files per the instructions was not the path my OpenVPN installation defaulted to. Under the Advanced tab in OpenVPN GUI settings, make sure it is pointed to the folder where you dropped the config files. As soon as I fixed that, mine connected right up, I could print, remote desktop, ping, etc. as advertised.

Model: RBR20|Orbi AC2200 Tri-band WiFi Router
Message 12 of 25
EricClarke
Guide

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

This is not an OpenVPN issue. I have the installation working fine from a Mac. I also have it work fine on a Windows 10 client going to another Netgear router. The config files are in the same location on the Win 10 computer. When you get ready to connect it gives the option of which location to use. I can see that the Win 10 computer is connected to the Orbi. But I get continuous routing errors.
Message 13 of 25
EricClarke
Guide

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

In addition, to give you the benefit of the doubt, I tried changing the paths. I tried moving the confit files to my home directory, which is where OpenVPN defaults. No dice.

This is a router issue. That Netgear needs to fix. As an aside, I think routing on the Orbis is broken. I tried setting a route and when I tried doing a tracert on a Windows system in the same subnet as the Orbi it just times out. It doesn’t even make it to the first hop which is in the same subnet. I can do this on a system located in the same subnet as my other Netgear router and it works just fine.
Message 14 of 25
encryptix
Aspirant

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

Im having the exact same issue, works fine from android but dont get assigned an ip address on windows 10.

Message 15 of 25
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

Last summer, my first attempts to use OpenVPN ran into several snags, but it has been working for 10 months on three Orbi systems (one 2.3.5.30, one 2.5.1.8, and one Voxel).  Just to double check, today I started up my phone hot spot, connected Windows 10 laptop to hot spot, and connected to my home Orbi using OpenVPN.  The log file is attached.  (The first line mentions tunxten because I use tunXten as my OpenVPN "manager" to select which of them I want each time.  I can't remember now why I gave up on using OpenVPN by itself.  Once tunXten "solved my problems", I never looked back.) 

 

IP address assigned from the DHCP pool (because this is a Windows "tap" connection, not an iPhone/Android "tun" connection).  Pinged my desktop attached to the Orbi.  Connected to the Orbi web interface, which clearly showed my laptop connected as "VPN".

 

Last summer, I "took a deep breath" and started over.  Found that I had downloaded a Windows OpenVPN client different than the one the instructions said to. (I "knew better.")  May also have had trouble with the config file location.  The last time I did exactly what they said.

 

I lack the skill to diagnose what is causing the issue, but I am pretty confident that Orbi OpenVPN "works", at least with Android, Linux, and Windows 10.

 

 

Message 16 of 25
schumaku
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client


@encryptix wrote:

Im having the exact same issue, works fine from android but dont get assigned an ip address on windows 10.


Two different config files to be used for these two platforms.

 

Have renamed the OVPN Ethernet-adapter to NETGEAR-VPN as required by the Netgear generated one for Windows (doing TAP)?

Message 17 of 25
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I would love to see a log file from the OpenVPN that fails.

Message 18 of 25
EricClarke
Guide

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I worked with Netgear tech support a few weeks ago on this. The problem is solved. Apparently, the configuration file was bad on the particular revision of Orbi firmware I was using. I had updated the firmware but not the configuration file. Tech support suggested replacing the Open VPN configuration file. When I did that it started working.
Model: RBK53|Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi System
Message 19 of 25
nathjean
Aspirant

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

I have encountered the same issue.

Orbi firmware is V2.5.1.16, but still experiencing the same issue on Windows 10.

I have downloaded a new configuration zip folder for Windows under “OpenVPN configuration package download”, but still not working.

Anyone know what to do please?
Model: RBR50|Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi Router
Message 20 of 25
EricClarke
Guide

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

My firmware is 2.5.1.8. They may have broken the configuration file again. Did you have the issue and then upgraded to the firmware version you are currently on? If so, try getting a new copy of the OpenVPN configuration file.
Model: RBK53|Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi System
Message 21 of 25
nathjean
Aspirant

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

Thank you so much for your reply.
I have only just stated using VPN after the firmware upgrade. So won’t be able to tell if it will work ok the 2.5.1.8 version.

Is there a way I can alert Netgear so they look at it again?

Thank you again.
Model: RBR50|Orbi AC3000 Tri-band WiFi Router
Message 22 of 25
EricClarke
Guide

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

You can try calling tech supporter.
Message 23 of 25
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client


@EricClarke wrote:
I worked with Netgear tech support a few weeks ago on this. The problem is solved. Apparently, the configuration file was bad on the particular revision of Orbi firmware I was using. I had updated the firmware but not the configuration file. Tech support suggested replacing the Open VPN configuration file. When I did that it started working.

Tech Support's advice to download a new configuration file sounds reasonable.  I have been using OpenVPN on two Orbi's since last August.  My configuration files survived the firmware update to 2.5.1.8 and the firmware update to 2.5.1.16.  My Android, Linux, and Windows 10 OpenVPN clients continue to connect to my "remote" Orbi that remains on 2.3.5.30 and my "local" Orbi that is now on 2.5.1.6.

 

If OpenVPN is not working Windows 10, recreating the configuration file is a good place to start.  My first attempt (last August) failed because I did not follow the instructions exactly as written.

Message 24 of 25
nathjean
Aspirant

Re: ORBI OpenVPN not working with Windows 10 client

Hello,
Just wondering if people are getting the same error.
The error message is:
“No server certificate verification method has been enabled.”
Message 25 of 25
Top Contributors
Discussion stats
  • 24 replies
  • 11181 views
  • 4 kudos
  • 9 in conversation
Announcements

Orbi WiFi 7