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CBR40 Can't access Internet through VPN
I have an Orbi CBR40 cable modem that I have configured VPN on. From my phone, I can connect to it using the OpenVPN Connect client. I can access local devices, but I can't access the internet. I h...
- Yes, that is checked. I also tried Auto, but that didn't work either.
Maybe a firewall issue?
Pfredd wrote:
When I connect, and view connected devices, the VPN connection is assigned 192.168.2.2, while lan and wifi devices are all on 192.168.1.xxx.
This is the way VPN 'tap' connections are designed. By having VPN devices in a separate IP subnet, broadcast packets do not flood the VPN tunnel. Smartphone use only 'tap' VPN connections.
Could you please check this setting on the OpenVPN page:
Yes, that is checked. I also tried Auto, but that didn't work either.
Maybe a firewall issue?
Maybe a firewall issue?
Hmmm. I just now disconnected my Android phone (Sony Xperia XZ Compact) from WiFi and opened OpenVPN connect. Can ping devices on the Orbi LAN. Can ping sites on the internet. Opened Chrome to display new stories. (p.s. it is a 'tun' connection. I always get those terms confused.)
I have wondered how to establish for certain that these activities are going through the VPN connection. The phone is connected to Verizon (in my case) and has an IP address from Verizon in addition to the IP address on the VPN. (192.168.2.2) Off the top of my head, I do not know of a parameter or setting in the phone or OpenVPN Connect that would tell the phone which connection to use for general internet vs. VPN. My guess is the only proof would be to capture the actual packets leaving the Orbi WAN interface to see if those pings and web connects show up.
Can you give more specifics about how VPN is not connecting the way you expect it to?
Repeated the experiment with the debug option "Enable LAN/WAN Packet Capture". That is:
- Turn off WiFi on phone.
- Use OpenVPN Connect app to VPN into the Orbi.
- Run the Fing app to ping some sites:
1.1.1.1 (CloudFlare) and 8.8.8.8 (GoogleDNS) - Observe that Ping is working correctly.
- Disconnect VPN
Opened the file wan.pcap with Wireshark. The capture file clearly shows the Orbi router sending ICMP packets to the two sites that I 'pinged' (1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8) and the sites responding.
So, for my Android phone, OpenVPN Connect appears to route internet traffic through the VPN tunnel, and the Orbi connects the VPN to the internet.
Am at a loss to explain why this is not working for you.
Ok, I made some progress.
I disconnected my phone from wifi and connected it to the VPN. I then used Fing to ping 1.1.1.1. It worked!
It appears that this is a DNS issue, as trying to connect via domain names does not work. I will mess around with that for a bit to see if I can discover the issue.