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Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN

genivos
Aspirant

Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN

Hello,

 

I've succesfully setup a VPN on the Orbi. My PC works with WOL inside the network (Windows 10), it wakes up after shutdown no problem. Now I want this to work through a VPN. However, stated in different threads here that it should work through a VPN, it doesn't. I'm using the built-in VPN from the Orbi.

I can't telnet (anymore, they removed the telnet switch) to do the ARP settings etc. Don't know if that last is needed since I'm on a VPN but I can't try to rule it out to be sure.

 

I'm using my phone to setup a VPN and from there use an app. That same app works within the local WiFi network no problem.

 

Am I missing something here?

Thanks in advance for help or suggestions.

 

Note that I have searched first through forums for similar problems but I can't find the solution so far.

Message 1 of 12

Accepted Solutions
genivos
Aspirant

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN


@CrimpOn wrote:

Synology NAS appears to be able to generate WOL magic packets:

https://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-wake-up-windows-machine-via-wol-from-synology-nas 


I have a QNAP but there's as well a solution for that:

https://forum.qnap.com/viewtopic.php?t=130500

Somebody made an app which you can launch from the NAS. I've tested it, works fine as expected. This is a good solution for me as I just need to be able to wake my NUC at home when I need it. Also it doesn't have to be a WOL package from the phone. Trigerred from my laptop though the NAS app makes even more sense cause I want to take over my NUC's screen anyways from the laptop.

 

Thanks for the insight! Once you mentioned server I was directly thinking about a NAS app.

View solution in original post

Message 12 of 12

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CrimpOn
Guru

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN

Please confirm whether I understand the issue (or not).

 

Wake on LAN (WOL) works within the local network.for this Windows 10 computer.

What device is sending the WOL packet to the Windows 10 computer?

Is the computer connected to the LAN with ethernet or WiFi?

 

OpenVPN host is enabled on the Orbi router and OpenVPN client is installed on the Windows 10 computer.

A smartphone not connected to the Orbi LAN (using LTE data) provides a Hot Spot for the Windows 10 computer.

Once connected to the Hot Spot, the Windows 10 computer opens a VPN connection through the internet to the Orbi.

At that point, the Windows 10 computer goes to sleep.

The goal is to use WOL to cause the Windows 10 computer to wake up at the remote location.

 

My first impressionis that "going to sleep" will drop the connection between the Windows 10 computer and the Orbi VPN host.

Once the VPN connection drops, no packets will be sent to the computer.

 

Or.... do I not understand the problem?

Message 2 of 12
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN

p.s. This article appears to confirm that Wake on LAN does not work over WiFi (toward the end of the piece).

https://www.lifewire.com/wake-on-lan-4149800 

Message 3 of 12
Gazza43
Aspirant

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN

How did you manage this, please?  The NETGEAR help desk told me that they did not allow third party software on their devices - I was looking at using Express VPN.

Message 4 of 12
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN


@Gazza43 wrote:

How did you manage this, please?  The NETGEAR help desk told me that they did not allow third party software on their devices - I was looking at using Express VPN.


The original post states that he is using the built-in OpenVPN host feature.  That allows devices outside the LAN to connect to the Orbi LAN through a secure VPN connection.  Stock Orbi firmware does not support using the Orbi as a VPN client (for devices inside the LAN to connect to internet resources through a VPN connection).  There is third party firmware for the RBR50 model (only that model) which supports two different VPN clients on the Orbi router (OpenVPN and WireGuard).

Message 5 of 12
Gazza43
Aspirant

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN

Okay. Thanks for that.  Bit more complicated than I anticipated and more technical than my limited expertise.   Looks like I will have to try and find another solution; ie, buy another router.

Message 6 of 12
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN


@CrimpOn wrote:

Or.... do I not understand the problem?


My guess is, "No. I did not understand the problem."

 

The goal is more likely to be waking up a computer on the local LAN by sending a Magic Packet through the VPN connection to the LAN.

The Wikipedia article about Wake on LAN goes into great detail regarding how difficult this is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake-on-LAN#Magic_packet 

(which may be where the question about ARP binding comes from)

 

That other article described a method to do this using port forwarding (no VPN).  Once the port is open, people will begin hammering on it which will create lots of broadcast packets.  They will never guess that the point is WOL or be able to figure out the MAC address, so I am not certain how much of a security breach that will turn out to be.

 

It may turn out to be less difficult to set up a server on the LAN (that is always live) which can be told to generate the magic packet to wake up that computer.

 

Sorry I went off in a crazy direction.

Message 7 of 12
genivos
Aspirant

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN


@CrimpOn wrote:

Please confirm whether I understand the issue (or not).

 

Wake on LAN (WOL) works within the local network.for this Windows 10 computer.

What device is sending the WOL packet to the Windows 10 computer?

Is the computer connected to the LAN with ethernet or WiFi?

 

OpenVPN host is enabled on the Orbi router and OpenVPN client is installed on the Windows 10 computer.

A smartphone not connected to the Orbi LAN (using LTE data) provides a Hot Spot for the Windows 10 computer.

Once connected to the Hot Spot, the Windows 10 computer opens a VPN connection through the internet to the Orbi.

At that point, the Windows 10 computer goes to sleep.

The goal is to use WOL to cause the Windows 10 computer to wake up at the remote location.

 

My first impressionis that "going to sleep" will drop the connection between the Windows 10 computer and the Orbi VPN host.

Once the VPN connection drops, no packets will be sent to the computer.

 

Or.... do I not understand the problem?


Yeah, sorry for the confusion. The local Windows 10 computer is an Intel NUC connected to the LAN with ethernet, wired. Thus no WiFi involved there. The NUC is the one I want to turn on with WOL.

The other device sending the magic packet is my Android phone. When my phone is connected to WiFi but the same LAN cq local subnet as my NUC it works fine. Magic packet is sent from my phone and NUC wakes up.

What isn't working: phone connected through OpenVPN to the Orbi when it's on LTE. I read somewhere since it's connected to the local LAN when the VPN is up, you can sent a magic packet the same way But it doesn't work.

 

I don't know where the going to sleep is coming from, you took it from another thread I think. That's not my issue. My NUC shuts down and I've configured Windows 10 in this way it wakes up after shutdown. That works and it's not the issue.

 

The issue is magic packets not going through the VPN tunnel or something like that.

Message 8 of 12
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN


@Gazza43 wrote:

Okay. Thanks for that.  Bit more complicated than I anticipated and more technical than my limited expertise.   Looks like I will have to try and find another solution; ie, buy another router.


Many of the VPN services provide a license for up to 5 computers at one time.  I am not convinced that it is all that necessary to have every device in the home using a VPN connection.  But, if that is the goal, then some other router is the way to go.

Message 9 of 12
genivos
Aspirant

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN


@CrimpOn wrote:

@CrimpOn wrote:

Or.... do I not understand the problem?


My guess is, "No. I did not understand the problem."

 

The goal is more likely to be waking up a computer on the local LAN by sending a Magic Packet through the VPN connection to the LAN.

The Wikipedia article about Wake on LAN goes into great detail regarding how difficult this is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake-on-LAN#Magic_packet 

(which may be where the question about ARP binding comes from)

 

That other article described a method to do this using port forwarding (no VPN).  Once the port is open, people will begin hammering on it which will create lots of broadcast packets.  They will never guess that the point is WOL or be able to figure out the MAC address, so I am not certain how much of a security breach that will turn out to be.

 

It may turn out to be less difficult to set up a server on the LAN (that is always live) which can be told to generate the magic packet to wake up that computer.

 

Sorry I went off in a crazy direction.


I'm not sure if that will even work with the firmware now, forwarding. Then I need to do the ARP part for sure but I can't do that anymore since telnet/ssh won't work. There is no option to turn this on in debug.

 

A server on the LAN, yeah that could work but I don't want to run a server. Lol. It's my home place. A NAS is running though, now you mentioned server running .. I might look into an app running on the NAS. If that's available.

Message 10 of 12
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN

Synology NAS appears to be able to generate WOL magic packets:

https://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-wake-up-windows-machine-via-wol-from-synology-nas 

Message 11 of 12
genivos
Aspirant

Re: Orbi router RBR50v2 WOL through VPN


@CrimpOn wrote:

Synology NAS appears to be able to generate WOL magic packets:

https://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-wake-up-windows-machine-via-wol-from-synology-nas 


I have a QNAP but there's as well a solution for that:

https://forum.qnap.com/viewtopic.php?t=130500

Somebody made an app which you can launch from the NAS. I've tested it, works fine as expected. This is a good solution for me as I just need to be able to wake my NUC at home when I need it. Also it doesn't have to be a WOL package from the phone. Trigerred from my laptop though the NAS app makes even more sense cause I want to take over my NUC's screen anyways from the laptop.

 

Thanks for the insight! Once you mentioned server I was directly thinking about a NAS app.

Message 12 of 12
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