PIA VPN

[jjulez]

Does pia still works with the above tutorial ?
Looking for vpn that does port forwarding, with merlin
and no leaking issues, thanks.

 

[L&LD]

What tutorial?

 

[eibgrad]

Unless PIA has changed recently, you probably don't want to use their form of port forwarding. I've worked w/ it extensively, to the point I created scripts to manage it w/ dd-wrt, tomato, and even Merlin, and it's NOT for the faint of heart.

The problem is they require use of an API by the client to open a port of *their* choosing at *runtime*, which makes it difficult to configure your local port forwarding, and hence the need for a script to do so dynamically. And you only get *one* port. And only specific servers support port forwarding. And they've changed the API repeatedly, to the point my scripts no longer work, and I refuse to keep updating them.

It's just not a pretty picture, at least if you want to support it via the router. You're better off using a VPN provider who makes it simple, usually through some interface on their website where you can easily configure static ports of your choosing, and w/o all the restrictions.

Again, that was the situation the last time I used it, which was probably a couple years ago. Perhaps things have changed, but just be forewarned, and make sure to investigate before you get committed.

 

[jjulez]

What tutorial?

In the sticky

 

[jjulez]

Unless PIA has changed recently, you probably don't want to use their form of port forwarding. I've worked w/ it extensively, to the point I created scripts to manage it w/ dd-wrt, tomato, and even Merlin, and it's NOT for the faint of heart.

The problem is they require use of an API by the client to open a port of *their* choosing at *runtime*, which makes it difficult to configure your local port forwarding, and hence the need for a script to do so dynamically. And you only get *one* port. And only specific servers support port forwarding. And they've changed the API repeatedly, to the point my scripts no longer work, and I refuse to keep updating them.

It's just not a pretty picture, at least if you want to support it via the router. You're better off using a VPN provider who makes it simple, usually through some interface on their website where you can easily configure static ports of your choosing, and w/o all the restrictions.

Again, that was the situation the last time I used it, which was probably a couple years ago. Perhaps things have changed, but just be forewarned, and make sure to investigate before you get committed.

 

[jjulez]

Which vpn service would you recommed ?

 

[eibgrad]

I don't use OpenVPN port forwarding. So I don't have a specific recommendation. And my current provider (ExpressVPN), like most VPN providers, doesn't support it, for security/privacy reasons. Others who do use it are better qualified to give you the good and bad of any specific provider.

My only recommendation is that you avoid API-based, dynamic port forwarding, which while it addresses some of the security/privacy concerns of VPN port forwarding, vastly complicates configuration w/ the router. What you're looking for is a simple configuration system, where you typically go to some location on the VPN provider's website to configure w/ your preferred static port forwards.

I've seen far too many ppl only think about this issue *after* they've committed to a VPN provider, then I have to tell them the bad news. So while it means some more work for you to investigate which will work best for you, at least you're ahead of the curve if you haven't committed to VPN provider as yet.

P.S. FWIW, I noticed AirVPN supports static port forwarding. You visit a "Client Area" on their website to statically define your preferred port(s). Of course, there are many other things to consider as well (price if nothing else), but it illustrates the kind of thing you're looking for when it comes to this specific feature.

 

[dosborne]

I run both PIA and ProtonVPN and no issues with either. RT-AX88U.

 

[jjulez]

Think i will try express, PIA is leaking they have no solution as of yet