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Setting up an OpenVPN Server on Merlin?

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Rici

Regular Contributor
Hi,

I am running Merlin firmware 386.3_2 on my Asus RT-AX86U.
While I have set up an OpenVPN server on that router, Android OpenVPN clients (while I am travelling) can successfully connect to that OpenVPN server, but do not send any data via that VPN connection to the router & via that router to the Internet.

Since I have been unable to determine what my configuration mistake is here:

Is there a step-by-step guide that describes how to set up an OpenVPN server on a Merlin router in a way that clients can connect to it and route all of their traffic via that OpenVPN server to the Internet?

Thanks a lot!
 
Hi,

I am running Merlin firmware 386.3_2 on my Asus RT-AX86U.
While I have set up an OpenVPN server on that router, Android OpenVPN clients (while I am travelling) can successfully connect to that OpenVPN server, but do not send any data via that VPN connection to the router & via that router to the Internet.

Since I have been unable to determine what my configuration mistake is here:

Is there a step-by-step guide that describes how to set up an OpenVPN server on a Merlin router in a way that clients can connect to it and route all of their traffic via that OpenVPN server to the Internet?

Thanks a lot!
Start by posting screenshots of your openvpn server settings under the gui(webui). Redact any personally identifiable information. Maybe someone will notice if something is configured wrong.
 
Hi,

I am running Merlin firmware 386.3_2 on my Asus RT-AX86U.
While I have set up an OpenVPN server on that router, Android OpenVPN clients (while I am travelling) can successfully connect to that OpenVPN server, but do not send any data via that VPN connection to the router & via that router to the Internet.

Since I have been unable to determine what my configuration mistake is here:

Is there a step-by-step guide that describes how to set up an OpenVPN server on a Merlin router in a way that clients can connect to it and route all of their traffic via that OpenVPN server to the Internet?

Thanks a lot!
Just check which option is checked. See the attached picture.
 

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Make sure you are using the Arne Schwabe Open VPN client for Android. The others do not work well.
 
A problem you see from time to time is if the local IP network on which the OpenVPN client is established is the *same* as your home network (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24). In such cases, any reference to that IP network by the client will never be routed over the VPN, but instead always treated as local. You tend to see this more often using 192.168.1.0/24 or 192.168.0.0/24 for your home network. These are such common defaults, it vastly increases the risk that both sides of the VPN are using the same IP networks.
 
I should add a clarification. Having the same IP network on each side of the tunnel is *only* an issue if you reference a device across the tunnel, like the remote router or other LAN device. It shouldn't affect your ability to still use the tunnel for internet access since that's just depends on the having the server instruct the client to changes its default gateway to that of the VPN.

That said, sometimes the client platform might not let you change the local default gateway w/o elevated privileges. You tend to see this more often on the Windows platform. If you don't run the OpenVPN client (e.g., OpenVPN Connect) w/ administrative privileges, it can't change the default gateway, so nothing is routed over the VPN. I wouldn't expect a smartphone platform to have such issues, but then again, I don't use Android, nor the Arne Schwabe app.
 
Last edited:
This one works well with both TUN and TAP:
With a subscription. I couldn't tell what any of the subscriptions cost.
 
OpenVPN protocols do not require subscription
 
Update: Without finding out why it failed at the first place, I followed your guidance here step by step - and it seems to work now.

Next is configuring my GL-AR750S / Slate so that it auto-connects with my home Asus OVPN Server when I am e.g. at a hotel on the road.
 

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