Setting Up NordVPN on Asus RT-AC68U

[ColinTaylor]

Thanks Colin, I reboot the router and it can reconnect now. and I just updated the new firmware 386.2_4, however, the Service state still OFF, Is there any step missed in the setting ?

Do you mean that you can't turn it on?

Or do you mean that it doesn't start automatically when you reboot? In this case you need Automatic start at boot time = Yes.

 

[TimmyL]

Do you mean that you can't turn it on?

Or do you mean that it doesn't start automatically when you reboot? In this case you need Automatic start at boot time = Yes.

Do you mean that you can't turn it on?

Or do you mean that it doesn't start automatically when you reboot? In this case you need Automatic start at boot time = Yes.

NordVPN teach us , the router should turn to ON status after applying their setting, Is it necessary to reboot the router for applying their setting ?

 

[ColinTaylor]

NordVPN teach us , the router should turn to ON status after applying their setting, Is it necessary to reboot the router for applying their setting ?

Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. If you want to turn the VPN on you need to change the settings:

 

[TimmyL]

Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. If you want to turn the VPN on you need to change the settings:

View attachment 33542

There is a problem with me here, I can't access my router via this PC (wired with Lan) using Edge as browser, while I can access my RT-AC86U via my mobile still using Edge after applying NordVPN Setting. Any brother here know what went wrong ?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Don't use your external DDNS address (asuscomm.com) from within your LAN, use http://router.asus.com/ or the IP address e.g. http://192.168.50.1

 

[TimmyL]

Don't use your external DDNS address (asuscomm.com) from within your LAN, use http://router.asus.com/ or the IP address e.g. http://192.168.50.1

problem solved by stopping the auto-launch function in NordVPN apps with windows startup.

 

[criminala]

What I do when I import a nordvpn client profile (I download the UDP openvpn profile from their website) :

-import the UDP openvpn file from their website
-name the profile in the router
-type in the ip address of the nordvpn server manually (since it doesnt do this automatically for me)
-set DNS mode to exclusive
-Username / Password Auth. Only YES
-copy/paste the keys and certs from the openvpn file (since it doesnt do this automatically for me)
-set tls control channel outgoing auth 1
-set auth digest rsa-sha512
-type in the special username/password provided by nordvpn for router login
-paste my custom config (which seems somewhat different from what they recommend for some reason) :

resolv-retry infinite
remote-random
tun-mtu 1500
tun-mtu-extra 32
mssfix 1450
ping 15
ping-restart 0
ping-timer-rem
remote-cert-tls server
pull
fast-io
cipher AES-256-CBC

 

[hawdope]

Hello, I used the setup https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Router/1047410642/AsusWRT-Merlin-setup-with-NordVPN.htm on step 10 as per other poster.

To eliminate DNS leaks it is recommended we use Nord VPN DNS servers specified in the WAN settings.

103.86.96.100
103.86.99.100

As per other posted, when doing a DNS leak test I got the Datacamp LTD DNS servers. This seems to be majority of the time, historically. I don't recall ever seeing 103.86.96.100 & 103.86.99.100.

Is it possible that the Asus Merlin firmware is leaking DNS requests? Do any of you recall seeing 103.86.96.100 & 103.86.99.100 in your DNS leak tests as your DNS servers when running on Asus Merlin firmware (I have it running on RT-AC86U with 385.6_2)? I remember running previous Merline firmware I saw the Datacamp LTD DNS servers all the time and never the Nord VPN DNS servers.

 

[Viktor Jaep]

Hello, I used the setup https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Router/1047410642/AsusWRT-Merlin-setup-with-NordVPN.htm on step 10 as per other poster.

To eliminate DNS leaks it is recommended we use Nord VPN DNS servers specified in the WAN settings.

103.86.96.100
103.86.99.100

As per other posted, when doing a DNS leak test I got the Datacamp LTD DNS servers. This seems to be majority of the time, historically. I don't recall ever seeing 103.86.96.100 & 103.86.99.100.

Is it possible that the Asus Merlin firmware is leaking DNS requests? Do any of you recall seeing 103.86.96.100 & 103.86.99.100 in your DNS leak tests as your DNS servers when running on Asus Merlin firmware (I have it running on RT-AC86U with 385.6_2)? I remember running previous Merline firmware I saw the Datacamp LTD DNS servers all the time and never the Nord VPN DNS servers.

@hawdope ... this one has been covered pretty extensively in this post here:

Tutorial - How to monitor DNS traffic in real-time

The following script allows for real-time monitoring of DNS on the router for the purposes of knowing what DNS servers are in use, and which network interfaces are being used. https://pastebin.com/AGNF8cC8 Overview One of the most difficult aspects of the router for users is managing DNS. DNS...

www.snbforums.com

 

[eibgrad]

Hello, I used the setup https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Router/1047410642/AsusWRT-Merlin-setup-with-NordVPN.htm on step 10 as per other poster.

To eliminate DNS leaks it is recommended we use Nord VPN DNS servers specified in the WAN settings.

103.86.96.100
103.86.99.100

As per other posted, when doing a DNS leak test I got the Datacamp LTD DNS servers. This seems to be majority of the time, historically. I don't recall ever seeing 103.86.96.100 & 103.86.99.100.

Is it possible that the Asus Merlin firmware is leaking DNS requests? Do any of you recall seeing 103.86.96.100 & 103.86.99.100 in your DNS leak tests as your DNS servers when running on Asus Merlin firmware (I have it running on RT-AC86U with 385.6_2)? I remember running previous Merline firmware I saw the Datacamp LTD DNS servers all the time and never the Nord VPN DNS servers.

Beware, things have changed since (iirc) 386.4. ASUS now statically binds the WAN's DNS servers to the WAN, presumably to ensure the WAN connectivity check always works. If you dump the routing table, you'll now see these routes.

ip route

What happens if you have openvpn configured on router AND have vpn app running on computer?

What happens if you have openvpn configured on router AND have vpn app running on computer? Let's say you have NordVPN setup on AX88U through openvpn as client running Merlin 386.4 AND have Nordlynx running on a network computer. Does the router set up for openvpn cause a problem for the...

www.snbforums.com

IMO, it was never a good idea to specify the OpenVPN server's DNS on the WAN anyway. But doing so NOW is asking for trouble, at least in terms of preventing DNS leaks.

 

[TomMe]

For DNS, I add this to the VPN Client Custom Configuration rather than changing the WAN settings:

dhcp-option DNS 103.86.96.100
dhcp-option DNS 103.86.99.100

 

[eibgrad]

For DNS, I add this to the VPN Client Custom Configuration rather than changing the WAN settings:

dhcp-option DNS 103.86.96.100
dhcp-option DNS 103.86.99.100

This isn't really necessary. The NordVPN server is already pushing those DNS servers to the OpenVPN client. Doesn't hurt anything if you decide to add those directives, but it's actually redundant.

All the user needs to do is specify something other than the NordVPN DNS servers on the WAN (the NordVPN instructions are outdated in this regard). That prevents those servers from ever being bound to the WAN, which is what causes the DNS leaks.

 

[TomMe]

This isn't really necessary. The NordVPN server is already pushing those DNS servers to the OpenVPN client. Doesn't hurt anything if you decide to add those directives, but it's actually redundant.

All the user needs to do is specify something other than the NordVPN DNS servers on the WAN (the NordVPN instructions are outdated in this regard). That prevents those servers from ever being bound to the WAN, which is what causes the DNS leaks.

Thanks for the correction. I will remove it the next time I update my config since I don't like having unnecessary or redundant stuff even if it is benign.