Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:24 Post subject: Re: The most basic of questions
robrogan wrote:
It's just for a secure tunnel to your router from elsewhere, or something like that.
Your router....and all the rest of your network....computers...printers...Network Acess Storage....etc....just as if you were sitting on your couch at home....from anywhere...Or securely browse the web and get your email wihile conected to a public/insecuer network...all over an encrypted secure connection
Although if your home network consists of just getting out to the internet and you feel public wifi is safe and secure then yes it may be a waste for you
To your other question...depends on what kind of vpn you wanted compaired to the single one type that stock offers...all have pros and cons depending on your needs and expectations
dd-wrt has other advantages also.....depending on your needs and ambition of course _________________ Location 1
R7800- DD-WRT v3.0-r53562 (10/03/23) Gateway
WNDR3400v1 DD-WRT v3.0-r35531_mega-nv64k (03/26/18 ) Access Point
WRT160Nv3 DD-WRT ?v3?.0-r35531 mini (03/26/18 ) Access Point
WRT54GSv5 DD-WRT v24-r33555_micro_generic (10/20/17) Repeater
Location 2
R7800- DD-WRT v3.0-r51855 (02/25/23) Gateway
R6300v2- DD-WRT v3.0-r50671 (10-26-22) Access Point
WNDR3700v2 DD-WRT v3.0-r35531 std (03/26/18 ) Access Point
E1200 v2 DD-WRT v3.0-r35531 mega-nv64k (03/26/18 ) Gateway(for trivial reasons)
RBWAPG-5HACT2HND-BE RouterOS-v6.46.4 (2/21/20) Outdoor Access Point
2x RBSXTG-5HPACD RouterOS-v6.46.4 (2/21/20) PTP Bridge 866.6Mbps-1GbpsLAN
Location 3
2x R7000- DD-WRT v3.0-r50671 (10/26/22) Access Points
2x RBWAPG-60AD RouterOS-v6.45.9 (04/30/20) PTP Bridge 2.3Gbps-1GbpsLAN
2x RBSXTsqG-5acD RouterOS-v6.49.7 (10/14/22) PTP Bridge 866.6Mbps-1GbpsLAN Thank You BrainSlayer for ALL that you do & have done, also to "most" everyone here that shares their knowledge
Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 15:40 Post subject: Re: The most basic of questions
robrogan wrote:
I just now got around to clicking through my default GUI on the Netgear R6400v2 and I see it already has a VPN option.
I'm probably missing a key point here, but can someone plainly confirm if I do or do not need to go through DD-WRT process just to configure my router with VPN?
Depends on whether the OEM VPN setup will work for you. Easy enough to try; should prob install the latest OEM f/w first.
Note though, it's possible newer OEM f/w can prevent you from later installing DD, but even if that is the case, you should be able to downgrade and/or use TFTP. _________________ #NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD#Repeater issues#DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo#
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:57 Post subject: Re: The most basic of questions
jwh7 wrote:
robrogan wrote:
I just now got around to clicking through my default GUI on the Netgear R6400v2 and I see it already has a VPN option.
I'm probably missing a key point here, but can someone plainly confirm if I do or do not need to go through DD-WRT process just to configure my router with VPN?
Depends on whether the OEM VPN setup will work for you. Easy enough to try; should prob install the latest OEM f/w first.
Note though, it's possible newer OEM f/w can prevent you from later installing DD, but even if that is the case, you should be able to downgrade and/or use TFTP.
Yeah, I don't want to update the f/w because from what I've read, it can be harder to flash the router if I do that.
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 2:31 Post subject: Re: The most basic of questions
Dr_K wrote:
robrogan wrote:
It's just for a secure tunnel to your router from elsewhere, or something like that.
Your router....and all the rest of your network....computers...printers...Network Acess Storage....etc....just as if you were sitting on your couch at home....from anywhere...Or securely browse the web and get your email wihile conected to a public/insecuer network...all over an encrypted secure connection
Although if your home network consists of just getting out to the internet and you feel public wifi is safe and secure then yes it may be a waste for you
To your other question...depends on what kind of vpn you wanted compaired to the single one type that stock offers...all have pros and cons depending on your needs and expectations
dd-wrt has other advantages also.....depending on your needs and ambition of course
So I'm a little confused. From what I can tell in the nether description of "their" VPN, it seems like I'd be turning my router into a VPN server or something →
Netgear definition of the feature: "The VPN Service function allows you to access your home network in a secured way through the Internet when you are out of home."
I'm not so interested in accessing my home network when I'm away from home. What I want is to have my router constantly connected to a VPN service (e.g. NordVPN), mainly for spoofing geolocation on devices that don't allow VPN configuration like TV/peripheries. I wasn't able to find any place for the router to retain my VPN configurations as it implied.
Currently I'm using Tunnelblick on my machine, but I'm setting up this router for my parents so they won't have to deal with that or any apps
So if DD-WRT is the only way to have a router persistently connect to a VPN service then I'll be digging deeper here. Kinda crazy that this isn't a feature default to most routers already!
The above chatter mostly referencee your router being a VPN Server
Your latest description references your router being a VPN Client
I don't know what exactly stock offers you but I bet it is limited.
To your last statement....more options are avaliable stock on highend?/expensive devices....hense just one of the attractions to dd-wrt _________________ Location 1
R7800- DD-WRT v3.0-r53562 (10/03/23) Gateway
WNDR3400v1 DD-WRT v3.0-r35531_mega-nv64k (03/26/18 ) Access Point
WRT160Nv3 DD-WRT ?v3?.0-r35531 mini (03/26/18 ) Access Point
WRT54GSv5 DD-WRT v24-r33555_micro_generic (10/20/17) Repeater
Location 2
R7800- DD-WRT v3.0-r51855 (02/25/23) Gateway
R6300v2- DD-WRT v3.0-r50671 (10-26-22) Access Point
WNDR3700v2 DD-WRT v3.0-r35531 std (03/26/18 ) Access Point
E1200 v2 DD-WRT v3.0-r35531 mega-nv64k (03/26/18 ) Gateway(for trivial reasons)
RBWAPG-5HACT2HND-BE RouterOS-v6.46.4 (2/21/20) Outdoor Access Point
2x RBSXTG-5HPACD RouterOS-v6.46.4 (2/21/20) PTP Bridge 866.6Mbps-1GbpsLAN
Location 3
2x R7000- DD-WRT v3.0-r50671 (10/26/22) Access Points
2x RBWAPG-60AD RouterOS-v6.45.9 (04/30/20) PTP Bridge 2.3Gbps-1GbpsLAN
2x RBSXTsqG-5acD RouterOS-v6.49.7 (10/14/22) PTP Bridge 866.6Mbps-1GbpsLAN Thank You BrainSlayer for ALL that you do & have done, also to "most" everyone here that shares their knowledge
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 0:23 Post subject: First flash confusion
Hello again, and thanks Dr_K for clarifying. I've decided to use DD-WRT. To quickly address your previous question: my router is the Netgear R6400v2, so I was referring to the stock for that model.
In any case, I'm going all in on DD-WRT to allow me to use it as a VPN router. So far, I've got a question with the first flash process:
I've been very cautious (and slow, a couple days so far) in reading the Peacock thread, as well as the .doc install guide at the top of this thread for R6400v2, so I want to follow it to the letter and not just rush ahead.
The thing is, when following first flash directions, it says:
4. Use a wired client attached to your router, set this client to 192.168.1.10 net mask 255.255.255.0
Okay, check!
5. Login to your router and reset to defaults via the Netgear stock GUI (ADVANCED/Administration/Backup Settings/Revert to factory default settings), click Erase, the router will reboot.
Okay, check!
6. Login to the Netgear GUI at 192.168.1.1 and step through the first setup (it can take a while), choose manual configuration. → I'm unable to connect to the router at this point.
Specifically, if you put 192.168.1.1 in the address bar, the browser* quickly tries to redirect to http://www.routerlogin.net/genie_index.htm which is impossible when you're not connected to the internet.
I put my comments in line with each step above there.
So I first thought "crap, I already bricked it" haha - but I pinged the router and got a ttl=64 so I'm not too worried. When I try to telnet the router however, it says unable to connect to the host.
Turned it off/on again a few times. No change.
I know I'm not supposed to be connected to the internet during this process but feeling like I tried a few things, I decided to connect to my wifi (separate router, and the Netgear does not have any WAN connection). Punched in 192.168.1.1 again just to see how the redirect is handled when I have internet access... and it loads!
As you can see in step 6, it sounds like all I need to do is use the Netgear GUI to go through the first setup via manual configuration. It seems I'm able to do this as long as I'm connected to internet (via separate router). I can't really proceed without breaking the recommended procedure.
How should I proceed?
Thanks a million to those who stick around and help the revolving door of new users.
* I was using Chrome, but also tried Firefox and Safari. Cleared the cache and other browser data too. I saw in the wiki they don't recommend FF or Safari, and I can't find any install of IE for MacOS 10.14 so opted for Chrome. I'm not sure if it's the browser that forces the redirect or something else.
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 0:28 Post subject: Re: First flash confusion
robrogan wrote:
Hello again, and thanks Dr_K for clarifying. I've decided to use DD-WRT. To quickly address your previous question: my router is the Netgear R6400v2, so I was referring to the stock for that model.
In any case, I'm going all in on DD-WRT to allow me to use it as a VPN router. So far, I've got a question with the first flash process:
I've been very cautious (and slow, a couple days so far) in reading the Peacock thread, as well as the .doc install guide at the top of this thread for R6400v2, so I want to follow it to the letter and not just rush ahead.
The thing is, when following first flash directions, it says:
4. Use a wired client attached to your router, set this client to 192.168.1.10 net mask 255.255.255.0
Okay, check!
5. Login to your router and reset to defaults via the Netgear stock GUI (ADVANCED/Administration/Backup Settings/Revert to factory default settings), click Erase, the router will reboot.
Okay, check!
6. Login to the Netgear GUI at 192.168.1.1 and step through the first setup (it can take a while), choose manual configuration. → I'm unable to connect to the router at this point.
Specifically, if you put 192.168.1.1 in the address bar, the browser* quickly tries to redirect to http://www.routerlogin.net/genie_index.htm which is impossible when you're not connected to the internet.
I put my comments in line with each step above there.
So I first thought "crap, I already bricked it" haha - but I pinged the router and got a ttl=64 so I'm not too worried. When I try to telnet the router however, it says unable to connect to the host.
Turned it off/on again a few times. No change.
I know I'm not supposed to be connected to the internet during this process but feeling like I tried a few things, I decided to connect to my wifi (separate router, and the Netgear does not have any WAN connection). Punched in 192.168.1.1 again just to see how the redirect is handled when I have internet access... and it loads!
As you can see in step 6, it sounds like all I need to do is use the Netgear GUI to go through the first setup via manual configuration. It seems I'm able to do this as long as I'm connected to internet (via separate router). I can't really proceed without breaking the recommended procedure.
How should I proceed?
Thanks a million to those who stick around and help the revolving door of new users.
* I was using Chrome, but also tried Firefox and Safari. Cleared the cache and other browser data too. I saw in the wiki they don't recommend FF or Safari, and I can't find any install of IE for MacOS 10.14 so opted for Chrome. I'm not sure if it's the browser that forces the redirect or something else.
The Netgear routers won’t let you log into the GUI if the pc has a static set. I found that out a couple of years ago. You don’t need to be on the internet. _________________ I am far from a guru, I'm barely a novice.
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 1:44 Post subject: Re: First flash confusion
Malachi wrote:
The Netgear routers won’t let you log into the GUI if the pc has a static set. I found that out a couple of years ago. You don’t need to be on the internet.
Thanks for the quick response!
So I switched back to DHCP and it does indeed seem to work just fine. Fingers crossed this is the only hiccup I find along the way.
Update:
The first flash went smoothly, with the slight edit to Step 4 advising you set the client to 192.168.1.10 but instead use auto DHCP (thanks Malachi!).
DDWRT .chk install also went well! As far as I can tell it's working.
Now I just need to decide if I should update (seems like most of the posts here are people updating). Being averse to more troubleshooting I'll try setting up VPN with this version and see where I get. Just sharing my results for anyone else on the Netgear R67400v2 (boardid 30).
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 12:38 Post subject: Bootloop
Hello everyone.
I just tried to upload dd-wrt to my router r6400v2 with id T30, but I ended up with a bootloop.
Is there a way to recover from this situation ?
I think I uploaded the wrong .chk file.
I downloaded dd-wrt.K3_R6400V2OTP.chk from /ddwrt/K3-AC-Arm/TEST/
The help will be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
see the second post of this thread for the debricking guide
Thanks for the fast reply, but I don't understand where I made a mistake?
I followed every step of the guide.
I'm asking because I want to try to debrick it with tftp and to do that I need the proper .chk file so where should I download the proper file from ? From the first post maybe ?
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 13:30 Post subject: Bootloop
Ok, thanks for the help I recovered the device but after that I tried to install dd-wrt and again ended up in a bootloop.
Am I using the wrong .chk file ?!
I downloaded it again desipro.de/ddwrt/K3-AC-Arm/TEST/dd-wrt.K3_R6400V2OTP.chk
By bootloop I mean the power button is glowing red and after some time the wifi light start to glow in white and after a few second all of the light blink once and the device seems to reboot.
I rocovered using nmrpflash and the stock firmware from the first post.
And I am recovering the device angain
After that I will try the builds from the normal builds maybe the latest test builds have some issues with the first flash.
I will leave a feedback in a few minutes.
