How to Turn a Raspberry Pi into a VPN Server (Easy Setup)
👨💻
Today we are going to talk about how to turn your Raspberry Pi into a VPN server. Since you’re reading this, you probably already know that you can do all kinds of cool things with a Raspberry Pi. But why is the Pi converted to a VPN? In this regard, what exactly is a VPN?
We’ll cover these topics here, along with a quick introduction to the VPN protocols you can choose from, and instructions for building your own Raspberry Pi VPN server.
What is a VPN?
In case you are coming from the realm of “doing cool things with mini PCs” rather than the realm of “online privacy and security,” here is a one minute introduction to VPNs. VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a system that protects your privacy while you are online. Using encryption technology, a VPN makes a part of the public Internet’s function like a private network. A VPN hides your IP address and location, while also giving you more privacy and security online.
A regular VPN, like NordVPN, consists of software running on your computer or smartphone, and VPN servers for devices located all over the world. The software on your computer encrypts/decrypts the traffic between your device and the VPN server.
VPN servers are the interface between your device and the rest of the internet. They decrypt messages from your device, replace your IP address with their own, and relay messages to their destination on the Internet. They also receive messages from the Internet and encrypt them and transmit them to your device.
The encrypted connection between your device and the VPN server is called a VPN tunnel.
Why would you want to turn your Raspberry Pi into a VPN server?
You can turn your Raspberry Pi into a VPN server if you want to get some of the benefits of a full VPN service. By connecting to the internet through a Raspberry Pi VPN server, you will prevent your ISP from tracking your online activities. You will also be able to visit websites without revealing your real IP address and real location.
But be aware of what you are wont Get. One of the big benefits of Commercial VPN Services is that they have hundreds Thousands of servers Fall into dozens of countries around the world. This huge set of geographically distributed VPN servers allows access to geo-blocked content. In fact, using a VPN for streaming is becoming increasingly popular to access media sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus from anywhere in the world.
Another big advantage of using a commercial VPN service on a Raspberry Pi VPN server is ambiguity. When you use a commercial service, your activities will be online Mixed with thousands of other usersThe actual VPN server you connect to is likely to change frequently. With a Pi VPN server, all the activity will be from your device, and it will all flow through the Pi VPN server. This means that you will not merge with a crowd of other people behind the same IP address.
Raspberry Pi VPN Server Basic Requirements
The hardware requirements for this project are minimal. You will need to submit:
- Raspberry Bay
- Raspberry Pi . power supply
- SD card
Optional hardware includes:
- Raspberry Pi . box
- USB keyboard and mouse
The only hardware requirements for a Raspberry Pi VPN server are a Raspberry Pi, a power supply, and an SD card.
To get the most out of your Raspberry Pi VPN server, you’ll need to consider two system add-ons. here they are:
- DHCP Reservation
- Dynamic DNS Service
DHCP Reservation
Consider setting up a DHCP reservation for your Raspberry Pi if your router supports it. The IP address of every device on your network usually changes every now and then. While this does not matter during normal use, it is important for this project. If the IP address of the Raspberry Pi on your home network has changed, you will have to search for it every time you try to use your VPN server.
A DHCP reservation is a solution to the problem. By configuring your router to always assign the same network IP address to the Pi, you can avoid the frequent hassle of looking for that address all the time. This is router setup, and the steps vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you follow your router’s instruction manual, you should be able to complete the task very quickly.
Dynamic DNS Service
Let’s say your Raspberry Pi is connected to your home network and you want to use it while you are away from home. You can log into your home network with a remote desktop program, and then connect to a website or other resource through that.
This approach works fine, except for one thing. You must have an IP address on your home network exposed to the Internet in order to run Remote Desktop. And remember that IP addresses on your home network can change at any time.
The dynamic DNS service provides an easy-to-remember domain name, which is updated with every change in the IP address. You’ll need to configure this on your router and probably pay a fee for the service, but it might be worth it. Once you set this up, you’ll be able to log into the same domain all the time, without worrying about your primary IP address.
OpenVPN or WireGuard
You have another decision to make before getting started: OpenVPN or WireGuard. These are the VPN protocols that you can use on your Raspberry Pi. In simple terms, a VPN protocol is a set of rules for transmitting data along with standards for the types of encryption used to make data secure.
OpenVPN It has been the industry standard VPN protocol for several years. It’s private, secure, and reasonably fast. But it is very complex and consists of about 400,000 lines of code. This makes it difficult to maintain and provides a lot of room for hackers to try to crack the code. It also does not work well on mobile devices.
Wireguard He is the new kid in the VPN protocol block. It is much faster than OpenVPN, and uses the latest encryption. It’s also much simpler than OpenVPN, requiring 4,000 lines of code instead of OpenVPN’s 400,000 lines. Programmers should be much easier to maintain, and much more difficult for hackers to attack than OpenVPN. WireGuard also provides the best reliability on mobile devices and can switch between different network interfaces without dropping the connection.
Noticeable: Our in-depth OpenVPN vs WireGuard guide looks at these topics in more detail.
One potential drawback of WireGuard is that it stores users’ IP addresses on the server. Commercial VPNs that don’t keep logs of user activity should take steps to address this when they support WireGuard. But we do not consider this a disadvantage of this project. This is a personal project to get some of the benefits of a commercial VPN without signing up for one.
If you’re concerned about a government agency recalling data about your online activities, a hacker hacking your Raspberry Pi, or federal agents actually taking over your Raspberry Pi to see if you’re the one using it to do things online, this project Not so t you. Otherwise, do not worry about the fact that your IP address will appear in the Raspberry Pi VPN server located on your home office.
How to turn a Raspberry Pi into a VPN server
With all of this initial stuff out of the way, it’s time to figure out how to build this project. But before we get started, let’s be clear. This is not an attempt to give you detailed instructions to complete the project. We won’t ask you to open a command prompt and enter commands like this:
curl -L https://install.pivpn.io | crush
We are not the hardcore Raspberry Pi people. We don’t know all the ins and outs of these little devices well enough to do so safely. Furthermore, there is no way we will be able to update this article with all the new Linux updates and Pi versions that keep coming out.
Instead, we’ll walk you through all the high-level steps, and leave it up to you (or other Pi experts) to figure out exactly how to perform these steps on this version of Pi, run that version of Linux, and so on. So let’s start:
- Install PiVPN on your Raspberry Pi. Hint: the previous example command, “curl -L https://install.pivpn.io | Bash” could come in handy here.
- Turn on PiVPN.
- Tell PiVPN if you have set up a static address (DHCP Reservation).
- Choose between OpenVPN or WireGuard.
- Select a communication protocol. UDP Recommended for OpenVPN and required for WireGuard.
- Set the VPN port. The default OpenVPN port is 1194. The default WireGuard port is 51820.
- Set the DNS provider. If you have set up a dynamic DNS you will enter it here. If not, you will need to specify a DNS service to use. Searching the Internet for “secure DNS providers” gives you plenty of options.
- If you are using OpenVPN, select File Enable OpenVPN 2.5 Features option unless some of the apps you use don’t support it.
- If offered by PiVPN, follow the steps to generate a security certificate and configuration file.
- Using your router’s instructions, forward the VPN port to the internal IP address of your Raspberry Pi VPN server. Remember, this is port 1194 for OpenVPN and 51820 for WireGuard.
Your Raspberry Pi VPN server should now be up and running.
Add a VPN Client
While the Raspberry Pi is now set to act as a VPN server, you still need a VPN client (VPN application) to connect to the server.
OpenVPN It offers OpenVPN Connect clients that you can install on any device you plan to connect to your Pi VPN server.
Wireguard It also provides clients for leading operating systems.
An alternative way to use your Raspberry Pi with a VPN
We started this article from the premise that your goal is to turn your Raspberry Pi into a VPN server. But now that we’ve gone through all the things you need to do to make it happen, you might want to consider a different approach. Instead of turning your Raspberry Pi into a VPN server, it might make more sense to use your Raspberry Pi as a computer and connect it to a full-power commercial VPN service.
Following this path will free up your Raspberry Pi for other projects, providing Faster speeds, more privacy and better security To connect to the Internet at the same time. All three of our major VPN services provide VPN clients that can work on the Raspberry Pi, giving it the advantage of world-class online privacy and security.
All three of these services are fast and reliable, plus they offer 24/7 live chat support and a 30-day money-back guarantee so you have plenty of time to test them out.
NordVPN for Raspberry PI
| VPN | NordVPN |
| depends on | Panama |
| records | No records (checked) |
| the price | $3.29/month. |
| supports | 24/7 live chat |
| Recovery | 30 days |
| website | NordVPN.com |
NordVPN is our best VPN service. When WireGuard was running, it delivered the fastest test results we’ve ever seen. You can connect your Raspberry Pi (and other devices) to one or more NordVPN networks 5100 servers (Scattered in 60 countries) using either the OpenVPN or NordLynx protocols. (NordLynx is NordVPN’s own implementation of the WireGuard VPN protocol.)
NordVPN has a lot of information and educational guides. We also discuss setup and testing results in our NordVPN review.
Aside from the Raspberry Pi, there are many other types of devices that you can use with NordVPN. First, NordVPN has dedicated apps for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, and iOS. In addition, NordVPN offers various solutions for other devices such as smart TVs, TV boxes, and even gaming systems.
NordVPN also scores well in the privacy and security categories. This VPN has passed independent audits for both privacy and security. All NordVPN servers run in RAM-disk mode, ensuring that no data can be stored on any server. NordVPN also has a CyberSec to block ads, trackers, and malware Domains through a VPN application via DNS filtering.
To get the best savings on NordVPN, use the coupon…
[ad_1]
Don’t forget to share this post with friends !
