I will be working remotely this winter and want to set up multiple VPNs. Currently, my employer has a split VPN into the office which suffices for now at home. However, if I am using some random wifi I would like to set up a VPN router to “VPN provider” to protect all the traffic, including my work traffic which I shouldn’t need to but heho.
One issue with this is that using “VPN provider” would use a datacenter IP so might be blocked by them. I need to ask them about it. Assuming this is an issue I was considering a VPN to my house. I currently have a virgin media hub (I live in the UK) which does not support a VPN.
So I think I need to buy a raspberry pi, install VPN software, and open a firewall port on the existing router to allow access to the raspberry pi. Is this correct? I don’t want to change the settings on the existing router since other people use it, i.e. I don’t want to set it to modem mode.
Given all the conditions above is this the best and cheapest way?
Decide if you want to run it through your router or directly on each device. Running it through the router is a bit more setup, but it covers everything connected to your network without needing separate apps. Otherwise, installing a VPN app on each device can give you more control over when and where to use it.
As for the VPN itself, I mean a solid place to start is that VPN Comparison Table pinned in this sub. It’s pretty handy to narrow things down and compare different options.
> So I think I need to buy a raspberry pi, install VPN software, and open a firewall port on the existing router to allow access to the raspberry pi. Is this correct? I don’t want to change the settings on the existing router since other people use it, i.e. I don’t want to set it to modem mode.
Is the router already fully open to public internet? I’m not sure how it works in the UK but in China your residential internet is usually behind an ISP firewall. If that’s the case you will also need to ask your ISP:
For a static IP address so that you can always connect home to the same IP
To open the port you want to use on their firewall as well
Another point to remember is that if anything on your router is opened up to the public internet it will soon become the target of port scanners and automated intrusion programs. So if you go this route use a very strong password and keep your firmware/software up to date!
I would like to set up a VPN router to “VPN provider” to protect all the traffic, including my work traffic which I shouldn’t need to but heho.
Just to clarify. If your work traffic goes through the Split VPN, then there is no real need to use a second VPN to hide it. It will be redundant.
If you care about your personal traffic, then it could make sense but I argue that using VPNs just to hide your browsing traffic in public WIFI rarely matters. That is because HTTPS which most websites use, is more than enough to hide your Log in credentials and any sensitive data in general.
I guess you could have a script polling icanhazip.com at regular intervals, then automatically update the DNS record when it changes. I’ve used the Cloudflare API to do something similar.
Yeah. VPN ads always exaggerate the problem. They make it sound worse than it is. The truth is that prob 90% of the people that use the internet don’t really need a VPN even in public WIFI but of course a VPN provider won’t tell you that and instead offer you solutions to problems that don’t really exist.
Imo, in the present, commercial VPNs are more for people that Torrent and for people that want to unlock geo-restricted content. Those two are the only reasons nowadays that really matter.