Configuring Asus RT-AC87U for Private Internet Access VPN

£15 · 25 Aug 2015 at 16:39

I've just bought the Asus RT-AC87U router and notice it comes with the option of setting up a VPN client, without the need for any custom firmware. I currently have PIA running on my laptop, but with a house full of devices, I thought 'protecting' them all by getting the router to handle it would be a good thing. I'm just a little lost on how to do it.

It looks like I choose the OpenVPN option.

Download some files from PIA:
OpenVPN Configuration Files (Default) (under Advanced OpenVPN SSL Usage Guides section) - https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/

Upload the ovpn file for my chosen location (UK) to the router, along with the security cert (ca.crt) - (Need to tick a box to do it manually?)

Add my username and password.

Save and activate.

Is that about the long and short of it?

XysteR · 25 Aug 2015 at 23:19

I have the latest Merlin firmware on my Asus RT-N66U. I'm keen to know how to set the router up for private browsing from my main local PC too. Although i'm not sure if it can be done for outgoing VPN. It's clear that it can be used for incoming VPN with devices when you're away from home etc. I do wonder if it can be set up for VPN from a local attached pc on the LAN. It would save having to use VPN websites.

ViRuS2k · 26 Aug 2015 at 01:55

should be the same as the DSL _ AC68 that i use, it has inbuilt VPN and works awesomely
and makes anything in my house via wifi or lan have any geo location i want

XysteR · 26 Aug 2015 at 02:16

ViRuS2k said:
should be the same as the DSL _ AC68 that i use, it has inbuilt VPN and works awesomely
and makes anything in my house via wifi or lan have any geo location i want

Oh so you can? is it the Openvpn server you have to set up in the router and connect to that via the built in windows 10 client. Or do you need to download Openvpn client software?

Any help, or links on how to set this up would be awesome dude!

ViRuS2k · 26 Aug 2015 at 06:56

XysteR said:
Oh so you can? is it the Openvpn server you have to set up in the router and connect to that via the built in windows 10 client. Or do you need to download Openvpn client software?

Any help, or links on how to set this up would be awesome dude!

All the software you need is already in the Routers built in GUI.

I use VPN client PPTP mode within the router with my own special 128bit key.

or you can use Open vpn but i use giganews so all i need is the address username/password ect and press connect and it just works from everything

XysteR · 26 Aug 2015 at 14:47

I enabled a PTPP VPN server on my router last night. Then I connected to it via the windows 10 VPN client. I don't recall seeing any option for 128 bit encryption though?

XysteR · 26 Aug 2015 at 17:58

Ah it was under the general tab. All 3 encryption options were ticked. So I left the tick for 128bit and unticked the other 2. This is one cool feature! I always assumed it was only for connecting to from outside your network. I never even knew you could use it outgoing on an internal LAN device.

£15 · 26 Aug 2015 at 21:57

After activating the VPN I lose all internet access.

XysteR · 27 Aug 2015 at 05:47

Well I have the PTPP VPN server running on the router. I have connected my desktop PC VPN client to it using my IP, username and password. When my PC connects to the VPN server in the router it shows it is connected, and it works with the internet too and shows as a VPN PTPP connection in the bottom right of my desktop. But It seems i'm not private. For example: If I run GTA5 and my friend sniffs the packets in our game session he's seeing my IP address. Now i'm lost - How do I make it so my IP doesn't show when someone sniffs the packets in a GTA5 game session?

ViRuS2k · 27 Aug 2015 at 06:04

guys you dont even need to use any client or program on your pc, its all in the routers GUI.

just use PPTP, add the server address / username/password and press connect, then give it 2 minutes and you will get internet back and VPN will work from that router
with anything thats connected to it be it WIFI or LAN to pc ect ect.

you dont even need to use those stupid programs or clients on the OS.
if you use those you will only get VPN from that pc client system so anything that connnects to the router via wifi will get your normal uk ip and not be using VPN.

£15 · 27 Aug 2015 at 14:22

I'm not trying to, that was the point of me starting the thread - asking how to make the router do it for all devices on my network. I'm not sure what the other guy is doing, but it's confusing me and my quest for help.

With the VPN activated my devices connect and get assigned IP addresses, but when I try to connect to the web all I get is page cannot be displayed - or whatever Edge says now...

XysteR · 27 Aug 2015 at 15:01

BadMojo said:
I'm not trying to, that was the point of me starting the thread - asking how to make the router do it for all devices on my network. I'm not sure what the other guy is doing, but it's confusing me and my quest for help.

With the VPN activated my devices connect and get assigned IP addresses, but when I try to connect to the web all I get is page cannot be displayed - or whatever Edge says now...

Fair enough. I'm sorry it's confusing you. i'll go start my own thread

fornowagain · 27 Aug 2015 at 15:16

BadMojo said:
I'm not trying to, that was the point of me starting the thread - asking how to make the router do it for all devices on my network. I'm not sure what the other guy is doing, but it's confusing me and my quest for help.

With the VPN activated my devices connect and get assigned IP addresses, but when I try to connect to the web all I get is page cannot be displayed - or whatever Edge says now...

Just tried it myself, RT-AC66u and PIA. You have the correct sequence for OpenVPN. Put the PIA ovpn file for whatever location and the ca.crt file on the desktop. On the router input user name and password. Import the ovpn and ca.crt manually. Make sure 'Certificate Authority' box has the -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- to -----END CERTIFICATE----- key.

Connect and wait for a blue tick in the connection status. Note, just testing throughput, its not as fast as using the openVPN client on a PC. But it's ok and faster than the PPTP connection.

£15 · 1 Sep 2015 at 22:02

Thanks for the info. I'm ok up to and including the blue tick - then it appears to kill access to the web.

Sorry if I came across badly in my previous post.

£15 · 31 Oct 2015 at 15:13

I've just installed a custom Merlin firmware in the vain hope it would improve matters somehow. Everything is installed and configured, but again I lose access to the web on all devices when the VPN is activated.

There's something very strange going on here...I thought I'd lost access to the web, but it appears I haven't, not completely.

I am currently, somehow, browsing the OCUK forum, but I can't open a page to it by typing the url or using my favourites bar. I thought it may have been cached pages, but I'm visiting sections I haven't been to before. If I click on the logo at the top I get 'Page unreachable'. I can't open any search engines, or any of my other weblinks, e.g. hotukdeals, banking.

How can I have access to the web and not have access at the same time?

I can access my network shares (NAS) as usual.

tandeh · 22 Feb 2016 at 18:02

BadMojo said:
I've just installed a custom Merlin firmware in the vain hope it would improve matters somehow. Everything is installed and configured, but again I lose access to the web on all devices when the VPN is activated.

There's something very strange going on here...I thought I'd lost access to the web, but it appears I haven't, not completely.

I am currently, somehow, browsing the OCUK forum, but I can't open a page to it by typing the url or using my favourites bar. I thought it may have been cached pages, but I'm visiting sections I haven't been to before. If I click on the logo at the top I get 'Page unreachable'. I can't open any search engines, or any of my other weblinks, e.g. hotukdeals, banking.

How can I have access to the web and not have access at the same time?

I can access my network shares (NAS) as usual.

Try turning proxy off in your browser

dbmzk1 · 22 Feb 2016 at 19:20

BadMojo said:
I've just installed a custom Merlin firmware in the vain hope it would improve matters somehow. Everything is installed and configured, but again I lose access to the web on all devices when the VPN is activated.

There's something very strange going on here...I thought I'd lost access to the web, but it appears I haven't, not completely.

I am currently, somehow, browsing the OCUK forum, but I can't open a page to it by typing the url or using my favourites bar. I thought it may have been cached pages, but I'm visiting sections I haven't been to before. If I click on the logo at the top I get 'Page unreachable'. I can't open any search engines, or any of my other weblinks, e.g. hotukdeals, banking.

How can I have access to the web and not have access at the same time?

I can access my network shares (NAS) as usual.

Sounds like there is a problem with your DNS - it's likely using the local/router DNS server only and not connecting to those on the Internet for whatever reason. I've had this issue before with my RT-N66U and various VPN services that do not configure their DNS properly.

Try setting DNS settings on the router manually and ensure "Accept DNS Configuration" on the VPN config page is set to relaxed or strict, if not then try disabled though note this will use the DNS configured previously directly not using the VPN (unless you set it up with your VPN providers own DNS).

Vimes · 22 Feb 2016 at 19:31

^^^^^ Holy necrosis Batman