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DampCat

DampCat

DampCat

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Joined
26 Feb 2007
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Location
Leafy Cheshire
I travel a lot and wish to create a VPN in my own home that I have full control of, unlike a paid service.

I've decided to use a RaspberryPi as it's incredibly low power usage.

Some questions though. I currently have Sky ADSL at my place. I understand I'd need a static IP for a VPN? CAn I do that on a residential line?

Also, what happens if I'm away and something happens and I need to reboot the router? Is there any way I can do that remotely?
 
You can use something like dyndns to get around the issues of not having a static ip. Fwiw I'm with virgin media and although they don't advertise static ips ours has been the same for the last 18 months

Not sure on remote reboots though
 
The RaspberryPi would be able to keep a dynamic DNS entry up to date.

I have a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite as my router and it has native PPTP and L2TP VPN, and it does the dynamic DNS updates as well. It could replace your router. They aren't that expensive, and really powerful.
 
Replacing the router with something that'll act as a VPN endpoint is a sensible option. Getting an Ubiquiti EdgeRouter to work on a Sky ADSL connection could be tricky.
 
I can't help on the dynamic DNS, however I can help on the router.

I'm using a Draytek 2860n, this router supports VPN. It's not cheap at around £200 but it's a serious and reliable piece of kit that's well supported. Draytek also have software so only the VPN traffic goes to the router when working remote.

I use on PlusNet with a static IP, setting up is pretty straightforward.
 
Food for thought, thanks gents. Before i sink a couple of hundred quid on a router, which looks great btw, i'm going to give the RaspberryPi option a go. Dont think of this as a classic OCuK "ive got my mind set on a product and im not interested in your alternatives" post because it isn't, i'll just wait until its more financially viable :)

Would sky be able to offer a Static IP? Otherwise i'll look in DYDNS.

Why would the Ubiquiti router be tricky?

Edit: I should have mentioned in my OP, i'm a total networking novice. I struggle with even basic routers. With the RaspberryPi i found a step by step guide that i was planning to follow to get it all up and running. Would this affect my ability to use these other products?
 
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Sky don't offer static IPs.

The Ubiquiti would be tricky as it doesn't support ADSL which would require an external modem. You've then go Sky's MER authentication to deal with which limits your choice of equipment.

There's nothing wrong with your RaspberryPi plan.

If you decide to try the VPN at router level there are options a lot cheaper then the DrayTek suggested. Nothing wrong with the DrayTek (I use a similar router myself) but it'd probably be overkill for what you're wanting.
 
Interestingly, I called sky to blag a better deal that i was getting on my TV service and spoke to some one who seemed fairly switched on and sorted me an amazing TV package (75% discount)

HOWEVER they tried to get me over to sky fiber internet i said no due to the fact i need a static IP address. and they replied "oh we can offer static IP addresses now" they also knew why i would need one and said its only available on fiber pro but if i want to they can sort it all out for me and give me a static ip. so if youw with sky worth a call
 
maybe, Still its a good feature if your a sky customer already. However im not with sky and did not want to take them up on their offer but they 100% said its available
 
According to Sky's website you don't need fibre you just need 'Pro', which also appears to apply to ADSL. Whether it's available to all subscribers at the moment, or just those transferring from O2/Be* I have no idea.
 
You can remotely reboot a router via its control panel if you expose that to the web and/or most will let you enable remote management via telnet (not recommended) or ssh. (With VPN access you should be able to get to the control panel via your local LAN IP instead of remote IP anyhow without having to expose it to the web directly).

If the router itself hardlocks/freezes, etc. for any reason thats another matter - some high end gear has an underlying control engine/system that will reboot if the main OS becomes unresponsive but thats usually on really expensive stuff if its really important you could always use a timer switch or similar to power cycle nightly though on some setups that might cause your line profile to drop slightly if its mistaken for a stability issue.
 
Oh thats a good idea. I could just cycle the router once every day? I wonder if i can get a timer that goes for a week or so.

Yeah it's unresponsive i was worried about. I travel A LOT and i've noticed that if im away for 2 weeks, when i get back it needs to be rebooted.
 
If your router needs to be rebooted that often either change you router, or change your ISP.

If that isn't an option plug-in 24 hour or 7 day timers are easily and cheaply available.
 
It only happens when im away so i assume its something to do with not being used. It's not a problem really, it takes seconds to reboot it and doesnt happen when i use it regularly, im not going to invest in it just yet!

I'll get this rudimentary VPN up and running and go from there.
 
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