Use a VPN connection. How to make a personal VPN? Video: how to create a VPN connection

Virtual Private Network is a virtual private network, which are used to provide secure connections within corporate connections and Internet access. The main advantage of a VPN is high security due to the encryption of internal traffic, which is important when transferring data.

What is a VPN connection

Many people, when they come across this abbreviation, ask: VPN – what is it and why is it needed? This technology opens up the ability to create a network connection on top of another. VPN works in several modes:

• node-network;
• network-network;
• node-node.

Organization of private virtual network on network levels allows the use of TCP and UDP protocols. All data that passes through computers is encrypted. This is additional protection for your connection. There are many examples that explain what a VPN connection is and why you should use it. This issue will be discussed in detail below.

Why do you need a VPN?

Each provider is able to provide user activity logs upon request from the relevant authorities. Your internet company records every activity you do online. This helps relieve the provider of any responsibility for the actions carried out by the client. There are many situations in which you need to protect your data and gain freedom, for example:

1. The VPN service is used to send confidential company data between branches. This helps protect important information from interception.
2. If you need to bypass the service's geographic location. For example, the Yandex Music service is available only to residents of Russia and residents former countries CIS. If you are a Russian-speaking resident of the United States, then you will not be able to listen to the recordings. A VPN service will help you circumvent this ban by replacing the network address with a Russian one.
3. Hide website visits from your provider. Not every person is ready to share their activities on the Internet, so they will protect their visits using a VPN.

How VPN works

When you use another VPN channel, your IP will belong to the country where this secure network is located. When connected, a tunnel will be created between the VPN server and your computer. After this, the provider’s logs (records) will contain a set of incomprehensible characters. Data analysis special program will not give results. If you do not use this technology, the HTTP protocol will immediately indicate which site you are connecting to.

VPN structure

This connection consists of two parts. The first is called an “internal” network; you can create several of these. The second is the “external” one, through which an encapsulated connection occurs; as a rule, the Internet is used. It is also possible to connect to the network of a separate computer. The user is connected to a specific VPN through an access server connected simultaneously to the external and internal network.

When VPN software connects remote user, the server requires passing two important processes: first identification, then authentication. This is necessary to obtain the rights to use this connection. If you have fully completed these two steps, your network is empowered, which opens up the possibility of work. In essence, this is an authorization process.

VPN classification

There are several types of virtual private networks. There are options for the degree of security, implementation method, level of operation according to the ISO/OSI model, and the protocol involved. Can be used paid access or free VPN service from Google. Based on the degree of security, channels can be “secure” or “trusted”. The latter are needed if the connection itself has the right level protection. To organize the first option, the following technologies should be used:

• PPTP;
• OpenVPN;
• IPSec.

How to create a VPN server

For all computer users, there is a way to connect a VPN yourself. Below we will consider the option in the operating room Windows system. This instruction does not provide for the use of additional software. The setup is carried out as follows:

1. To make a new connection, you need to open the viewing panel network access. Start typing the words “ Network connections».
2. Press the “Alt” button, click on the “File” section in the menu and select “New incoming connection”.
3. Then set up a user who will be given a connection to this computer via VPN (if you only have one account on your PC, you will need to create a password for it). Check the box and click “Next”.
4. Next, you will be asked to select a connection type; you can leave a checkmark next to “Internet”.
5. The next step is to enable network protocols, which will work on this VPN. Check all the boxes except the second one. If desired, you can set a specific IP, DNS gateways and ports in the IPv4 protocol, but it is easier to leave the assignment automatic.
6. When you click on the “Allow access” button, the operating system will automatically create a server and display a window with the computer name. You will need it for connection.
7. This completes the creation of a home VPN server.

How to set up a VPN on Android

The method described above is how to create a VPN connection on personal computer. However, many have long been doing everything using their phone. If you don’t know what a VPN is on Android, then all the above facts about this type connections are also valid for a smartphone. The configuration of modern devices ensures comfortable use of the Internet on high speed. In some cases (to launch games, open websites), proxy substitution or anonymizers are used, but for stable and quick connection VPN is better.

If you already understand what a VPN on a phone is, then you can proceed directly to creating a tunnel. This can be done on any device that supports Android. The connection is made as follows:

1. Go to the settings section, click on the “Network” section.
2. Find the item called " Additional settings" and go to the "VPN" section. Next, you will need a PIN code or password that will unlock the ability to create a network.
3. The next step is to add a VPN connection. Specify the name in the “Server” field, the name in the “username” field, set the connection type. Click on the “Save” button.
4. After this, a new connection will appear in the list, which you can use to change your standard connection.
5. An icon will appear on the screen indicating that there is a connection. If you tap on it, you will be provided with statistics of received/transmitted data. You can also disable the VPN connection here.

Video: Free VPN service

Virtual Private Network, aka VPN, aka, virtual private network. In fact, in a sense similar networks should be considered as a step back, however, a forced and extremely effective step. VPNs allow you to return from global networks to local networks, albeit on a rather unusual scale.

VPN allows you to unite computers scattered around the world into virtual local networks; at the same time, you can interact with other network members as if everyone were connected to the same router - play on local network, open shared folders through " network”, as well as print on “shared” printers. So, we suggest you learn how to create VPN networks, connect to them, and also solve some problems that may arise (although not necessarily) while using them. Although general principle always remains the same, we will talk about how to install a VPN on Windows 7.

Creating a server

Let's start creating a VPN server - a computer to which other users of our virtual network will connect. First of all, we need to get to the Network Control Center and General Access. To do this, perform the following actions: "Start" button; "Control Panel"; "Network and Sharing Center."

Photo: “Network and Sharing Center”

If on the right top corner you see the inscription “Category”, you need to click on it and switch the mode to “Large icons” - this display mode is used in our instructions.

As a result, you should see something like this:

The window displayed on your screen allows you to control almost any aspect of your computer's networking. Here you need to click on the “Change adapter settings” icon.

Photo: “Change adapter settings” icon

To begin creating an incoming connection, follow these steps:

Now you have a window like this on your screen, with a number of small exceptions.

Firstly, there may be other items in the list of accounts, and also, you are unlikely to have the “vpnuser” user, which we will now create by clicking on the “Add user” button.

Photo: entering new user data

Fill in the following fields:“User” - the client’s login is indicated here; “Password” and “Confirmation” - the password of the created account(values ​​must match); field " Full name» optional - it can be left empty, as it does not affect functionality.

After filling out the fields, click on the “OK” button. If you want to add several more VPN users (this may be useful for further control over them), repeat the procedure as many times as necessary. When the creation is finished, click “Next”. In the next window, check the “Via the Internet” box, otherwise the “Next” button will be unavailable. Accordingly, after the checkbox, click on the button and we get the following window:

All that remains is to configure the protocols. Regarding their choice, it is better to leave everything as is. However, if you plan to use applications that require IPv6 support, you can check the box next to this protocol, however, in 99% of cases this is not necessary.

It is extremely important to configure IPv4 correctly:

Everything is necessary so that you can find connected users in the future. In addition, this way you can limit maximum amount connected, which can be very useful. When finished, click "OK" and then the "Allow access" button. The VPN server has been created. All that remains is to click on the “Close” button and start setting up clients. Also pay attention to the chapter “Port Forwarding” - it may be useful.

Connection on a computer

Let's start setting up client computers. First of all, you need to find out the server address, if you connect to a “homemade” VPN server, to do this you need to go from it (from the server), for example, to the site myip.ru, which will clearly and clearly display your IP address. In the future, we recommend using services in the spirit of DynDns - so as not to waste time searching for an address.

So, to establish a VPN connection, do the following:

This click will launch a short connection wizard, in the first step of which you need to select “Connect to a workplace” and click “Next”.

Photo: “Connect to a workplace” item

Now select the first item from the list. You don’t even have to think about the second one in the 21st century - it is needed for DialUp modems.

If you did everything correctly, it's time to enter the server address. This can be either the IP address that we looked at on the server, or Domain name, which can be obtained through dynamic DNS services.

In our case, the address is indicated as 157.57.121.54, however, in your case the numbers will probably be different. You can fill in the “Destination name” field at your own discretion - it will not affect the operation of the network. Also, it’s worth checking the “Don’t connect now” box so as not to waste time during the setup process.

Once the required data is specified, click “Next” and begin filling out the fields:

1. “Username” - here you enter the login specified when creating a VPN-servers;
2. “Password” - similar - indicate the pre-set password for the VPN user;
3. Optionally, you can check the “Remember password” checkbox.

All you have to do is click on the “Create” button and your VPN connection is ready. If the server is running and you are confident that your actions are correct, you can connect now using the “Connect now” button. In addition, you can always establish a connection using the network icon in the lower right corner.

That's all. If everything has been done correctly, then you can start using your virtual network, however, we recommend that you read this article to the end - even if everything works fine now, there is a risk that problems will appear sooner or later and it is better to be prepared for them.

VPN server in Windows 7

First of all, it should be noted that the built-in VPN server in the “seven” has one important and extremely unpleasant limitation - only one person can connect to your server at a time. If you want more, bet Windows Server, however, you can find a fairly effective patch on the network that removes this annoying limitation - after applying it, several connections will become available. In addition, sometimes for a complete setup it is necessary to configure the firewall and forward ports - we will tell you about this now.

Video: Creating a connection

Setting up firewalls

In some cases, the connection is established, but there is no connection between the computers. It's all about the built-in firewall (or firewall) of Windows.

To make it more friendly, you need to indicate that you trust the connected users.

We establish a connection, go to the “Network Center” and look for the connection icon. On the client it is called “RAS”, and on the server it is called “VPN connection”.

Click on them on both machines and select “Home Network”.

That's all, your problems should disappear.

Port forwarding

Another catch is that home routers and ADSL modems do not open the necessary settings by default. VPN ports. In this case, you will have to do it manually.

Photo: setting up port forwarding

You will have to open ports on the server, or rather, on the router to which it is connected - how this is done is described in detail in the instructions for your device, but we will only inform you that the Windows VPN server uses TCP port 1723 Also, if available, disable GRE blocking.

Setting parameters

Even when the VPN server is already configured, you can change its settings. To do this, open the “Change adapter settings” window that we used in the first part of the article, then click on the “Incoming connections” icon right click and select "Properties".

A window will appear on your screen where you can edit, delete, and add users, as well as configure protocol settings and IP address ranges. In other words, change the parameters that were specified when creating the connection.

Attention! This function Only works fully if the connection is idle - if anyone is connected to you, disconnect it before changing parameters.

Error 807

The network error about an interrupted connection with number 807 is a real scourge for novice admins. To get rid of it (or, according to at least, find out the reason for its occurrence), you need to take several steps:

As additional measure- try setting everything up again.

Enabling debug logs

Sometimes to receive additional information it is necessary to record all server events in a file that is easy to read. To start it this process, press Win+R and in the window that opens, enter: netsh ras set tracing * enabled.

Press Enter and go to the Windows\tracing directory, there you will find several files (5 pieces) containing detailed information about connection attempts and transmitted data. They open to anyone text editor. Disabling recording is done with a similar command, however, the word enabled must be replaced with disabled. VPN - perfect solution for a range of cases. However, it has gained the greatest popularity in the corporate environment. Let's say you're on a business trip with your laptop, but want to use it as if you were in the office. In this case, a VPN is exactly what you need.

Besides, similar solution often used for remote access to printers - despite the fact that there are a lot of modern protocols, such a solution still remains simple and convenient.

And, of course, we must not forget about games - a VPN network greatly simplifies the launch game programs, designed to work on a local network. Naturally, all this is far from full list possible applications VPN. Functions of this service can be useful to everyone, so keep these instructions ready.

In this article I will talk about how to raise your VPN server to bypass any unreasonable blocking, and configure your computer (Windows) and phone (Android) to work through this server. Nice bonus- this server will free first two month.

What is a VPN and why is it needed?

Basically, VPN is a technology that allows you to connect devices into a network on top of another network. For example, on top of the Internet. But let's not bother with terminology, we'll just make sure that you surf the Internet through a server in San Francisco or London or Amsterdam, etc. In general, where there is no Rostelecom.

Why do you need your own VPN (or why others are bad).

Of course, you can use someone else's paid or free VPN servers. Thousands of them!

I clicked on the first link and looked at the prices - not too optimistic.


So, the disadvantages of other people's VPNs:

1. Price - good VPNs cost good money.
2. Listening to traffic - you don’t know who runs the VPN, but he knows what sites you go to, what passwords you send, who you communicate with, etc. Https, of course, partially solves this problem, but not all sites have switched to https yet, and it remains the same Man attack in the middle - the VPN owner can return their certificates and certification authorities to you, initiate a transition to more old version SSL, give you their websites under the guise of the ones you are looking for, etc.
3. VPN can be “dirty” - perhaps before you or in parallel with you, the same VPN server (and its IP address) is used for its business by the Massachusetts Pedophile Association - and, besides, these men (and this IP address) have already is being tracked by the FBI.
4. The VPN may be overexposed - for example, spam was sent through it and it has already been blacklisted - and you will not be able to log into your favorite site because you are already banned.
5. Traffic modification - if your traffic is not encrypted, or the VPN owner can decrypt it, then the sites you request will be returned with “extra banners” or modified BTC addresses and ETH for payment, etc.
In general, in a nutshell, if you just want to hang out on entertainment sites, then take any free one - sometimes they won’t work, sometimes they will be very slow, but it’s free.

If you need a VPN for work, take a good paid one.
If you are paranoid, or you want to make money on rent, or you are just interested in how it’s all done, move on.

Deploying your VPN server

So, we need our own server on the Internet. In this article I’m looking at Digital Ocean, but any hosting where you can get a VDS will do. Simplest tariff plan- 5$/month, we don’t need more.
If you register using my link (if it doesn’t work, try this one), the site will loan you $10, which should be enough for two months of using the VPN for free.
What’s nice is that the IP will be yours and only yours, and no one else will go through your server (unless you allow it yourself, more on that later).
Follow the link above, register (when registering you need to indicate the card number, but nothing is debited from it), find the Create button at the top right and select Droplets


Choose Ubuntu and the cheapest tariff plan for $5


Select a region (San Francisco in the picture, but NO!! Take Europe- England, Germany, Holland - the signal across the ocean is slow), well, you can register the hostname so that it would be clearer for you - I wrote the vpn. Click Create


He will think a little and tell you the desired image, and you will have a droplet (virtual server)


An IP address, login and password will be sent to your email.


I don't hide them, because... I’m creating a droplet exclusively for the article, then it will be destroyed.
Now we need to connect to our new server and configure it. Download the putty program (link), run it, enter the IP address from the letter and press Enter


Click "Yes"


Enter the username and password from the letter. The password will not be displayed, this is normal. Just copy it in the letter, right-click in the putty window and the password will be pasted, then press Enter. Or just retype the password from the letter.


You are logged into the server, but your password needs to be changed. To do this, you are asked to indicate your current password, and then enter a new one (twice)


It doesn’t allow you to enter simple passwords, so you need to come up with something long - but this will benefit you, in any case - it will be difficult for hackers to hack you


Now it's time to actually deploy the VPN. Run the command

apt - get install pptpd

If asked for confirmation, press Y

Now run the commands (as before, you can copy everything from here and then right click there and it will paste)

echo "localip 10.0.0.1" >> /etc/pptpd. conf echo "remoteip 10.0.0.100-200" >> /etc/pptpd. conf echo "ms-dns 8.8.8.8" >> /etc/ppp/pptpd - options echo "ms-dns 8.8.4.4" >> /etc/ppp/pptpd - options echo "net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1" > > /etc/sysctl. conf sysctl - p iptables - t nat - A POSTROUTING - o eth0 - j MASQUERADE && iptables - save

Now you need to come up with logins and passwords under which you can connect to the VPN. For example, user VasyaPupkin, password qwerty123. Substitute the passwords you created into the following command:

echo "VasyaPupkin pptpd qwerty123 *">>/etc/ppp/chap - secrets

And do it. If you want several users, then run the appropriate command for each.
Well, in the end, we restart the VPN.

service pptpd restart

That's it, the VPN setup is complete, you can use it.

Connecting to a VPN server - Windows

I'm giving an example for Windows 10, but you can always Google "Windows pptp" for instructions for any other OS version.
Start, look for VPN, find “Change virtual private networks”

Click, add a VPN connection


As the server address, we indicate the IP of our server (from the letter), login and password - those that we ourselves came up with


Now we have a connection, click on it, click connect


If you did everything correctly, the status should change to “Connected”


We check:


The IP has changed. We check access to sites:
https://exmo.com/ - opened


Checking telegram:


Works! Let's turn off the VPN for a while (click on the network connection icon):


Telegram is dead :) I'll turn it back on so that everything works.

Now about connecting to VPN from your phone.

I use Android, 6.0.1, from Samsung, I think there will be something similar in other versions and on iOS - it must be, IMHO).
So let's go to settings - connections - other settings - VPN

Click add VPN, indicate the IP of your server, leave the type as PPTP

Click save - and it appears in VPN list. After that, click on it, enter your login/password (save if you don’t want to enter it manually every time):

and, if everything is done correctly, they will write to you that it is connected, and a key will appear in the tray, like this:


Congratulations, you have connected to your VPN server!]

Conclusion

Now that you have your own VPN server, and you decide where to go and what to watch, you can puff out your cheeks and tell your friends that you have the opportunity to get a fast, reliable VPN for only $5 a month... And give access to the same server by dozens of people (under different logins and passwords). And make a beautiful website with prices, and advertise on it, etc.

And very important point- I’ll tell you now :) I prepared most of the article on Saturday, I was going to post it on the site, but circumstances distracted me and I couldn’t finish it and got distracted. And you remember - I created VPN user VasyaPupkin and the password qwerty123 - both are in the dictionary of every novice hacker.... In general, on Monday I received a letter from DigitalOcean saying that they had to cut off my droplet from the network, because... there was wild traffic and some sites were DDOSed)) In general, the service with a crappy login/password didn’t last even two full days, the passwords were picked up and posted on different sites with lists free VPN:) Another server - where I set normal logins/passwords, it works fine for several weeks. So don't waste your time, come up with ideas good passwords, otherwise you won’t be the only one using your VPN!

Well, I hope the length of the article didn’t scare you - it looks complicated and cumbersome, but in reality there’s only 5 minutes worth of work, well, maybe a little more if you haven’t dealt with Linux and so on before. But, even so, after suffering a little, you will get a good useful thing, and at the same time learn something new)

I wish that everything works out well and quickly for everyone, if something is wrong, write in the comments, we will figure it out and fix it)

Telegram was blocked, free proxies and VPNs work intermittently due to a large influx of users or completely stop functioning without explanation, as.

Paid tools can also disappear at any time: the law banning anonymizers and VPNs was passed a long time ago, but has not yet been applied. In this situation, the only guarantee of freedom on the Internet is your own VPN. Lifehacker will tell you how to set it up in 20 minutes.

Choosing hosting

To set up a VPN, you need a VPS - virtual private server. You can choose any hosting provider, as long as the following conditions are met:

• The server is located in a country that does not fall under the jurisdiction of Russian authorities, but is quite close to your real location.
• Random access memory (RAM) must be at least 512 MB.
• Speed network interface- 100 MB/sec and above.
• Network traffic- 512 GB and above or unlimited.

The amount of allocated hard disk space and the type of drive does not matter. You can find a suitable solution for $3–4 per month.

When purchasing a server, choose KVM. OpenVZ and Xen are also suitable if they have TUN connected - you need to ask about this at technical service hosting provider.

There is no need to perform any additional manipulations with KVM, although some hosting providers may limit the ability to create a VPN on it. You can also clarify this with the support service.

When setting up a server, you can enter any value in the “Hostname” item: for example, test.test. The prefixes NS1 and NS2 are also not important: we write ns1.test And ns2.test.

Operating system - CentOS 7.4 64 bit or any other distribution, fundamental differences not in the settings. Leave the network traffic at 512 GB or select additional volume if you are afraid that the existing one will not be enough. Location - the closer, the better. The Netherlands will do.

After payment, you will receive an email with all the necessary data to set up a VPN. You have purchased space on a server in another country, all that remains is to redirect all traffic to it.

Setting up a VPN

To connect to the server and send commands we will use Putty program. I received a link to it in an email with registration data for hosting. You can download the program. Putty and its analogues are also available on macOS, the settings will be identical.

Launch Putty. On the Session tab, in the Host Name field, enter the IP address that came in the letter and click Open.

When a warning window appears, click Yes. After this, the console will launch, through which you will send commands to the server. First you need to log in - the authorization data is also in the letter from the hoster. Login will be root, type it by hand. Copy the password to the clipboard. To paste the password into the console, right-click and press Enter. The password will not be displayed in the console, but if you are logged in, you will see information about the system or server number.

There should not be much time between entering your login and password. If an error message appears, restart Putty and try again.

To set up the VPN I used ready script OpenVPN road warrior. This method does not guarantee complete anonymity, so that when committing illegal actions, the user can be easily found. But it is enough to bypass the blocking. If all VPN services stop working, this connection will continue to function as long as I pay for hosting.

To use the script, paste the line wget https://git.io/vpn -O openvpn-install.sh && bash openvpn-install.sh into the console.

After successfully adding the script, a dialogue with the setup wizard will start. He finds it on his own optimal values, all you have to do is agree or choose the appropriate option. All actions are confirmed by pressing Enter keys. Let's go in order:

1. The IP address must match the IP address that you received in the letter from the hoster.
2. Leave the default protocol as UDP.
3. Port:1194 - agree.
4. Which DNS to use - select Google. Erase 1 , write 3 and press Enter.
5. Client name - enter the user name. You can leave client.
6. Press any key - press Enter again and wait until the settings are completed.

After completing the setup, you need to create a file through which you will connect to the VPN. Enter the command cat ~/client.ovpn.

The contents of the file will appear in the console. Scroll up to the command cat ~/client.ovpn and select everything that appears below except the last line. The selection should end at. To copy a fragment, press Ctrl + V.

Launch Notepad, paste the copied fragment and save the file on your desktop with the name client.ovpn.

Connecting to the server

To connect using the created file, you need an OpenVPN client. The computer version can be downloaded. Download and install the program, but do not run it. Right click on the file client.ovpn and select Start OpenVPN.

A console window will appear with the connection initialized. If the connection was successful, the Initialization Sequence Completed status will appear below. During the connection process, a network selection window may appear, click on the public network.

To make sure the connection is correct, . It must match the one the hoster wrote in the letter. To stop sending requests to a server in another country, close the OpenVPN window.

OpenVPN also has clients for mobile devices.

To establish a connection, transfer the file to the phone memory client.ovpn. Launch the application and select OVPN Profile. Specify the path to the file and move the slider to the “Enabled” position.

A VPN connection icon will appear at the top. To verify that traffic is being routed through a server in another country, open mobile browser any IP address checking service.

Read, how to set up a VPN server on your PC, using special equipment or using standard methods Windows. VPN (English: Virtual Private Network) - a virtual private network is a collective general name for technology that provides the ability to one or more network connections(logical networks) over another network (optionally the Internet).

Content:

VPNs are very useful no matter where you use them: whether you're traveling the world, working in an office, or connected to a public Wi-Fi hotspot at a coffee shop in your hometown. You just don't have to use paid service VPN – you can host your own VPN server at home.

A fairly important criterion when creating a VPN is the loading speed of your home Internet connections. If the bandwidth is very low, then you are better off just using a paid VPN service. Internet service providers usually offer much less throughput than is necessary to create a virtual network. However, if your Internet connection is capable enough, setting up a VPN server at home could be very useful for you.

What is a VPN for?

A home VPN provides you with an encrypted tunnel - a connection that allows you to use open public Wi-Fi networks to create a connection to the VPN you need–networks. You can use VPN from any device on different operating systems: Android, iOS, ChromeOS, Windows, Linux or macOS; You can access various services of a specific country, even while outside its borders. VPN will provide secure access to your home network from anywhere. You can even share your network with your family, friends, or colleagues by allowing them to use servers hosted on your home network. For example, this will allow you to exchange data, share photos and video files, documents, projects, and be able to constantly communicate and stay in touch. Also you can play computer games, designed for a local network - although there are easier ways to set up a temporary network for games with friends.

A VPN is also useful for connecting to various services while traveling. For example, you can use Netflix or other services to receive streaming video when traveling, use any library or catalog of films and recordings.

Method 1: Use a Router with VPN Capabilities

Instead of trying to set up a VPN yourself, you can buy a ready-made, pre-configured VPN solution right away. High-end home routers (routers) are often sold with built-in VPN servers - just search wireless router, in which such a server is present. Often these are routers in the middle and high price ranges. You can then use your router's web interface to activate and configure the VPN server. Be sure to check and choose a router that supports the type of VPN you want to use.

Method 2: Use a router that supports DD-WRT or other third-party firmware

Custom router firmware is basically a new operating system that you can use on your router to replace the stock one you already have. operating system router. DD-WRT is the most popular firmware, but other operating systems such as OpenWrt also work well.

If you have a router that supports using DD-WRT, OpenWrt or any other third party operating system, then you can run it with this firmware to get more features. DD-WRT and other similar firmware include built-in VPN server support. Therefore, you can host a VPN server even on those routers that initially come without software that supports creating and managing a VPN server.

Be sure to choose a router that has built-in support for third-party operating systems. Install custom router firmware and enable the VPN server.

Method 3: Create your own dedicated VPN server

You can also just use software to set up a VPN server on one of your computers.

The Apple Server app (as well as Windows) offers a built-in way to host a VPN server. However, these are not the most powerful or secure options. And they may be too demanding to set up a VPN server and make it work correctly.

You can also install a third-party VPN server such as OpenVPN. VPN servers are available for every operating system, from Windows to Mac and Linux. You just need to forward the appropriate ports from your router to the computer running the server software.

There is also the option of converting your own dedicated device into a VPN server. You can take a Raspberry Pi single board computer (raspberry) and install the OpenVPN server software, turning it into a lightweight, low-power VPN server. You can even install other server software on it and use it as a multi-purpose server.

Where else can you host your own VPN server?

There is another option that falls in between hosting a VPN server on your own hardware and paying a VPN provider to provide you with VPN service and a user-friendly app.

You can host your own VPN server on web hosting. And in fact, it will save you a small amount of money than if you used a dedicated VPN provider. You will pay the hosting provider for the server hosting and then install the VPN server in the location they provide you with.

Depending on the capabilities and cost of the hosting provider's service packages, this may be quick way connections when you add a VPN server and get a control panel for it. Or you may have to start setting up the server manually completely from the very beginning.

At VPN setup At home, you'll probably want to set up dynamic DNS on your router. Dynamic DNS always monitors changes in your IP address and associates it with the current one this moment, the IP address of your computer. This will give you an easy way to always access your VPN, even if your IP address is home internet connection changed.

However, it is very important to remember to set up a secure VPN server. Do you need a reliable secure network so that no one can connect to it without appropriate permission. This may be a password protection option (but it is advisable to change it regularly). Or another option, as OpenVPN suggests, is to use a preset key, one of the most simple ways reliable authentication.