Grow Your Own VPN: Building OpenVPN on a DD-WRT Router

July 16, 2010

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Building a VPN for more than two-dozen VPN users? Consider setting up a VPN server. This ServerWatch tutorial explains how to do so using DD-WRTDD-WRT router firmware.

VPN connections let you remotely access file or connect remote offices together via secure tunnels over the Internet. They can even come in handy to secure connections on public Internet ports or Wi-Fi hotspots, hiding Internet traffic from local eavesdroppers.

VPN users, you might consider setting up your own VPN server using the DD-WRT router firmware. If you have a compatible wireless router, you can load the firmware on it. This gives you an OpenVPN server and client, and many more cool features. You can then set it up for remote access connections or site-to-site connections to connect offices together.

Transport Layer Security (TLS) for a much more secure solution. In this two-part tutorial, we will set up and use OpenVPN.

In this first of two articles, we will explain how to flash the router with the DD-WRT firmware, change the router's IP and subnet for compatibly reasons, and create the SSL certificates. In the second installment, we will step through configuring the OpenVPN server, creating startup and firewall scripts, configuring the clients, and testing it out.

Read the rest of "Setting Up OpenVPN on a DD-WRT Router, Part 1" at ServerWatch

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