Maestro < PI < Linksys LRT214 < 6x00 VPN setup help

k3Tim

I am trying to setup a VPN using a Linksys LRT214 VPN router at the 6x00 end and a Rasp-Pi for the Maestro (remote) end. I have reviewed the 3 videos for setting up the Rasp Pi but this involves two Pi's and I'd like to take advantage of the openVPN built into the Linksys rather than having a second Pi.  Does anyone have the setup for this?

The openVPN setup menus on the LRT214 are rather sparse and don't map well to the aforementioned videos. Can one instead setup a regular VPN link that this router supports. Is the difference mainly the ease of setup.  The VPN menu can enable L2TP via a check box but no mention of this on the openVPN menus.

Jim Gilliam

I am not sure if it is possible to use the Linksys VPN using openVPN. I have tried the same thing with the Linksys 1900ACS and, unfortunately, the router does not assign an address to the LAN that is in the same range as that of the remote SDR. My router uses 192.168.1.**** for the LAN I/P's but assigns the remote client an address in the range from 172.19.13.2-6 using OpenVPN. I can make contact with the router and be connected to the LAN but I cannot connect the SDR radio because of the I/P differences. Because of this problem, I have resorted to using Softether. Softether does assign the remote client I/P addresses in the 192.168.1.**** range.

Jim, K6QE

Mike va3mw

Like you have figured out, it has to be a Layer 2 connection and on the same subnet. See if there is a Bridge option as that is what the rest of us are doing with Softether. Mike va3mw

Jim Gilliam

I am not sure what you just said. My understanding of a bridge option it to use two routers. One that connects to the Internet and the second configured as a bridge. From what I have read (and I am definitely no expert) adding a second router as a bridge is to extend the use of the LAN similar to using a wireless extender. I am using Softether and just have a computer tied to the LAN router with no bridge options. Is there an advantage to using the Softether bridge rather than the Softether Server?

Jim, K6QE

Mike va3mw

Hi Jim

Under the covers, the Maestro (or a Laptop running SSDR) needs to see the Radio on the network.  It does that via Layer 2 communications (most network traffic we deal with is Layer 3).  The radio 'broadcasts' itself on the network, and by design, the broadcast is local to the same subnet (aka, your house).  

When we set up a Layer 2 bridge with Softether, that allows your remote client to hear the radio broadcasting.  Not all VPN's do a layer 2 type connection or they have the VPN on a separate subnet.  

I think I got that right.  I'm trying to keep the explanation simple.

Mike va3mw

Jim Gilliam

Why would I use the bridge instead of just using the softether client? I am set up with the remote site using Softether server and my remote client set up as softether client. Why, then, would I want to set up the softether bridge? I have been asking this question and have never understood anyone's answer. I desparately need to take some college course on networking. There is just too much over my head things like layer 2, layer 3. Just buzzwords in my head, although I am sure they are not to others.

Jim

k3Tim

Hi Mike / Jim,

Thanks for filling in some the details. This webpage from the mfg. :

http://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=156241

shows how to setup an OpenVPN connection. In the example, the 2nd PC (remote O-VPN client) has IP addresses for the WAN as well as the home/LAN. The remote client (2nd PC)  is able to ping back to the LAN @ 192.168.1.1   I assume openVPN on the remote PC added to the routing tables to connect traffic from 172.31.0.x  to 192.168.1.x  - aka, bridge.  Following this example the internet connection is lost, as expected, since the WAN is setup as a static IP and not assigned dynamically by the ISP.

I assume openVPN makes setting up a VPN easier. Is this true??  Perhaps slugging it out with the vanilla VPN setup (L2 can be enabled there) would be the way to pursue the solution. For the openVPN there is no L2 option unless choosing UDP protocol instead of IP is the correct choice. Possibly setting L2 in the VPN section also enables it for openVPN case. ??  The manual and help files are not specific enough to determine this.

As to bridging:  an example is a WiFi router: hen set to bridge mode, it's internal DHCP server is turned off and a WAN connected device is expected to provide the DHCP / IP addresses. Any WiFi devices are directly connected to the local area network (192.168.1.x at this station). If set to router mode, the WiFi router serves as the DHCP and provides IP addresses to the WiFi connected devices (10.?.?.?)  The WiFi devices can NOT interact with the LAN devices on 192. network unless one setups routing tables in the router.

I'll continue to pursue this.

Thanks!
k3Tim

Ria

You need bridge if you are connecting a maestro. Otherwise you can use client. The Maestro has no built in VPN capability therefore you need an external device like a raspberry pi.