How to Configure TP-Link Omada Gateway as OpenVPN Server on Standalone Mode

Application scenario

Taking an example for ER7206 to explain how to establish an OpenVPN server on Omada Gateway on Standalone mode. The connection topology is as follows:

To set up the Omada gateway as OpenVPN server, please follow the steps below.

Note: If the gateway is behind a NAT device, to establish a VPN tunnel successfully, make sure that TCP/UDP port 1194 (for Open VPN in default) is open on the NAT device in front of the Omada gateway.

Configuration

Step 1. Create a new VPN policy

Go to VPN-Open VPN-Open VPN Server and click Add to create a new VPN policy.

Server name: test

AccountPWD: Enabled

Status: Enabled

Full Mode:

Server port: 1194

Local network: 192.168.0.0/24

IP Pool: 192.168.2.0/24

Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8

Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4

Note:

1. Currently, only ER7206 with firmware 1.2.3 Build 20221104 or above, and ER605 V2 with firmware 2.1.1 Build 20230115 or above support AccountPWD feature. Other models will support in subsequent updates.

2. Full mode: If enabled, all traffic of the VPN client will go through VPN. If not, only client traffic accessing the specified server network will go through the VPN tunnel, and other traffic will go through their local gateway.

Step 2. Create an OpenVPN user

If the router doesn’t support account and password or it is disabled, please skip Step 2 and go to Step 3.

Go to VPN-Users and click Add. Here we specify Account Name admin, Password as 12345678, select Protocol as OpenVPN, Server as OpenVPN Server created in Step 1, then click OK.

Step 3. Export the OpenVPN file

Go to OpenVPN Policy List and click in the Action column to export the OpenVPN file that ends in. ovpn which is to be used by the remote client. The exported Open VPN file contains the certificate and configuration information.

Now, we have finished the configuration of the OpenVPN Server with Omada Gateway on the standalone mode and you can connect it with your remote client.

Step 4. Configure OpenVPN Connection on Your Remote Device

1. Visit http://openvpn.net/index.php/download/community-downloads.html to download the OpenVPN software, and install it on your device where you want to run the OpenVPN client utility.

2. After the installation, copy the file exported from your router to the OpenVPN client utility’s “config” folder (for example, C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config on Windows). The path depends on where the OpenVPN client utility is installed.

3. Run the OpenVPN client utility and connect it to OpenVPN Server.

Step 5. Verify the VPN connection

Go to VPN-OpenVPN Tunnel to check if there’s a tunnel established.