A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. Applications running across the VPN may therefore benefit from the functionality, security, and management of the private network.
Individuals can set up their own VPNs. But before discussing how to do that, let’s first understand what benefits it offers compared with using a commercial VPN service.
Advantages of setting up your own VPN include:
You have full control over the security configuration of your VPN server. For example, you can decide which protocols are used and whether encryption is enabled or disabled.
You’re not reliant on another company’s security practices; if they’re Negligent, it doesn’t impact the security of your connection.
By keeping the server in-house, you ensure that only authorized people have access to it. This limits opportunities for attackers to physically tamper with the server or snoop on traffic passing through it.
If you self-host your DNS resolver on the VPN server then Internet Service Providers (ISPs) cannot sniff DNS requests made by clients connected to the VPN—and this can prevent them from knowing which websites you’re visiting.
Running your own VPN gives you access to all features supported by OpenVPN without being subjected to limitations imposed by free versions of popular apps like Tunnelblick (Mac) and Viscosity (Windows). For example, having full control over encryption settings means that you can choose very strong ciphers like AES-256-GCM with 4096-bit keys instead of more common but less secure options like AES-128-CBC with 2048-bit keys.
Commercial services usually don’t give users this level of control because they need to make money somehow—and paid upgrades are one way they do that. They might also inject advertising into webpages accessed via their servers or sell information about user activity to third parties such as marketers and government agencies—something most people would rather avoid.”
Now that we know some advantages of setting up our own Virtual Private Network, let’s go through how one could go about doing just that!
The process is actually pretty simple:
1) Choose which software package you want use - We’ll be using OpenVPN for Windows in this tutorial since it’s open source software freely available online 2) Download OpenVPN installer and launch it - Again, we’ll be using OpenVPN for Windows 3) Go through installer screens - Next… next… finish 4) Find OpenVPN GUI shortcut - It was added during installation 5 important file locations: C:Program FilesOpenVPNconfigyourvpnprofile.ovpn This is where profile configurations live – default profile contains nothing but comments so edit/replace it with yours.; ovpn is an extension denoting an OpenVPN Configuration File5 key files & directories used by OpenVPN GUI 6 config directory – typically C:Program FilesOpenVPNGUIconfig; contains .ovpn profiles 7 log directory – location depends on OS version & defaults; check “Settings” -> “General” tab -> “Logging” group in OpenVPNGUI 8 executable files: openvpn-(version number).exe main program used 9to connect/disconnect from .ovpn profiles); found in install dir shown during installation 10openvpngui-(version number).exe graphical frontend for 11managing .ovpn profiles; must always be running while 12using any other component 13uninstall-(version number).exe uninstall program 14license-(version number).txt text file containing License 15agreement 16readme-(version number).txt text file containing basic usage info 17faq-(version number).txt Frequently Asked Questions 18changelog-(version numbers)-(date stamp).txt text file 19containing list 20of changes implemented in each release 21Change directory into config subdirectory 22Rename sample configuration profile ‘sample_client23to something descriptive e24g mycompanyname 25Edit newly renamed client profile 26Find these lines and uncomment/edit them as follows: 27client28dev tun29ca ca_path30dh dh2048_path31proto proto 32tlsauth ta_key path 33compress lz4 34route remote_gatewayIP net_gateway 35secret secret36Keep everything else commented out 38Save client profile 39Open command prompt 40cd program filesopenvpn 41Run following command substituting values 42appropriate for your 43 environment 44e45g46openvjpjngmng -lcofig “C:Program 47Files 48 OpenVPNCOJNFIG 49mycwwympanynaameuivpynhgpnnfnlic”
A VPN server is a great way to improve your online privacy and security. When you connect to a VPN server, all of your traffic is encrypted and routed through theserver’s IP address. This means that anyone monitoring your traffic will not be able to see what websites you are visiting or what data you are transmitting. Moreover, if the VPN server is located in a different country than yours, it will appear as if your traffic is coming from that country (this is called “geo-spoofing”). This can be useful for bypassing website blocks or accessing content that might be geo-restricted (e.g., watching BBC iPlayer from outside the UK).
setting up your own VPN server is not as difficult as it may sound. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to do it on Windows 10 using the built-in PPTP protocol. Of course, there are other ways to set up a VPN server (e.g., using OpenVPN), but we’ll focus on PPTP here since it’s simpler to setup and doesn’t require installing any additional software.
Worth knowing
The short answer is yes, you can develop your own VPN. However, it will require some technical know-how and likely won’t be as robust as a commercial VPN service. But if you’re up for the challenge and have the time and resources available, building your own VPN can be a fun and educational project.
If you want to build your own VPN, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. First, you’ll need to select a VPN protocol. There are many different protocols available (e.g., PPTP, L2TP/IPSec), each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Once you’ve selected a protocol, you’ll need to configure it on both the server and client side. This will involve setting up encryption keys and ensuring that communication between the two is securely encrypted.
Once you have everything configured correctly, testing is critical. You’ll need to make sure that yourVPN is actually providing the security and privacy benefits that you expect itto deliver. Depending on your needs, it may also be worth investigating commercialVPN services before investing the time and effort into developing your own solution - chances are good that someone else has already done all of the hard work foryou!
Worth knowing
To set up a VPN through your phone’s settings, open the Settings app and tap on “Network & internet.” From there, tap on “VPN” and then select the VPN you want to add. Next to the VPN you want to change, tap on “Settings” and then turn “Always-on VPN” on or off. Keep in mind that if you set up a VPN through an app, you won’t have the always-on option.
If you need to, tap “Save” and you’re all set! Now you can enjoy the benefits of a VPN on your phone.
Worth knowing
There are two main types of VPN services: site-to-site and client-to-site. Site-to-site VPNs allow you to connect multiple computers to each other over the internet. Client-to-site VPNs allow you to connect one computer to another over the internet.
Once you’ve selected the type of VPN service you want to use, you’ll need to configure it. This usually involves choosing a protocol (such as PPTP or L2TP), selecting a server location, and creating user accounts.
After your VPN is configured, you can start using it by connecting to the server using your chosen protocol. You should then be able to access all of your network resources as if you were on the same LAN (local area network).
Thank your for reading!
