Connecting to VPN Gate Using the OpenVPN Protocol
This document explains how to connect to a VPN Gate VPN relay server using the OpenVPN Client developed by OpenVPN Technologies, Inc..
Easy alternative ways to connect to VPN
Other methods are easier than OpenVPN. If those methods fail to connect to the VPN, try OpenVPN.
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On Windows, SoftEther VPN Client is easy to use.
Configuring OpenVPN Client is more troublesome than SoftEther VPN Client.
If you are using Windows, we recommend SoftEther VPN Client
because it is easy to configure and stable. SoftEther VPN Client
can display the list of currently running VPN Gate servers on the software screen. -
On Mac OS, iOS, and Android, L2TP/IPsec is very easy to use.
OpenVPN VPN Client software is built into Windows, Mac, iOS
and Android. L2TP is easier to configure than OpenVPN. We recommend trying L2TP/IPsec before trying OpenVPN.
Some firewalls may filter L2TP/IPsec
packets. On such networks, you should use OpenVPN.
Select your operating system
Step-by-step guide for VPN on Windows (Using OpenVPN)
This document describes how to connect to a public VPN Gate VPN
relay server by using the OpenVPN Client developed by OpenVPN Technologies, Inc., on Windows XP, 7, 8, 10, Server
2003, 2008, 2012.
-
For Windows, SoftEther VPN
Client is recommended.
Configuring L2TP/IPsec Client is more troublesome than SoftEther VPN Client.
If you are using Windows, we recommend SoftEther VPN Client
because it is easy to configure and stable. SoftEther VPN Client
can display the list of currently running VPN Gate servers on the software interface.
In this guide, we use the Windows 7 interface. Windows XP and
Windows 8 are similar, but there are slight differences.
1. Initial setup (only required once)
Download and install the OpenVPN software. It is developed by OpenVPN
Technologies, Inc. and released as open-source software.
Double-click the downloaded OpenVPN program file.
The setup wizard will appear. Follow the instructions in the wizard to install it.
2. Download and install the OpenVPN connection configuration file (.ovpn file)
(only required once)
To connect to a VPN Gate public VPN
relay server using OpenVPN, you must download an OpenVPN connection configuration file (.ovpn).
-
Download the OpenVPN connection configuration file from the Public VPN
Relay Servers List page .
Select a VPN server you want to connect to, and click
the “.ovpn” file to download it to your desktop.
If you save the .ovpn file on your desktop, it will appear with the OpenVPN
icon as shown below. However, you cannot start a VPN connection by double-clicking this file.
You must install the downloaded .ovpn file in OpenVPN’s “config”
folder.
Open the “C:Program FilesOpenVPNconfig” folder, and copy the .ovpn file into it.
3. Connect to the VPN
Right-click the “OpenVPN GUI”
icon on the desktop, and click “Run as administrator” .
On Windows Vista and later, you need to use
“Run as administrator”. Otherwise, the VPN connection will fail.
The OpenVPN GUI icon will appear in the Windows task tray at the bottom right of the screen.
(The icon may sometimes be hidden. Click the upward arrow to show all hidden icons.)
Right-click the OpenVPN GUI
icon, and click “Connect”.
The VPN connection will start. The connection status will be displayed on the screen.
You may see a username and password prompt on the screen. Enter “vpn” (3
letters) at the prompt. (This rarely appears.)
If the VPN connection is successfully established, the following message will appear.
4. Enjoy the Internet through the VPN relay
Although the VPN connection has been established, a virtual network adapter
will be created on Windows, and it will be assigned an
IP address starting with “10.211”. The default gateway address will be assigned to the virtual network adapter. You can run the
“ipconfig / all” command at the Windows command prompt to confirm these network settings.
When the VPN is established, all communications to the Internet will be forwarded through the VPN
server. You can verify this by using the “tracert 8.8.8.8” command in the Windows command prompt.
As shown above, if the packet route goes through “10.211.254.254”,
your communications are now being forwarded through one of the VPN Gate public VPN
servers.
You can also visit the VPN Gate Top Page to check your current global IP address. If you are connected to a
VPN server located in a foreign country, you can see that your source country or region has changed to another one.
When your VPN connection is established, enjoy YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.
Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail use the HTTPS (SSL)
encrypted communication protocol. Whether through a VPN
or not, no one can eavesdrop on these encrypted communications.
Step-by-Step Guide for VPN on Mac (Using OpenVPN)
This document describes how to connect to a VPN Gate relay
VPN server using Tunnelblick. Tunnelblick is a GUI version of the OpenVPN Client for Mac
OS X.
In this guide, all screenshots are from Mac OS X Mountain Lion. The configuration procedure for other versions of Mac OS X
is similar, although there may be slight differences in the user interface.
These screenshots are from the English version of Mac OS X.
If you use another language, you should still be able to configure it easily by referring to the following guide.
-
L2TP/IPsec is very easy to use on Mac OS X.
The OpenVPN VPN Client software is built into Mac. L2TP is easier to configure than OpenVPN.
We recommend trying L2TP/IPsec before attempting OpenVPN.
Some firewalls may filter L2TP/IPsec
packets. On such networks, you should use OpenVPN.
1. Install Tunnelblick (only required once the first time)
Download and install Tunnelblick from the link below. You should download the latest version
(if there is a trial version) to use.
The installation should be performed according to the on-screen instructions.
After the installation is complete, the following screen will be displayed. Click “I have configuration files”.
Click the “OpenVPN Configuration (s)” button.
Click the “Create Tunnelblick VPN
Configuration” button.
A new folder, “Empty Tunnelblick VPN Configuration”, will be created on the desktop.
2. Download and install the OpenVPN connection configuration file (.ovpn file)
(only required once the first time)
To connect to a VPN Gate public VPN
relay server using OpenVPN, you must download an OpenVPN connection configuration file (.ovpn).
-
Download the OpenVPN connection configuration file from the Public VPN
Relay Servers List page .
Select a VPN server you want to connect to, and click
“.ovpn” to download the file to your desktop.
The icon for the .ovpn file is shown in the image below.
Move and copy this OpenVPN connection configuration file (.ovpn file)
to the “Empty Tunnelblick VPN Configuration” folder
that was automatically created on the desktop in the previous step.
Next, rename the “Empty Tunnelblick VPN
Configuration” folder on the desktop to “anyname.tblk”. (The “anyname” part can vary.)
After renaming, you must specify the “.tblk” extension.
When you try to rename it, the following message will appear. Click the “Add” button.
Double-click the .tblk folder, and the following screen will appear. Click “Only Me”.
You will be prompted to enter your Mac OS X username and password.
The above steps import the OpenVPN connection configuration file (.ovpn file) into
Tunnelblick.
3. Connect to the VPN
Click the Tunnelblick icon in the Mac OS X menu bar, and click “Connect vpn”. (The “vpn”
part can vary.) The VPN connection will be initiated.
The VPN connection status screen is shown below.
After the VPN connection is established, Tunnelblick’s
main screen will display “Connected”.
4. Enjoy the Internet via the VPN relay
When the VPN is established, all communications to the Internet will be relayed through the VPN server.
You can also visit the VPN Gate top page to check your current global IP
address. If you connect to a
VPN server located in a foreign country, you can see that your source country or region has changed to another one.
Once your VPN connection is established, enjoy YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.
Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail use the HTTPS (SSL)
encrypted communication protocol. Whether through the VPN
or not, no one can eavesdrop on these encrypted communications.
Step-by-Step Guide for VPN on iPhone / iPad (Using OpenVPN)
This document describes how to use OpenVPN to connect to a VPN Gate relay VPN
server. OpenVPN Connect is an OpenVPN client for iOS developed by OpenVPN Technologies, Inc..
In this guide, all screenshots are taken from the iOS 6 version. The configuration procedure for
other versions of Mac OS X
is similar, but there may be slight differences in the user interface.
These screenshots are from the English version of iOS.
If you are using another language, you should still be able to configure it easily by referring to the guide below.
-
L2TP/IPsec is very easy to use on iOS.
The OpenVPN VPN Client software is built into iOS. L2TP is easier to configure than OpenVPN.
We recommend trying
L2TP/IPsec before trying OpenVPN. Some firewalls may filter L2TP/IPsec
packets. On such networks, you should use OpenVPN.
1. Install OpenVPN Connect (only required once, the first time)
Open “App Store”, search for and download “OpenVPN Connect”.
- If you are browsing this website on an iPhone / iPad, click here to install it.
2. Download and install the OpenVPN connection profile (.ovpn file)
(only required once, the first time)
To connect to a VPN Gate public VPN
relay server using OpenVPN, you must download an OpenVPN connection settings file (.ovpn).
- Download the OpenVPN connection settings file from the Public VPN Relay Servers List page .
After installing OpenVPN Connect, you can open the Public VPN
Relay Servers List page, tap the .ovpn file, and import it directly into OpenVPN Connect.
You can also open the Public VPN Relay Servers List page on your computer, download an .ovpn
file, attach it to an email, and send it to your iPhone / iPad.
When you try to open an .ovpn file on iOS, OpenVPN Connect
will start automatically. A prompt asking whether you want to install the .ovpn file will appear.
Tap the “+” button to install the .ovpn file.
3. Connect to VPN
To connect to a VPN, launch OpenVPN Connect, select an imported .ovpn
file, and tap the “OFF” button.
After the VPN
is established, the “Connected” status will be displayed as shown below.
4. Enjoy the Internet through the VPN relay
When the VPN is established, all communications to the Internet will be relayed through the VPN server.
You can also visit the VPN Gate Top Page to check your current global IP
address. If you connect to a VPN server located in another country,
you can see that your source country or region has changed to a different one.
When the VPN is established, iOS
displays the “VPN” indicator in the top status bar of the screen.
When your VPN connection is established, enjoy YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.
Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail use the HTTPS (SSL)
encrypted communication protocol. Whether or not you use a VPN
, no one can eavesdrop on these encrypted communications.
Step-by-Step Guide for VPN on Android (Using OpenVPN)
This document describes how to use OpenVPN Connect to connect to a VPN Gate relay VPN
server. OpenVPN Connect is an OpenVPN client for Android developed by OpenVPN Technologies, Inc.
.
In this guide, all screenshots are taken from Android version 4.x. The setup procedure for
other versions of Android 4.x is similar, but there may be slight differences in the user interface. These screenshots are from the English version of Android. If you use another language, you should still be able to configure it easily by referring to the guide below.
-
L2TP/IPsec is very easy to use on Android.
The OpenVPN VPN Client is built into Android. L2TP is
easier to configure than OpenVPN. We recommend trying
L2TP/IPsec before trying OpenVPN. Some firewalls may filter L2TP/IPsec
packets. On such networks, you should use OpenVPN.
1. Install OpenVPN Connect (only needs to be installed once the first time)
Open the “Google Play Store” , search for the “OpenVPN
Connect” app, and download it.
- If you are browsing this website on Android, click here to download it.
2. Download and install the OpenVPN connection configuration file (.ovpn file)
(only needs to be installed once the first time)
To connect to a VPN Gate public VPN
relay server using OpenVPN, you must download an OpenVPN connection settings file (.ovpn).
- Download the OpenVPN connection settings file from the Public VPN Relay Servers List page.
After you install OpenVPN Connect, you can open the Public VPN
Relay Servers List page, tap an .ovpn file, and import it directly into OpenVPN Connect.
You can also open the Public VPN Relay Servers List page on your computer, download an .ovpn
file, attach it to an email, and send it to your Android device.
3. Connect to the VPN
To connect to a VPN, launch OpenVPN Connect, select an imported .ovpn
file, and click the “Connect” button.
After the VPN
is established, the “Connected” status will be displayed as shown below.
4. Enjoy the Internet via the VPN Relay
When the VPN is established, all communications to the Internet will be relayed through the VPN server.
You can also visit the VPN Gate top page to check your current global IP
address. If you connect to a
VPN server located in a foreign country, you can confirm that your country or region of origin has changed to another one.
Once your VPN connection is established, enjoy YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.
Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail use the HTTPS (SSL)
encrypted communication protocol. Whether or not you use a VPN
, no one can eavesdrop on these encrypted communications.