VPNMON [BETA] VPNMON-R2 BETA is CLOSED. Thank you all for your help!!

[Viktor Jaep]

Beta 3 is out there with some new unique features, allowing you to reset your VPN connection or reboot your router from remote!

- MAJOR: Added the capability to reset your VPN connection or reboot your router using an external file! I find myself in a pickle at times, unable to access my devices on a subnet, and unable to control my router from remote due to a misconfiguration or because the VPN tunnel got borked up, preventing all our devices from getting out to the internet. I wanted to (selfishly) find a way to externally cause the router to reset its VPN connection, and in a worst-case scenario, reboot the router! Well, that is all now possible. Simply host a file off an internet accessible server, having one of the words "RESET", "REBOOT" or "NORMAL" on the first line of the file. With options on the 2nd page in the config, you can specify if you want to enable this feature, what the full URL path to this file is (example: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ViktorJp/VPNMON-R2/main/event.txt), and what kind of interval you want to use to check on this file. The next time VPNMON-R2 checks the file, it will act on one of these commands!

The external file needs to have that single command at the top on line 1... like this:

NORMAL

# Valid options for remotely controlling your VPN connection or router resets are as follows. Command MUST be entered on line 1.
#
# RESET  -- This will cause VPNMON-R2 to intiate a VPN connection reset
# REBOOT -- This will cause VPNMON-R2 to intiate a reboot of your router
# NORMAL -- This will allow VPNMON-R2 to continue normal operations

Download link found on the [OP]

Significant screenshots:

Second page of config options for this feature:

External file causing a VPN Connection Reset:

Or a router reboot:

If something is wrong with your external file, not accessible, or you have one of the commands wrong, VPNMON-R2 will tell you:

 

[Viktor Jaep]

Beta 4 is released, and will probably be the last major change before taking this live in the next few days...

-MAJOR: Added the capability for VPNMON-R2 to auto-start after a reboot. By popular demand, I'm not sure how many times this was asked, so it's finally in there! Config menu item #16 will ask if you want VPNMON-R2 to auto-start. It inserts the command 'vpnmon-r2.sh -screen' into your /jffs/scripts/post-mount file. Please note, vpnmon-r2 will be running under the SCREEN utility in the background in this case. An indicator at the top of the UI shows if this feature is enabled and command is intact in your post-mount file. If for some reason it's different than what was originally added, it will indicate that there's an issue.

Download link found on the [OP]

Significant Screenshots:

Config menu item 16 now allows you to enable/disable auto-start after reboot!

Some new indicators at the top of the UI that show status for both External Resets and Auto Start features:

 

[iTyPsIDg]

Hey @machinist ... wanted to check back in with you to see if you had any luck with testing VPNMON-R2 with AirVPN?

I'm in Jordan now and if you thought Turkey was bad, Jordan completely blocks NordVPN. I decided to try AirVPN; however, I can only get Wireguard to connect. I can't manage to get it to connect period with OpenVPN, even before bringing VPNMON-R2 into the equation. I'm not sure what else to try to get it to work or I'd test it for you. I'm also back to geo-restrictions because I am not using Nord's SmartDNS anymore.

 

[SomeWhereOverTheRainBow]

I'm in Jordan now and if you thought Turkey was bad, Jordan completely blocks NordVPN. I decided to try AirVPN; however, I can only get Wireguard to connect. I can't manage to get it to connect period with OpenVPN, even before bringing VPNMON-R2 into the equation. I'm not sure what else to try to get it to work or I'd test it for you. I'm also back to geo-restrictions because I am not using Nord's SmartDNS anymore.

@Viktor Jaep do you have any advice.... We must help this chap break through his digital boarders.

 

[Viktor Jaep]

I'm in Jordan now and if you thought Turkey was bad, Jordan completely blocks NordVPN. I decided to try AirVPN; however, I can only get Wireguard to connect. I can't manage to get it to connect period with OpenVPN, even before bringing VPNMON-R2 into the equation. I'm not sure what else to try to get it to work or I'd test it for you. I'm also back to geo-restrictions because I am not using Nord's SmartDNS anymore.

Not quite sure what to suggest... maybe worthwhile considering bringing a Starlink dish with you to point up at the sky out your window? I didn't know Jordan also blocked the internet at this scale. Information wants to be free!

 

[SomeWhereOverTheRainBow]

Not quite sure what to suggest... maybe worthwhile considering bringing a Starlink dish with you to point up at the sky out your window? I didn't know Jordan also blocked the internet at this scale. Information wants to be free!

ExpressVPN is suppose to be good.

 

[Tech9]

maybe worthwhile considering bringing a Starlink dish with you to point up at the sky out your window?

Starlink is region locked. There are extra options for mobility.

 

[iTyPsIDg]

ExpressVPN is suppose to be good.

ExpressVPN does work great, but you have to download their firmware to get it to work on an Asus router, and they don't support many models. Their links were broken, but I eventually found this option as well. It still doesn't help with the geo-restrictions. Ultimately, installing ExpressVPN on my FireTV and letting it go to the WAN directly via VPN Director allows me to bypass those restrictions. As far as I can tell, only NordVPN has a good solution that works completely on the router.

How to Set Up ExpressVPN on Asus Routers | ExpressVPN

Learn how to set up ExpressVPN on Asus RT-AC68U, RT-AC87U, RT-AC56R, RT-AC56S, and RT-AC56U routers.

www.expressvpn.com

If you click the link for manual configuration, you get a fancy 404. I want to try to get AirVPN with OpenVPN working manually, and then maybe I can get it to work with VPNMON. It keeps telling me I have a bad configuration when I try to turn it on.

I can also try another month of another service until I find one that works.

 

[machinist]

ExpressVPN does work great, but you have to download their firmware to get it to work on an Asus router, and they don't support many models.

How to Set Up ExpressVPN on Asus Routers | ExpressVPN

Learn how to set up ExpressVPN on Asus RT-AC68U, RT-AC87U, RT-AC56R, RT-AC56S, and RT-AC56U routers.

www.expressvpn.com

If you click the link for manual configuration, you get a fancy 404. I want to try to get AirVPN with OpenVPN working manually, and then maybe I can get it to work with VPNMON. It keeps telling me I have a bad configuration when I try to turn it on.

I can also try another month of another service until I find one that works.

I did get VPNMON to work with airvpn in the other thread. Although, not in Jordan. Have you tried Mullvad? That, or Proton. Believe they also have a free tier.

 

[iTyPsIDg]

Weird thing, this morning the OpenVPN for AirVPN just started working. I still can't seem to bypass geo restrictions for Disney+, Hulu, etc. But VPNMON is working as expected now.

If anything, I'm curating a good list of countries where you might have some trouble streaming and using VPNs.

 

[iTyPsIDg]

Weird thing, this morning the OpenVPN for AirVPN just started working. I still can't seem to bypass geo restrictions for Disney+, Hulu, etc. But VPNMON is working as expected now.

If anything, I'm curating a good list of countries where you might have some trouble streaming and using VPNs.

I think I found out why. I guess I did something that changed the custom config. The original one, that does not work is:

resolv-retry infinite
auth-nocache
explicit-exit-notify 5
push-peer-info
setenv UV_IPV6 yes
remote-cert-tls server
data-ciphers CHACHA20-POLY1305:AES-256-GCM:AES-256-CBC:AES-192-GCM:AES-192-CBC:AES-128-GCM:AES-128-CBC
data-ciphers-fallback AES-256-CBC

But this one changed on one of my clients and it does work:

resolv-retry infinite
auth-nocache
explicit-exit-notify 5
remote-cert-tls server
cipher AES-256-CBC

It looks like I'm using a falback cipher as a default now. I might try changing just that to see if it still works.

 

[Viktor Jaep]

If anything, I'm curating a good list of countries where you might have some trouble streaming and using VPNs.

You totally need to write a how-to guide on VPN configurations across these many countries! I bet that would be super helpful for visitors or even those who live there trying to get around their governments' restrictions!

 

[Viktor Jaep]

Hey everyone... v2.55b1 is available for those running Unbound... please read the [OP] for further info!

What's new?:
v2.55b1 - (Revisions as of Apr 29, 2023)
- MAJOR: Added functionality to integrate with Unbound! This update will now force Unbound to accept and apply the newest VPN slot to its config after a VPN reset, so that all unencrypted port 53 DNS traffic to the root servers now gets forced out over your VPN connection, instead of out over the open Internet for your ISP (or others) to snoop on. Please note, this is not an end-all-be-all fix to keep all DNS lookups private, but it certainly helps get you closer.

Download:

curl --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ViktorJp/VPNMON-R2/master/vpnmon-r2-2.55b1.sh" -o "/jffs/scripts/vpnmon-r2.sh" && chmod 755 "/jffs/scripts/vpnmon-r2.sh"

Significant Screenshot:

 

[Viktor Jaep]

v2.55b2 - (Revisions as of Apr 30, 2023)
- ADDED: Per one of @Martineau's old suggestions in the threads, when enabling this feature in the configuration menu, I've also added a command in the POST-MOUNT file that will disable Unbounds's VPN binding upon a router reboot as a fail-safe so that DNS resolutions aren't impacted as they would still be trying to get out over a VPN tunnel that is no longer in existence.

Beta Download:

curl --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ViktorJp/VPNMON-R2/master/vpnmon-r2-2.55b2.sh" -o "/jffs/scripts/vpnmon-r2.sh" && chmod 755 "/jffs/scripts/vpnmon-r2.sh"

 

[SomeWhereOverTheRainBow]

v2.55b2 - (Revisions as of Apr 30, 2023)
- ADDED: Per one of @Martineau's old suggestions in the threads, when enabling this feature in the configuration menu, I've also added a command in the POST-MOUNT file that will disable Unbounds's VPN binding upon a router reboot as a fail-safe so that DNS resolutions aren't impacted as they would still be trying to get out over a VPN tunnel that is no longer in existence.

Beta Download:

curl --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ViktorJp/VPNMON-R2/master/vpnmon-r2-2.55b2.sh" -o "/jffs/scripts/vpnmon-r2.sh" && chmod 755 "/jffs/scripts/vpnmon-r2.sh"

@Viktor Jaep You got to keep control of those tunnels...

 

[Viktor Jaep]

@Viktor Jaep You got to keep control of those tunnels...

Got the packets goin' thru the tunnel all secure now...

 

[Viktor Jaep]

v2.55b3 released after some "stern recommendations" from my family due to a VPN reset incident that happened this evening...

v2.55b3 - (Revisions as of Apr 30, 2023)
- CHANGED: As soon as the VPN goes down and a reset commences, I am calling the Unbound vpn=disable function in order to prevent DNS resolution issues. While dealing with a VPN reset, heard some screams from the fam that the internet wasn't reachable... aside from the lack of patience, I decided to make sure that VPN binding is turned off right away, and gets turned back on after another tunnel has been established.

Download

curl --retry 3 "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ViktorJp/VPNMON-R2/master/vpnmon-r2-2.55b3.sh" -o "/jffs/scripts/vpnmon-r2.sh" && chmod 755 "/jffs/scripts/vpnmon-r2.sh"

 

[ZebMcKayhan]

I've also added a command in the POST-MOUNT file that will disable Unbounds's VPN binding upon a router reboot as a fail-safe so that DNS resolutions aren't impacted as they would still be trying to get out over a VPN tunnel that is no longer in existence.

Just fyi, I did this alittle different to circumvent the issue during i.e unexpected reboot, like power outage.

https://github.com/ZebMcKayhan/Wire...p-transmission-andor-unbound-to-use-wg-client

But its challanging for dynamic ipv6...

 

[Viktor Jaep]

Just fyi, I did this alittle different to circumvent the issue during i.e unexpected reboot, like power outage.

https://github.com/ZebMcKayhan/Wire...p-transmission-andor-unbound-to-use-wg-client

But its challanging for dynamic ipv6...

Hey @ZebMcKayhan ... thanks for sharing. Wow, nothing is easy it seems.

 

[ZebMcKayhan]

Hey @ZebMcKayhan ... thanks for sharing. Wow, nothing is easy it seems.

Remember a discussion some time ago where just binding unbound to vpn interface just didnt cut it... let me see if I can dig it up... aah here it is... you might need to backtrack alittle, but this is basically were it culminates:
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/how-to-monitor-dns-traffic-in-real-time.77151/post-747435