Smart home toggle for VPN Client in Merlin

[Rappy]

Hi. Xentrk and I have been finding it impossible to solve the issue of finding all the IP ranges to effectively send just the AppleTV BBC iPlayer app down a VPN tunnel, sparing the rest of its apps. So I am trying to think of what else could be done to make the task of turning on and off the VPN in the GUI more simple and quick.

Can anyone give any hints where I should start in trying to setup some kind of homekit (and thus Siri) enabled smart home toggle for removing and adding a device to my VPN policy rules? I could also toggle off and on the VPN Client itself, however this takes a little more time to reconnect and such.

Basically I am trying to make it so that when my daughter is wanting to watch something on the iPlayer app, I do not have to go to my computer, log in, and toggle the VPN manually. Likewise when anyone else wants to watch something on Netflix or another US based app, I don't want to have to find the computer log in etc etc.

Any ideas? Or even some ideas on where Xentrk and I have found my situation in the other thread? (https://www.snbforums.com/threads/selective-routing-with-asuswrt-merlin.9311/page-37)
Many thanks.

 

[joegreat]

First idea: Why posting twice here and here?

 

[Rappy]

To get viewers from both forum sections. One is for VPN, one is for Merlin firmware. I am sure there are some who frequent VPN who do not have Merlin and vice versa, but the question is reaching out to both.

 

[Jack Yaz]

To get viewers from both forum sections. One is for VPN, one is for Merlin firmware. I am sure there are some who frequent VPN who do not have Merlin and vice versa, but the question is reaching out to both.

Policy rules is a Merlin-exclusive, I believe.

Add/remove your client to the nvram on VPNClient1 example) , and restart VPNClient1, via ssh. On Android, for example, I can create a script shortcut to ssh to router and run the command. Not sure how that could be done on iOS or via Siri etc. however.

 

[Xentrk]

Policy rules is a Merlin-exclusive, I believe.

Add/remove your client to the nvram on VPNClient1 example) , and restart VPNClient1, via ssh. On Android, for example, I can create a script shortcut to ssh to router and run the command. Not sure how that could be done on iOS or via Siri etc. however.

Concur. I thought I recall seeing a script recently, or part of a script, that did this that @Martineau wrote. He could execute it from his client.

 

[Xentrk]

Hi. Xentrk and I have been finding it impossible to solve the issue of finding all the IP ranges to effectively send just the AppleTV BBC iPlayer app down a VPN tunnel, sparing the rest of its apps. So I am trying to think of what else could be done to make the task of turning on and off the VPN in the GUI more simple and quick.

Can anyone give any hints where I should start in trying to setup some kind of homekit (and thus Siri) enabled smart home toggle for removing and adding a device to my VPN policy rules? I could also toggle off and on the VPN Client itself, however this takes a little more time to reconnect and such.

Basically I am trying to make it so that when my daughter is wanting to watch something on the iPlayer app, I do not have to go to my computer, log in, and toggle the VPN manually. Likewise when anyone else wants to watch something on Netflix or another US based app, I don't want to have to find the computer log in etc etc.

Any ideas? Or even some ideas on where Xentrk and I have found my situation in the other thread? (https://www.snbforums.com/threads/selective-routing-with-asuswrt-merlin.9311/page-37)
Many thanks.

You may want to try TorGuard's VPN service for iPlayer. I think they have the 30 day refund package if you are not satisfied. I wonder if your VPN provider is doing something that is causing you the issues. I would email or call their support on their website to make an inquiry.

 

[Rappy]

You may want to try TorGuard's VPN service for iPlayer. I think they have the 30 day refund package if you are not satisfied. I wonder if your VPN provider is doing something that is causing you the issues. I would email or call their support on their website to make an inquiry.

Definitely not my VPN. The tunnel for iPlayer traffic only works when you choose a non UK exit tunnel. If you choose a UK server from among many, the company just sends all traffic regularly and doesn't filter it. I have tried another service already. It is just the way that they store their content dispersed over many hundreds/ thousands of servers at akamai and AWS. The only way to block them all would be to then stop other apps from working properly.

 

[Rappy]

Policy rules is a Merlin-exclusive, I believe.

Add/remove your client to the nvram on VPNClient1 example) , and restart VPNClient1, via ssh. On Android, for example, I can create a script shortcut to ssh to router and run the command. Not sure how that could be done on iOS or via Siri etc. however.

Hi, do you have a specific line of code for this please? I am not a coder myself so I need all the help I can get. Thanks.

 

[Xentrk]

Hi, do you have a specific line of code for this please? I am not a coder myself so I need all the help I can get. Thanks.

I did a forum search on the example I mentioned. Here are the links:

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/s...t-from-device-in-local-net.29958/#post-233148

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/how-to-select-a-vpn-client-from-a-win-pc.40414/#post-338503

 

[Xentrk]

Definitely not my VPN. The tunnel for iPlayer traffic only works when you choose a non UK exit tunnel. If you choose a UK server from among many, the company just sends all traffic regularly and doesn't filter it. I have tried another service already. It is just the way that they store their content dispersed over many hundreds/ thousands of servers at akamai and AWS. The only way to block them all would be to then stop other apps from working properly.

I looked up six akamai domain names from the mining I did and they all start with 88.221.134. Using CIDR ranges should work. At least in theory. I may proceed with paying for the VPN service so I can try to get it to work.