good day to all i just want to ask if i can use my tp- link TL-WR741ND router to put a openvpn configuration
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thank you very much for this quick reply but maybe is there any video tutorial for this?
@myka013 - what @vgaetera was pointing to was the fact that your device is 4/32 (4MB flash, 32MB RAM). This is generally insufficient for an OpenVPN installation (although not impossible, as referenced in the 3rd link).
You'd be best served by picking up a newer device with more memory. There are a lot of compatible routers, new and used, that can be had for as little as $20 US that will be up to the task.
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hello again because i still don't know how to setup my router to have vpn i just bought a router with pre-installed vpn on it for a high price just to use it for our home then suddenly i read about openwrt setup and its too late for me to return the router i bought.my questions now is ,is there a way that i can backup to an image file the router i use now for me to learn the openwrt to setup a vpn so if i can messed up i can bring it back again?
Just to be clear, the TP-Link router you've been talking about in this thread is not going to work for OpenVPN.
Now, it sounds like you picked up another device that includes VPN capabilities out of the box, and that you'd like to explore OpenWrt on that device. There is a search system for supported devices here -- use this to find out if your newer device is supported. If so, there should be info that will help you flash OpenWrt and hopefully also some documentation about going back to the stock firmware, should you decide to do so. Read all the documentation before you start so you know what to expect.
Most of the time the process goes well, but it is not guaranteed to work. Please understand that there is some risk that you could 'brick' your router if something goes wrong with the flash process, and it is not always easy to get back to the stock firmware (and there may be risk associated with going back, too). There are sometimes ways to salvage a botched flash, but you may find that it requires a bit of advanced knowledge to get some of those methods to work. This is not to scare you away, but just to make sure you have the right expectations and understandings about the risks.
A 'safer' approach might be to buy a used router (that is supported) from eBay or craigslist or similar that has at least 8MB flash space and 64MB RAM. If it is sufficiently inexpensive and not a 'production' device (i.e. critical for your network), you can use it as your learning platform without the worry about really messing things up. Alternatively, you could install the x86 version of OpenWrt on a spare computer or a as a virtual machine on your existing computer (I like Virtual Box for this), or get a Raspberry Pi -- all of which will give you the ability to play with OpenWrt while still giving you the easy ability to easily re-do anything that gets messed up (much harder to brick x86 machines/VMs or a Raspberry Pi).
im sorry my bad i didnt bought router someone is configure my tp-link to setup openvpn via team viewer and i pay him but after that i cant contact him anymore my problem is the vpn account is only for 1 month then after that i cant use again sorry for my bad english thats why i want to learn to set it up by my own,but for now while learning i want to use also the config until the account expire or until i know how to set it up
I'm not really sure how to help you, as it is not totally clear what you've got and what you're trying to do.
In theory, your router with OpenVPN already installed will continue to work, but it sounds like you have an account with a commercial VPN provider company that will expire. If this is true, you don't need to setup a new router with OpenVPN, but you just need to sign up for a continuing account, and maybe change some minor configuration details with the device you have now -- the VPN provider you are using or choose to use in the future should have some instructions and you can also look through these forums and OpenWrt Wikis to get more info about how to setup those specific services and accounts.
i want to learn also how to cofigure and setup a new vpn or server so i can change it if i want so maybe i can backup the router configuration im using now then ill try to learn and practice how to setup openwrt to my tp-link router then setup a vpn on it
So my advice is the same as before -- if you want a 'playground' to use to learn OpenWrt, pick up an inexpensive device (router or Raspberry Pi) or setup an x86 machine (or VM). If you're willing to take the risk on your existing hardware, go for it. But that TL-WR741ND is not a good option.
OpenVPN client on Openwrt: https://loganmarchione.com/2015/02/openwrt-with-openvpn-client-on-tp-link-tl-mr3020-3/; skip upto extroot part, start from vpn setup.
Since you're using a lower-end device. You will have to use a pre-compiled firmware built with openvpn.
Also to be kept in mind that the performance will be poor because of the CPU.
Except that the WR741ND does not have a USB port, so extroot is not an option. It may be possible to build a custom image that includes OpenVPN, but that, combined with the lack of LuCI (to make space for OpenVPN) seems like it might be beyond the current expertise of the OP.
EDIT: It seems that the link that @jayanta525 provided does include OpenVPN and LuCI. It may be a good option to try (especially for learning), but all the caveats about low end devices still applies.
is it possible that he can lock the gateway ip of my router?because i can't access using luci web it always refuse to connect i can't also access putty because he already change the root password
I assume you're asking about the person who configured your router using TeamViewer? Maybe. Anything is possible if you allow someone else to configure your device and you don't know what they have done (and especially if you don't have the ability to change the password). If the person enabled remote access capabilities (VPN, web or ssh login via the internet, etc.), they could certainly access the router remotely and change things without your knowledge or consent.
With that in mind, if you cannot fully trust the person who setup your router, I would highly recommend that you disconnect it from the internet because they have the ability to be a major security risk for your network and your personal data. I would not recommend using the router again unless you can completely reset it to factory defaults.
actually i want to reset it and learn to setup by my own but if i do that i can't use my router which i have the configuration of openvpn that i use right now which is the reason i have internet connections
It seems like you are in a tough spot. Really I think your best bet would be to use a non-critical router (it sounds like the WR741ND is available for you to use) and the links that @jayanta525 provided to learn how to do the setup and configuration of the OpenVPN client and/or server devices. You should probably do this quickly given the concerns about your other router that is currently in use as your main internet gateway.
yes you are right that's why im asking if i can backup my router configuration that im using now so that i can learn and practice on it and if messed up i can just restore it again until i dont have any spare of router to use and learn to setup but if thats not possible to do it the only thing i can do is to buy a new router to use for my learning
If your router is already running OpenWrt and you have the password for administering it, yes you can back it up and restore later, but you may also need to reinstall packages.
Safest bet, though, is to buy an inexpensive router (used is fine) to use while you learn.
For Backup:
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Open your internet connection properties window and check for the gateway ip address.
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Open your browser and point to that address, Luci should open and try logging in with the default password and if it doesn't work, get hold of the password from the person who configured it.
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If Luci fails to connect, use ssh to login into the router.
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In Luci, go to System > Backup and download your current settings.
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For SSH, use STP to browse the directories and copy the contents of /etc/config/
After the backup is done, reset the configuration,
For Luci: System > Backup > Reset settings
For SSH:
mount_rootfirstboot-
reboot -for just unplug the router.
Thank you guys! I found this information very useful. Everything is working for me now.