VPN tunnel?

General Discussion
1

Hi,

Looking at accessing my kodi box remotely over a different wifi network and will need a VPN for this.

Wanted to see if people do this and what method they are using?

I’m looking at using the VPN mode on my TP-Link router

2

Before i had a router that could act VPN server, I had my pi2(osmc) act as vpn-server, later I used a small cloud VPS as my own VPN server, configured so clients could access each other. Lastly I went with a VPN-service and had my OSMC device as client, then I wanted VPN for more clients on my lan, so I setup my router as vpn-client, to the paid service. I’m now looking into changing OS on router to be able to “policy based vpn-routing” like my mobile and chromecast on vpn, via our Wifi, to access some content that just allows access through a number of known vpn hosts.

Anyway, if you are going to access your LAN from remote location, a VPN-server in either your router or hosted in your LAN is the way I would suggest. The more flexible, but higher learning curve, is a VPS and host your server there, and configure it to share access between clients.

1 Like
3

Recently, I came across Zerotier. This allows users to create an internal network of machines that operates over the internet. Basically you connect each machine to an internal network group allowing then to access each other. NordVPN have recently created a service like this called Meshnet - they did not deny it was the same. The Zerotier is free for personal use - I have no idea how long this will last. I am currently using it to connect to my server and run BBC IPlayer from France. I can run IPlayer via NordVPN (which buffers annoyingly) but Zerotier connections using NoMachine runs IPlayer on my server without these issues. Go figure. ( I know, it’s all about the bandwidth…)

4

Here are common methods people use to access Kodi boxes remotely over a VPN:

  1. Router-Based VPN:
    All devices on your home network, including the Kodi box, are automatically connected to the VPN.
  2. VPN Client on Kodi Box:
    Only the Kodi box traffic is routed through the VPN, potentially saving bandwidth.
  3. VPN Client on Remote Device:
    No setup is needed on the Kodi box itself.

Steps for Method 2 (VPN Client on Kodi Box):

  1. Choose a VPN Provider: Select a VPN with fast speeds, a no-logs policy, and compatibility with your Kodi box’s operating systems like ExpressVPN and PureVPN.
  2. Install VPN Client: Install the VPN client software on your Kodi box, following the provider’s instructions.
  3. Connect to VPN: Launch the VPN client and connect to a VPN server.
  4. Configure Kodi Remote Access:
    • Enable “Allow remote control via HTTP” in Kodi’s settings.
    • Set a username and password for remote access.
    • Configure port forwarding on your router for Kodi’s remote access port.
  5. Remotely Access Kodi:
    • Use a Kodi remote control app on your phone or tablet, or access Kodi’s web interface from a web browser on a remote device.
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Try Tailscale