I thought I would share my experience of setting up a L2TP/IPsec virtual private network using SoftEther VPN on a Raspberry Pi. I have recently started playing around with SoftEther VPN as an alternative to pptpd or openswan/xl2tpd/ppp for remote access. I have openvpn installed on my pi and want to run it as a client on my VPN server. I created the Pi.crt, Pi.key and Pi.opvn file and put them in /etc/openvpn/ i renamed the Pi.opvn to client.conf.
With governments clamping down on digital freedom and hackers finding new ways to steal sensitive information – Internet has become somewhat of a dangerous place. This is a precarious situation as every day, millions of internet users face the risk of having their privacy violated by some malevolent individuals.
Table Of Contents
As you know, internet can be accessed from a variety of devices. Smartphones, Laptops, Desktops, Gaming consoles can all connect to the web and in many ways, they need the internet to function at their fullest capacity. Unfortunately, none of these devices are safer for the web than the rest.
One internet-connectable device that is growing in popularity is Raspberry Pi and it too is exposed to the massive number threats present on the web.
To mitigate these risks, you require a VPN service but as it happens, some VPNs are more effective than the others. This is why we came up with list of Best VPNs for Raspberry Pi.
![Raspberry Raspberry](/uploads/1/2/3/9/123903215/271113638.jpg)
Best VPN Services for Raspberry Pi
There are numerous VPN services that can protect your Raspberry Pi from online threats. We tested these services and after multiple trials- we carefully concluded that the following VPNs work the best on the device.
VPN Providers | Price ($) | Special Deals | More Info |
---|---|---|---|
PureVPN | $2.95Per Month | ||
Surfshark | $1.99Per Month | ||
NordVPN | $2.99Per Month | ||
ExpressVPN | $8.32Per Month | ||
CyberGhost | $2.75Per Month |
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PureVPN
- 790+ Servers
- 24/7/365 Live Chat
- Split Tunneling
- 5 Simultaneous Logins
- Strict Refund Policy
- No Free Trial
PureVPN gives you access to more than 790 servers scattered across 141 countries. Along with this, you get an AES 246 bit military grade encryption and a wide range of protocols to choose from. The VPN service is also pretty efficient on the customer support side as they provide 24/7 live chat and have a zero logs policy.
The service is also pretty convenient for Raspberry Pi users who want to stream video and downloading content. For us, PureVPN makes a case for itself as the best VPN for using torrents on Raspberry PI by offering fast and P2P optimized servers.
NordVPN
- Kill Switch
- 30 Days Refund Policy
- AES-256 with 2048 bit DH key
- Free Version
- No Refund for Bitcoin
- Bit Expensive
NordVPN is based in Panama, a country with no mandatory data retention laws. This means that you can use NordVPN on Raspberry Pi or any other device and be assured that your digital privacy is safe with the service. Moreover, this VPN service uses two extremely efficient security protocols which are OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec.
NordVPN also offers an unpaid trial which can be particularly useful for users who seek a free VPN for their Raspberry Pi. But with free version comes display ads, bandwidth limitation, weak encryption and poor customer support.
ExpressVPN
- User-Friendly App
- 30 days Refund Policy
- Dedicated Servers for Torrent
- Multiple Protocols
- No Free Trial
- Slightly Expensive
ExpressVPN has designed a truly impressive software that can be navigated with utmost ease. In addition, it provides servers from 148 locations in 94 countries and is compatible with multiple platforms.
Some tech gurus have even dubbed it as the best VPN for Raspberry Pi due the professional customer care provided by the service. The representatives of ExpressVPN are available 24/7 and are well-equipped to deal with any issues you might have.
PrivateVPN
- Inexpensive Long-term Pricing
- Good Customer Support
- Strong Encryption
- Software is Easy to Install
- Slow Speed
- Unclear Logging Policy
PrivateVPN takes its customer support to a whole new level by providing remote help to the users via the Team Viewer. This can come in really handy if you need their help to connect your Raspberry to VPN.
The software of PrivateVPN is easy to operate and can installed without much difficulty. The protocols provided by PrivateVPN include OpenVPN, L2TP, IPsec, IKEv2 and PPTP. Moreover, a free trial is available for you to test out the service.
Ivacy VPN
- Servers for Kodi and Torrents
- Netflix, Hulu and BBC iPlayer VPN
- Kill Switch
- 24/7 Live Chat
- No Free Trial
- Based In a Country With Restrictive Cyber Laws
Ivacy is a VPN with some remarkable features. It provides 275 servers from more than 100 locations and has a kill switch to prevent a potential leak. Furthermore, you can a buy a single plan on this service and simultaneously connect the VPN to five different devices.
Perhaps, the more notable feature of Ivacy is its ability to access Hulu, Netflix, BBC iPlayer and other video streaming services. And more impressively, it has dedicate servers for both torrents and Kodi.
Best VPN for Kodi on Raspberry Pi
Kodi is a media center which streams media content such as videos and music. You can use Kodi on variety of devices such as TV, Smartphone, Tablet, Laptop and others. On Kodi, you can even store live content by using its personal video recorder.
However, accessing content on Kodi is not always easy because sometimes geo-restrictions and censorship get in the way. Some VPNs work better on Kodi than the other and this way you need to have the best VPN for Kodi on Raspberry Pi.
Setting up VPN on Raspberry Pi
You can connect Raspberry Pi to VPN through two different methods.
Connect Raspberry Pi to VPN with a Router
A simple way of connecting Raspberry Pi to a VPN is through an internet router. By doing this, your online privacy remains protected as your connection remains encrypted by a security protocol. This method also saves you the time and effort you would have to apply to manually configure VPN on your Raspberry Pie.
Directly Configure VPN on Raspberry Pi
The other option is to configure the service on manually your Raspberry Pi. Now remember, different VPN providers offer a range of protocols, so the setup for each protocol might differ. We will focus our setup on OpenVPN as it is the most secure and reliable VPN protocol that you can use today. Also note that the setup was tested on Raspbian Debian Weezy.
Here’s how to configure Raspberry Pi VPN:
- Open the terminal and update the package list by entering: sudo apt-get update
- Install the OpenVPN package by typing: sudo apt-get install openvpn
- Now download the OpenVPN configuration files provided by your VPN service
- Access the downloaded OpenVPN Zip file by entering: cd /etc/openvpn
- Unzip the OpenVPN package: sudo unzip /home/pi/config.zip
- Next, run the OpenVPN config file by typing: sudo openvpn [file name]
- OpenVPN will ask for login credentials to connect, enter the username and password you selected at the time of signup
- You should be now connected to your VPN service on Raspberry Pi
- To disconnect the VPN just enter: sudo killall openvpn
What is Raspberry Pie?
Raspberry Pi is a small device that was originally designed to improve people’s knowledge about basic computer hardware and programming. However, since its creation, it has gained immense popularity and has attracted users from all across the tech community.
The device has components such as USB ports, Wi-Fi antenna ports, an Ethernet Port and an SD card slots for computer-based projects.
You can connect Raspberry Pi to any visual device of your liking through a standard HDMI cable. And to access the internet from the device, you require an Ethernet cable or a Wi-Fi dongle. Raspberry Pi does not come with peripherals like a Keyboard or a Mouse but some of its latest version are accompanied with various accessories.
Why Should I Use a VPN on Raspberry Pi
There are numerous reasons why you should be using a Raspberry Pi with a VPN. We touched upon some these reasons at the beginning of our blog post but let’s look at each one of them in detail.
Rising Security & Privacy Threats from Cyber Criminals
Access to free internet is readily available everywhere these days. You can walk into your local coffee house, airport, shopping mall and use public WiFi to check your emails, social media, bank accounts, and search the Web. However, these free public WiFi hotspots are unsecure and are crawling with hackers, snoopers, phishes, spammers, and numerous other cyber criminals.
Such threats infiltrate your device, steal all your confidential and sensitive data such as bank account details, personal pictures, addresses, documents, browsing history, and plague your device with malicious software.
Therefore, it is important to secure your Raspberry Pi from all kinds of cyber threats using a VPN, especially if you use the internet over public WiFi. A VPN encrypts all your internet traffic and routes it through secure tunnels, safeguarding your information from cyber criminals.
Invasion of Privacy By Blanket Surveillances
If hackers and others alike are not enough to retrieve your personal information then governmental intelligence agencies would leave no stone unturned. They conduct blanket surveillances on Netizens and monitor all their browsing activities, conversations, download history, and other forms of metadata.
Recent evidence leaked by the whistleblower Edward Snowden, revealed that NSA and other agencies from the Five Eye nations spy on users within their regions. They would also snoop on incoming and outgoing traffic through their borders and share user metadata among each other.
![Raspberry Raspberry](/uploads/1/2/3/9/123903215/126189849.png)
One of the tools to stop governmental agencies from spying on you is by using a VPN for Raspberry Pi. It’s IP cloaking ability and military grade encryption will stop anyone from eavesdropping on you.
Access Blocked Websites & Enjoy Unlimited Online Content
There are many websites and streaming services that are blocked in certain parts of the world. Some are geo-restricted and will only work from specified locations, while others are censored by the regulatory authorities. Therefore, a Raspberry Pi VPN will help you stream all your favorite content online from anywhere in the world.
The use of VPN becomes even more important on Raspberry Pi as the latest models have an HDMI port and have a built-in WiFi capability. You can turn your Raspberry Pi into a portable streaming device and connect a VPN service to access websites such as Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Pandora, and Spotify.
To Conclude
Raspberry Pi is a powerful tool which can be used for multiple purposes. Basically, you can perform almost as many functions on this device as you can on a normal desktop computer. This is why many people have even called Raspberry Pi a revolutionary piece of technology.
Regardless, this device is still exposed to the threats that constantly lurk the internet. To protect your sensitive data and digital activity on Raspberry Pi, you need a VPN service that offer robust encryption and efficient protocols. The best VPN for Raspberry Pi is the one which comes with these very features.