VPN and Orange

[Mik_Bennett]

@hairbear

@Mik_Bennett

every device using the router is on the same VPN settings

Not sure exactly what you mean by this ?.

I mean, if I set my VPN on the router to say London, all the devices picking up the internet connection from the router will appear to be in London as well.

[billybutcher]

@Mik_Bennett

I mean, if I set my VPN on the router to say London, all the devices picking up the internet connection from the router will appear to be in London as well.

There are many ways to avoid this - either, as @hairbear says choose a router which allows separate SSIDs (i.e WiFi networks) for each VPN, on one which supports “policy based routing” whereby you can define certain clients to use particular VPN gateways, or - and this is how I have things at the moment - you can use DHCP options to give clients specific gateway addresses.

Though there’s a lot to be said for the option which works for you, whatever it is.

[santiago102]

Just to bring you up to date. I found my Firestick 2.0, which already had NORDVPN installed on it, plugged it in to the mains and one of the HDMI sockets on the TV and voilà - I-Player at the flick of a switch. This Firestick will go back to the bedroom TV and the one coming on Friday, the latest version, will go on the TV in our séjour.
Thanks for all the conversation which I have enjoyed, although I am not fully understanding why the expense has apparently been mounting up with more than one router.

[hairbear]

@Mik_Bennett

I see what you are getting at HB. Yes, I do use one router for everything. My livebox is in the basement and connected by ethernet to the router on the ground floor.

But, as the Livebox is a router, you do have two routers. It’s how you have connected the two together and/or configured them that is the issue. There should be no need for any complicated configuration as billy suggests, I don’t do any of this. I simply connect the Livebox (my ISP router) via ethernet to the WAN port on my second router and program the VPN on that second router and use a different DHCP address range. This creates a separate network over WiFi or ethernet that does not conflict with the Livebox router at all.

[hairbear]

@Mik_Bennett

I mean, if I set my VPN on the router to say London, all the devices picking up the internet connection from the router will appear to be in London as well.

I think your issue is that there is confusion between devices connected over the VPN and those connected locally. They should be entirely separate and you should be able to connect to a local WiFi (from the Livebox) and be seen to be in France whilst simultaneously connecting to the ‘other’ routers WiFi and appear to be in London. The two networks should be entirely separate.

[Mik_Bennett]

@billybutcher

Though there’s a lot to be said for the option which works for you, whatever it is.

I think that is the point BB. I personally find it so easy to have the VPN software on each device. That way I can, for example, take my firestick on holiday without changing anything and can have a VPN on my phone even when out using data. The software is free and easy to install and you only need the one subscription.

[hairbear]

If the only issue you have with your current setup is with the trail cam, and you can work around it then that’s fine for you. I have a Freesat STB with all the UK apps that can’t implement a VPN on its own, so I need something to do the VPN for it. Hence the second router.

[Badger]

Just yesterday I managed to set up our new LG TV with Nord VPN’s SmartDNS. It works! I’ve not looked at every previously geoblocked channel but all the usual UK suspects seem to work.

This removes the need to install a VPN on any router but, according to Nord, is less secure as the TV is not sitting behind a VPN.

Part of the deal is that I had to turn off IPv6 on my Livebox as Nord do not yet support it, but nothing I have was listed as using it. For now that is not a problem & everything seems to running via IPv4.

I’m now waiting for those who know far more about internet connectivity to tell me that this is a really bad idea .

[hairbear]

@Badger

Nord VPN’s SmartDNS

I haven’t got round to trying that yet, but it’s a good solution for some clients like TVs. Unfortunately, my STB does not allow you to override the default DNS servers so that’s a no go for me unless I do some reconfiguration on my VPN router, but then it does the VPN anyway so why bother ? To get it working properly under Windows I think you need some under the hood configuration changes, but I may be wrong.

Edit: Just don’t use it if you want to hide your identity in any way such s if you download via torrent.

[JohnBot]

Buy an Amazon Firestick, works well and the vpn app runs on it

[Badger]

@JohnBot

Buy an Amazon Firestick, works well and the vpn app runs on it

I used to do that but it started to run very slowly &/or fail. Maybe an old Firestick…? Since then I’ve been using a laptop & a long USB-C to HDMI cable.

Anyway, it really grates having to use yet another bit of kit to make a TV work how you want it (& another remote…!). Putting SmartDNS on has been revolutionary.