Preparing for Manual NordVPN Setup
Verify your NordVPN login information
If you are not already an NordVPN user Sign Up Now.
Log in to your account on the NordVPN website.
NordVPN Server Addresses
For a NordVPN server recommendation visit their Recommend Server page.
Once you have selected the server you want to connect to, download the UDP .ovpn file containing the Server IP Address, TLS Auth Key, and CA Cert referenced below.
Open the .ovpn file that is downloaded to your computer with NotePad++ for Windows or TextEdit for Apple. You will only need the Server IP Address, TLS Auth Key, and CA Cert from this file. All NordVPN servers and .ovpn files have different IP Addresses, keys, and certificates.
DD-WRT Router Setup for NordVPN
Navigate to Services > VPN
Enter NordVPN settings
OpenVPN Client
Start OpenVPN Client
If you wish to disable your VPN connection simply set this to Disable at any time and click Apply Settings.
Server IP/Name
At the top of the .ovpn file you downloaded above, there is a line e.g.:
remote 206.226.72.27 1194
206.226.72.27 is your NordVPN server IP address. Enter the IP Address in this field.
Port
1194
Tunnel Device
TUN
Tunnel Protocol
UDP
Encryption cipher
AES-256-CBC
Hash Algorithm
SHA512
Userpass Authentication
Enable
Username
Enter the Username you successfully logged in to your NordVPN account with.
Password
Enter the Password you successfully logged in to your NordVPN account with.
Advanced Options
Enable
TLS Cipher
None
LZO Compression
Adaptive
NAT
Enable
Firewall Protection
Enable
TLS Auth Key
In the .ovpn file copy and paste all contents in between the <tls-auth> and </tls-auth> lines from your .ovpn file starting and ending with:
—–BEGIN OpenVPN Static key V1—–
…
—–END OpenVPN Static key V1—–
Additional Config
tun-mtu-extra 32
mssfix 1450
persist-key
persist-tun
Policy Based Routing
This field can be used for split VPN and Dual Gateway routing.
CA Cert
In the .ovpn file Copy and Paste all contents in between the <ca> and </ca> lines from your .ovpn file starting and ending with:
—–BEGIN CERTIFICATE—–
…
—–END CERTIFICATE—–
CLICK APPLY SETTINGS
Leave all settings not mentioned above as their default setting.
Verify a successful NordVPN connection
Navigate to Status > OpenVPN
- You should now see a CONNECTED SUCCESS message.
- Visit NordVPN’s website to verify your new IP address, virtual location, and status as Protected at the top of the page.
In some cases you may notice that the location is not showing the same location as the server you have input in your router settings; this is because geo tracking tools are often tricked by VPN connections. As long as you see an IP address that is not the same as your normal Internet IP address then you are indeed connected to NordVPN.
Back up your settings
Navigate to Administration > Backup
- Click the Backup button.
- A file named nvrambak.bin will be saved to your computer.
- You can load nvrambak.bin to restore your settings in the event of a reset.
How to change the NordVPN server
- Download and open a new .ovpn file from NordVPN.
- Copy and paste the server IP Address into the Server IP/Name field.
- Copy and paste the TLS Auth Key into the TLS Auth Key field.
- Copy and paste the CA Cert into the CA Cert field.
- Click Apply Settings.