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Setup Tutorials

How to set up L2TP VPN on DD-WRT Routers

In this tutorial we will show you how to set up L2TP VPN on DD-WRT Routers but first let’s see what are our requirements and recommendations.

Requirements

In order to set up the L2TP VPN you will need:

  1. A CactusVPN account. If you don’t have one you can try our services for free.
  2. Your VPN username, password and VPN server address. You can find them in your account on our website, by going to Settings.
  3. In order to setup L2TP VPN on DD-WRT Routers you have to flash your router with DD-WRT firmware and set router local IP address as 192.168.1.1. If this doesn’t work, please consult your router’s manual to find what is the Default Gateway Address.
  4. Check if you can connect to Internet via Wi-Fi from this router.
  5. Check VPN on your PC/Mac to ensure that your network configuration and ISP allow L2TP/IPsec connections.
  6. Connect to your router by visiting in your browser the following address: http://192.168.1.1
  7. Set your network connection to obtain IP address automatically if you connect to your router via Ethernet.

Recommendations

  • By setting up a L2TP VPN on DD-WRT router your IP will be changed but your traffic will NOT be encrypted. That happens because the connection does not use IPSec. We recommend using OpenVPN.
  • L2TP can NOT be used concurrently with PPPoE or Static IP if you use DD-WRT flashed router as main router. We recommend you to use DD-WRT flashed router as the second one.

If you still want to set up L2TP VPN manually, go step-by-step through following instructions:

L2TP VPN Setup Instructions

Configure your DD-WRT router to share your regular internet connection.

  1. Go to Setup tab and then select Basic Setup (1).

    Select L2TP (2) from the Connection Type drop down menu.

    In the Gateway (PPTP server) (3) type IP address of the CactusVPN server you want to connect to.

    You can find IP addresses of all our servers in your account on our website, by going to Settings.

    In the Username (4) and Passwords (5) fields enter your VPN username and password.

    You can find your VPN username and password in your account on our website, by going to Settings -> VPN Username & Password. Make sure you use your VPN username and password and NOT the website account credentials (What is the difference?).

    Select Yes (6) next to Use DHCP.

    In the Optional Settings zone change MTU to Manual (7) and type the value 1460 (8) in the field and set STP (9) as Disabled.

    In the Network setup enter the IP address for the DD-WRT access point (10).

    Important, if this is the second router then you must set a different Local IP address then your main router.

    Select DHCP Server next to DHCP Type (11).

    Enable DHCP server (12).

    Make sure all other settings looks like in our screenshot.

    Click on Apply settings (13).

    How to set up L2TP VPN on DD-WRT Routers: Step 1

  2. Now go to the Security tab (14) and select Firewall (15). Here, set SPI Firewall to Disable (16).

    How to set up L2TP VPN on DD-WRT Routers: Step 2

  3. Go to VPN Passthrough (17) and select Enabled next to L2TP Passthrough (18).

    Click on Apply settings (19).

    How to set up L2TP VPN on DD-WRT Routers: Step 3

  4. Go to Administration tab (20).

    Scroll down and click on Reboot router button (21). This will reboot your router.

    How to set up L2TP VPN on DD-WRT Routers: Step 4

    After the reboot L2TP VPN on DD-WRT Routers is set up.

You can check the connection going to Status tab and select WAN from there. Login status should be Connected. If it says Disconnected click on Connect button and wait for about 1 minute. After that the connection should be established.

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