Set up Home VPN or use third party - China

[Brickleberry]

I have a family member moving to study in China. 

 

Is it possible to set up a VPN on my router for them to access the internet, as if they were here in Thailand, or would it be best to use a third party VPN provider?

[KannikaP]

Only certain routers allow VPNs to be installed directly on them according to Express.

Is the family member taking your router to China? 

[Brickleberry]

18 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Only certain routers allow VPNs to be installed directly on them according to Express.

Is the family member taking your router to China? 

No, I was thinking I could set up a VPN server on my router here, and they could tunnel their traffic through it? I'm not an IT expert, so I'm not sure if it would work this way.

[HauptmannUK]

I used to work in China quite often and ExpressVPN was one of the few that worked (mostly...).  Be aware that internet access in China can be fraught with difficulty and frustration and VPNs are banned (theoretically at least).

[simon43]

I have online lessons daily with my students in all regions of China, typically 10 lessons a day.  Most students use Zoom, some use Zhumu, 1 uses Voov.  None of them use a VPN and we have no issues about the internet connection.  The only time that they would need to use a VPN is to access Youtube, Google Search etc which are blocked in China

[KannikaP]

4 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

A couple years ago here we weren't allowed to discuss vpn's

And only 9 months ago we were not allowed to buy, sell or indulge in Cannabis.

Times change. VPNs are everywhere now, as is cannabis!

[NoDisplayName]

I worked in China for years, accessing external internet with ExpressVPN.  Excellent customer service, hundreds of international servers, with constant updates to keep track of Great Firewall software changes.  Your account can be used by up to three devices simultaneously.  Load the mobile app to use in cafes and shops.

 

VPN's aren't illegal in China, but they aren't encouraged either.  Businesses need a VPN to function, and have to apply for permits.  Regular folks don't fall under that rule.  VPN's until recently were advertised on Taobao.  No longer offered there, but it's easy enough to download software, even within China.  Would be advisable to set up the laptop before leaving to have it running properly.

 

Internet access with a VPN can be problematic at times, especially during major party meetings.  Expect major Great Firewall upgrades and interference with server access for a week or so around these events.  Schedule credit card payments and other important things in advance.

 

The Chinese government is not trying to completely block western internet sites, as that would be impossible.  They're trying to make it frustrating for the average Chinese citizen so they'll stick to the easily-accessed approved sites.

 

 

[Rimmer]

A flame and reply has been removed

[Brickleberry]

Is it be possible to set up a remote connection to my router that would enable them to connect as if they were in my home?

 

I know it can be done outside of China, but would this method unlock Netflix, YouTube etc. and get over the great firewall?

[spongeworthy]

52 minutes ago, Brickleberry said:

Is it be possible to set up a remote connection to my router that would enable them to connect as if they were in my home?

Yes

 

52 minutes ago, Brickleberry said:

I know it can be done outside of China, but would this method unlock Netflix, YouTube etc. and get over the great firewall?

Yes

[fdsa]

China does not block VPN per sé, only known IP addresses of large VPN providers, I have used my own VPN server when visited mainland China and even the simple OpenVPN protocol worked, without any obfuscation.

So I give 99% that if you setup a VPN server on your router in Thailand it will work in China without problems. If you have a dedicated public IP address, of course.

and I give 90% that if you would use a public VPN provider then it will not work in China.

 

[Brickleberry]

16 minutes ago, fdsa said:

China does not block VPN per sé, only known IP addresses of large VPN providers, I have used my own VPN server when visited mainland China and even the simple OpenVPN protocol worked, without any obfuscation.

So I give 99% that if you setup a VPN server on your router in Thailand it will work in China without problems. If you have a dedicated public IP address, of course.

and I give 90% that if you would use a public VPN provider then it will not work in China.

 

Amazing! Could you direct me to any tutorials online where I can set this up please?

[fdsa]

4 hours ago, Brickleberry said:

Amazing! Could you direct me to any tutorials online where I can set this up please?

Sorry, I do not have any.

first of all read the manual for your router or google "your router model +openvpn"

[CharlieH]

Some posts and responses removed for false information.

 

There is absolutely no problem discussing the use of a VPN or even recommending one, happens all the time .

 

Perhaps some are confusing the "dont discuss ad blocking" ? that is frowned upon and is stated in the forum rules.

[jakieblue]

18 hours ago, Brickleberry said:

Is it be possible to set up a remote connection to my router that would enable them to connect as if they were in my home?

 

I know it can be done outside of China, but would this method unlock Netflix, YouTube etc. and get over the great firewall?

Yes, with an OpenVPN server setup on your router. Simple, effective and very secure.

[jakieblue]

17 hours ago, fdsa said:

If you have a dedicated public IP address, of course.

Not true, as most, if not all Thai ISP internet services offer dynamic shared IP's, the use of a DDNS service overcomes the limitations imposed by remotely connecting to a network that uses a dynamic IP address.

[soi3eddie]

17 hours ago, fdsa said:

China does not block VPN per sé, only known IP addresses of large VPN providers, I have used my own VPN server when visited mainland China and even the simple OpenVPN protocol worked, without any obfuscation.

So I give 99% that if you setup a VPN server on your router in Thailand it will work in China without problems. If you have a dedicated public IP address, of course.

and I give 90% that if you would use a public VPN provider then it will not work in China.

 

I use a Synology Diskstation located at my UK home as my own personal VPN. To operate, it needs to use DDNS as the ISP may change the IP address from time to time. I don't have dedicated IP address. Therefore to access the VPN I need to access *******.dscloud.biz which forwards to the home server. I was recently in Myanmar and it seemed that they had blocked access and I couldn't even access the server for files let alone use it as a VPN. When I returned to Thailand it was fine. Suspect that China may block anything they know can be used as a VPN too.

 

[n00dle]

17 hours ago, fdsa said:

If you have a dedicated public IP address, of course.

key statement.

[Brickleberry]

52 minutes ago, jakieblue said:

Yes, with an OpenVPN server setup on your router. Simple, effective and very secure.

Thank you for your message, I'll research this option more!

[persimmon]

I have Norton VPN ( free with Norton 360 ) . Tried it a month ago and it was ok , now it doesn`t work - I get the message " Your network provider is blocking VPN access " . Is this common in Thailand ?

 

[watchcat]

Instead of a VPN, why not use Tor or Tails?

[Brickleberry]

2 hours ago, watchcat said:

Instead of a VPN, why not use Tor or Tails?

Tor bridges don't work well in China, and they are ridiculously slow if they do. I'm researching how to use cloudflare / WARP + tails to set up a remote connection to my home router in the cloud. Not sure if it'll work....

[KhunHeineken]

You can set up a VPN to your router, but I suggested a set of these to another member recently.  They work great, and are plug and play straight out of the box.

 

 https://www.homingsystems.com

 

I won't go into all the tech side of them and answer questions again.  I'll just bump the other thread and you can read about them there. 

[Brickleberry]

On 3/29/2023 at 5:42 PM, KhunHeineken said:

You can set up a VPN to your router, but I suggested a set of these to another member recently.  They work great, and are plug and play straight out of the box.

 

 https://www.homingsystems.com

 

I won't go into all the tech side of them and answer questions again.  I'll just bump the other thread and you can read about them there. 

I think I have another method!

 

Could I flash install linux / ubuntu on an android TV box, turn it into a server, and then use this to connect to my home broadband with the assistance of OpenVPN or other tools? 

[Brickleberry]

For anyone interested, I asked ChatGPT and it provided full instructions. I was able to turn my android box into a private vpn server.

 

When in doubt, ask a computer!

[KhunHeineken]

On 3/30/2023 at 11:27 AM, Brickleberry said:

I think I have another method!

 

Could I flash install linux / ubuntu on an android TV box, turn it into a server, and then use this to connect to my home broadband with the assistance of OpenVPN or other tools? 

There are many ways to do it. 

[KhunHeineken]

On 3/31/2023 at 2:50 PM, Brickleberry said:

For anyone interested, I asked ChatGPT and it provided full instructions. I was able to turn my android box into a private vpn server.

 

When in doubt, ask a computer!

What protocol are you using? 

[Moonlover]

I used StreamVPN (formally My Expat Network) when I was staying in China. You can't set up a Thailand/China link, but you can choose from a large choice of host countries through which you can route. They also have what they call a 'stealth mode' especially for use when accessing the world from China.

 

Find them here.  https://www.streamvpn.com

[Brickleberry]

6 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

What protocol are you using? 

ipv4 - v2rayN with X-ray installed on the box.