How to create your own VPN at home

Situatie

Why create your own VPN at home

Here are more reasons why you might want to set up your own VPN:

It’s affordable. You can create your own VPN at home with free tools and devices you already own. You can, for example, set up your router or spare computer as your server.

It boosts your online privacy. Unwanted third parties like your ISP, cybercriminals, and government authorities could snoop on your online activity without your consent. Use a VPN to encrypt your traffic, so you can keep what you do online private as it should be.

It lets you access your computer from anywhere. Want to access your files or connected devices at home while you’re away? You can do this with a VPN. The VPN connects you to your home network, so you can view files and control devices like your smart cameras wherever you go.

You have several options if you want to create your own VPN, including using your router, computer, or virtual machine in the cloud. Take a look at these easy-to-follow guides on how to create a VPN at home in the sections below. I’ve split the steps based on whether you want to set up your Windows PC, Mac computer, or router as your VPN.

Remember: Create a VPN on a device that’s always online, so you can always access it and enjoy the benefits of using it. If your device ever goes offline, even temporarily, it will leave you unprotected.

Create a VPN for Free on Windows 11

Let’s start with a tutorial on how to create a VPN at home on Windows. The easiest way to do this is to use Windows’ built-in tool to create your own VPN. I tested this feature on a Windows 11 computer, but the steps should be similar for earlier versions of the OS. Again, create a server on a Windows machine you can always leave online.

Open Network Connections. Click the Start icon, type ‘Network Connections’, and then click View Network Connections.
Press Alt+F, and then choose New Incoming Connection…
Select the user accounts you want to allow to connect to your computer via a VPN. Alternatively, click Add someone to create a new user, then enter a username, full name, and a strong password.
Click OK, and then Next.
Click on Through the Internet as the means of connecting to your computer via VPN. Click Next.
Choose the type of networking software that will be enabled for incoming connections. Check File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks if you’d like connected users to be able to view files and use printers you shared on the network.
Click Allow access. A notification confirming your action will appear.
Check your external IP. Go to a website like whatismyipaddress.com which lets you check your IP address. Take note of your IPv4 address — you’ll need this to be able to connect devices to your VPN from outside your home network.

How to Connect to Your Windows VPN

Once you’ve set up your Windows VPN, you’ll now have to check if you can access it with a different device. In this example, I connected to my homemade server using a Windows computer. Follow these steps to get connected:

Click on the Start icon, type “VPN settings” (without quotation marks), and then hit Enter.
Click Add VPN in the VPN connections option.
In the Add a VPN connection window, do the following:

a) Choose Windows (built-in) as your VPN provider.

b) Enter the connection name — any name will do.

c) In the Server name or address field, enter the IPv4 address given to you.

d) Select PPTP as your VPN type.*

e) Choose to sign in with a username and password, and then enter the same username and password you created in Step 3 of the “Create a VPN for Free on Windows 11” section.

f) Click Save.

Connect to the server you created.

*This depends on the protocols your router supports. Most support PPTP, but you can try one of the other protocol options to see if it works.

*macOS users used to be able to create their own VPN with Apple’s macOS Server app. Unfortunately, the company has since discontinued this, so you can no longer natively build a VPN on Mac.

Solutie

Tip solutie

Permanent

Follow Us