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How to Configure and Use NordVPN on OPNsense

Last updated May 15, 2024
Written by:
Shummas Humayun

OPNsense is open-source routing and firewall software that can be installed on various devices, including routers. Some routers also come with OPNsense pre-installed. Since it's backed by a very active community that quickly patches any bugs, OPNsense is known to be highly secure and efficient.

If you want to increase the security of your router, you can configure NordVPN on OPNsense versions 19.1 and newer. However, its setup process can seem quite overwhelming and complex at first glance, as it requires you to tinker with the OPNsense settings manually. But fret not! It's actually very simple and straightforward.

In this article, we'll teach you how to use NordVPN on OPNsense through detailed step-by-step instructions. So, feel free to follow along.

How to Configure NordVPN on OPNsense

To set up NordVPN on OPNsense, you first need to access OPNsense using a Web browser and then change some of its settings. Here's a step-by-step guide for it:

1. First, sign up for NordVPN using its official website and your computer or mobile device.

2. Go to your NordVPN account dashboard and choose 'NordVPN' from the left bar.

3. Now, click on 'Set up NordVPN manually.'

4. Enter the security code received in your inbox.

5. Copy the Service credentials (we'll use them later).

6. Open the NordVPN server tool and copy your preferred server's hostname.

NordVPN Server selection

7. Then, access OPNsense via your browser.

8. Next, navigate to 'System: Trust: Authorities' and hit the '+Add' button.

9. Now, fill in the details mentioned below.

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIFCjCCAvKgAwIBAgIBATANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQ0FADA5MQswCQYDVQQGEwJQQTEQ
MA4GA1UEChMHTm9yZFZQTjEYMBYGA1UEAxMPTm9yZFZQTiBSb290IENBMB4XDTE2
MDEwMTAwMDAwMFoXDTM1MTIzMTIzNTk1OVowOTELMAkGA1UEBhMCUEExEDAOBgNV
BAoTB05vcmRWUE4xGDAWBgNVBAMTD05vcmRWUE4gUm9vdCBDQTCCAiIwDQYJKoZI
hvcNAQEBBQADggIPADCCAgoCggIBAMkr/BYhyo0F2upsIMXwC6QvkZps3NN2/eQF
kfQIS1gql0aejsKsEnmY0Kaon8uZCTXPsRH1gQNgg5D2gixdd1mJUvV3dE3y9FJr
XMoDkXdCGBodvKJyU6lcfEVF6/UxHcbBguZK9UtRHS9eJYm3rpL/5huQMCppX7kU
eQ8dpCwd3iKITqwd1ZudDqsWaU0vqzC2H55IyaZ/5/TnCk31Q1UP6BksbbuRcwOV
skEDsm6YoWDnn/IIzGOYnFJRzQH5jTz3j1QBvRIuQuBuvUkfhx1FEwhwZigrcxXu
MP+QgM54kezgziJUaZcOM2zF3lvrwMvXDMfNeIoJABv9ljw969xQ8czQCU5lMVmA
37ltv5Ec9U5hZuwk/9QO1Z+d/r6Jx0mlurS8gnCAKJgwa3kyZw6e4FZ8mYL4vpRR
hPdvRTWCMJkeB4yBHyhxUmTRgJHm6YR3D6hcFAc9cQcTEl/I60tMdz33G6m0O42s
Qt/+AR3YCY/RusWVBJB/qNS94EtNtj8iaebCQW1jHAhvGmFILVR9lzD0EzWKHkvy
WEjmUVRgCDd6Ne3eFRNS73gdv/C3l5boYySeu4exkEYVxVRn8DhCxs0MnkMHWFK6
MyzXCCn+JnWFDYPfDKHvpff/kLDobtPBf+Lbch5wQy9quY27xaj0XwLyjOltpiST
LWae/Q4vAgMBAAGjHTAbMAwGA1UdEwQFMAMBAf8wCwYDVR0PBAQDAgEGMA0GCSqG
SIb3DQEBDQUAA4ICAQC9fUL2sZPxIN2mD32VeNySTgZlCEdVmlq471o/bDMP4B8g
nQesFRtXY2ZCjs50Jm73B2LViL9qlREmI6vE5IC8IsRBJSV4ce1WYxyXro5rmVg/
k6a10rlsbK/eg//GHoJxDdXDOokLUSnxt7gk3QKpX6eCdh67p0PuWm/7WUJQxH2S
DxsT9vB/iZriTIEe/ILoOQF0Aqp7AgNCcLcLAmbxXQkXYCCSB35Vp06u+eTWjG0/
pyS5V14stGtw+fA0DJp5ZJV4eqJ5LqxMlYvEZ/qKTEdoCeaXv2QEmN6dVqjDoTAo
k0t5u4YRXzEVCfXAC3ocplNdtCA72wjFJcSbfif4BSC8bDACTXtnPC7nD0VndZLp
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NdcOe15BincrGA8avQ1cWXsfIKEjbrnEuEk9b5jel6NfHtPKoHc9mDpRdNPISeVa
wDBM1mJChneHt59Nh8Gah74+TM1jBsw4fhJPvoc7Atcg740JErb904mZfkIEmojC
VPhBHVQ9LHBAdM8qFI2kRK0IynOmAZhexlP/aT/kpEsEPyaZQlnBn3An1CRz8h0S
PApL8PytggYKeQmRhl499+6jLxcZ2IegLfqq41dzIjwHwTMplg+1pKIOVojpWA==
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

10. Press the 'Save' button next.

11. Now, navigate to 'VPN' > 'OpenVPN' > 'Clients' and click the '+Add' button.

12. Then, fill in the information mentioned below.

General Information

OPNsense router general information

User Authentication Settings

Here you'll paste your NordVPN service credentials copied earlier in the User name/pass fields.

You must enter your NordVPN service credentials here. You can find those in your NordVPN online account dashboard under 'Advanced Configuration.'

User Authentication Settings for NordVPN on OPNsense

Cryptographic Settings

-----BEGIN OpenVPN Static key V1-----
e685bdaf659a25a200e2b9e39e51ff03
0fc72cf1ce07232bd8b2be5e6c670143
f51e937e670eee09d4f2ea5a6e4e6996
5db852c275351b86fc4ca892d78ae002
d6f70d029bd79c4d1c26cf14e9588033
cf639f8a74809f29f72b9d58f9b8f5fe
fc7938eade40e9fed6cb92184abb2cc1
0eb1a296df243b251df0643d53724cdb
5a92a1d6cb817804c4a9319b57d53be5
80815bcfcb2df55018cc83fc43bc7ff8
2d51f9b88364776ee9d12fc85cc7ea5b
9741c4f598c485316db066d52db4540e
212e1518a9bd4828219e24b20d88f598
a196c9de96012090e333519ae18d3509
9427e7b372d348d352dc4c85e18cd4b9
3f8a56ddb2e64eb67adfc9b337157ff4
-----END OpenVPN Static key V1-----
Cryptographic Settings for NordVPN on OPNsense

Tunnel Settings

Tunnel Settings for NordVPN on OPNsense

Advanced Configuration

remote-random;
tun-mtu 1500;
tun-mtu-extra 32;
mssfix 1450;
persist-key;
persist-tun;
reneg-sec 0;
remote-cert-tls server;
Advanced configuration for NordVPN on OPNsense

13. Once done, click 'Save.'

14. Navigate to 'Interfaces: Assignments' and click the '+' button next to New Interface.

15. Click 'OPT1' now to edit the interface.

16. Next, click 'Enable Interface' and make the following changes under General configuration:

17. No need to change the DHCP client configuration, so just click on 'Save.'

Interface for NordVPN on OPNsense

18. Now, click the 'Apply changes' button.

19. Navigate to 'Services' > 'Unbound DNS' > 'General.'

20. Next, fill in the details mentioned below.

21. Click the 'Save' button next and choose 'Apply changes.'

22. Navigate to 'Services' > 'Unbound DNS' > 'Advanced' after that and check the following options:

23. Next, leave anything else at default and click 'Save' > 'Apply Settings.'

24. Now, move to 'Firewall' > 'NAT' > 'Outbound' and choose 'Hybrid outbound NAT rule generation.'

25. Then, click on 'Save' > 'Apply Changes.'

26. You've to hit the '+Add' button at the top of the edit menu and choose 'Interface as NordVPN.'

27. Leave everything else at default and choose 'Save' > 'Apply Changes.'

28. Now, you need to move to 'Firewall' > 'Rules' > 'LAN' and delete the IPv6 rule.

29. Click the edit button right beside IPv4 and move down to Advanced Features next.

30. You've to select the Gateway as the NordVPN server name next and click the Save button.

31. Click the '+Add' button and change the 'Source' > LAN net and 'Destination' > 'LAN Address.'

32. Click the 'Save' > 'Apply Changes' buttons.  

33. Locate 'System' > 'Settings' > 'General' next and make the following changes-

Networking set up to Use NordVPN on OPNsense

34. For DNS server options, uncheck 'Allow DNS server list to be overridden by DHCP/PPP on WAN.'

35. Click on 'Save' > 'Apply Changes.'

36. Navigate to 'System' > 'Gateways' > 'Single', edit the server name, and click 'Disabled.'

37. Again, choose 'Save' > 'Apply Changes.'

38. Navigate to 'VPN' > 'OpenVPN' > 'Connection Status,' and the service should be up.

39. Restart the connection to assign the OpenVPN Virtual Address to the interface. 

40. You can confirm that NordVPN has an IP number from 'Lobby' > 'Dashboard.'

NordVPN IP

41. That's all! Now NordVPN is configured on OPNsense and ready to use.

Final Thoughts

While your dashboard may look slightly different from ours, depending on your OPNsense firmware version, the general configuration is still the same. Just make sure you're using a supported version (19.1 and up) by updating your device's OPNsense version.

Along with that, if you have any devices that aren't connected to your OPNsense network, you can set up NordVPN on those devices and secure them as well. This will allow you to take full advantage of the 10 simultaneous device connections that NordVPN allows.

We hope that this article helped you configure NordVPN on your OPNsense router. If you have any questions or wish to share your experience with us, feel free to comment below.



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