How to Configure and Use NordVPN on QNAP 4.2.1

If you're storing all your important files, documents, images, videos, etc., on your QNAP NAS, you may like to keep it safe from the snoopers on the web. NordVPN enables you to do that easily as you can connect your NAS device to its OpenVPN client and run the VPN connection. Here we've provided a step-by-step guide on how to configure and use NordVPN on QNAP 4.2.1; have a look.

1. First, visit the NordVPN official website.

2. Next, click the Grab the Deal button and pick a VPN subscription on the upcoming screen.

3. Now, you need to submit the required details to complete your purchase.

4. Once done, you'll receive a confirmation of your subscription. 

5. After that, you need to access the control panel of your NAS device.

6. For that, use the Qfinder app provided along with the QNAP NAS system.

7. Run Qfinder first; when it detects your QNAP device connected to your local network, you can see it listed under the NAS device section. 

8. Double-click on it next, and the control panel page will appear in your default internet browser. 

9. Now, you need to log into your QNAP control page with administrative privileges.

10. Next, click here to download the .ovpn server configuration file for the one in your preferred location; you've to click on the Show available protocols option to get these config files.

11. Then, create a second text file, 'nordvpnpass.txt,' comprising your NordVPN service username and password.

12. To get your NordVPN service credentials, you've to access your online account dashboard and navigate to the Advanced configuration tab. 

13. Next, access your QNAP UI and open File Station.

14. From there, navigate to /Download/ directory and click the '+' button at the top of the window to create a new folder named 'VPN.'

15. You've to move the .ovpn and nordvpnpass.txt files to this directory next within the VPN folder. 

16. Once done, create another text file named ca.crt, which needs to contain the CA certificate of the server you're using. 

17. Now, access your QNAP user interface and move to Control Panel> Applications> VPN Client.

18. From the VPN client menu, choose to Add and select OpenVPN from the drop-down. 

19. Next, fill in the OpenVPN client settings as mentioned below-

• Profile Name: Anything you like.
• Server Address: The IP address of the VPN server you want to connect to.
• Server Port: Choose UDP or TCP as per your preference; select port number 1194 for UDP and 443 for TCP.
• Username: Your NordVPN service username.
• Password: Your NordVPN service password.
• Encryption: Pick High (AES 256 bit)
• Certificate: Browse the ca.crt file that you created earlier and upload it here. 
• Enable compressed VPN link: Check
• Use default gateway on remote network: Check
• Allow other network devices in the same subnet to connect to the VPN through the NAS: Check
• Reconnect when the VPN connection is lost: Check

20. Hit the Create button next. 

21. You've to connect to your QNAP disk station via SSH tunnel after that. 

22. To do so, use Putty or WinSCP client for Windows and Terminal for Mac OS X as well as Linux. 

23. Here, we'll use Putty on Windows; you can install Putty here. 

24. Once you access the app, enter the local IP address of your QNAP in the Host Name (or IP address) section and click Open. 

25. Now, enter the username and password that you use to get administrator access to your QNAP account. 

26. Next, use the below command to open the vpn_openvpn_client.sh file.

vi /etc/init.d/vpn_openvpn_client.sh

27. Once done, press A. 

28. After that, change the beginning of this .sh file as mentioned below-

change this script from 

#!/bin/sh
VPN_CONF="/etc/config/vpn.conf"
VPN_NUM="$2"
VPN_CONF_S=1
VPN_CONF_E=10

to

#!/bin/sh
OPENVPN=/usr/sbin/openvpnclient
PIDFILE="/var/run/openvpn.client.pid"
OPENVPN_CONF="/share/Download/VPN/us119udp.ovpn"
OPENVPN_CONF_PATH="/etc/openvpn"
VPN_CONF="/etc/config/vpn.conf"
VPN_NUM="$2"
VPN_CLIENT="OPENVPN_CLIENT""${VPN_NUM}"
MAX_VPN_INDEX="255"

29. When done, press Esc and enter the command ':wq' to save the changes that you've made to this file. 

30. Once done, connect to NordVPN using the below command-

openvpn --config /share/Download/VPN/us936.nordvpn.com.udp.ovpn

31. However, it won't generate any output in the Putty window to confirm whether or not you're connected to NordVPN; hence check the openvpn.log file within the /Download/VPN directory to get a confirmation on your NordVPN connection. 

32. If the log file shows this message 'Initialization Sequence Completed,' you've successfully connected to your preferred NordVPN server. 

That’s all! Now you know how to configure and use NordVPN on QNAP 4.2.1. If you have further queries, drop us a comment through the button below. Thanks for reading!