Hi everyone.
I purchased ONE Beryl AX3000/GL MT3000 router which I plan to use abroad.
I work remotely in the United States and will be traveling to Costa Rica for a month, and I plan to use the Beryl router to connect to my work laptop for VPN to reflect an USA IP address.
I have already set up the OpenVPN client on the Beryl admin set up using my username/password & configuration file given from my personal VPN client I pay for monthly. Is there anything else I need to do? Seems like there would be more.
Right now the Beryl is connected via wifi to my home internet but when I travel for one day I will be using my cellular hotspot.
If I downloaded the OpenVPN to my Beryl router by downloading the configuration and entering in the Username & password given by ExpressVPN is that all I need to do?
I work remotely in the USA and plan to use the Beryl router connected to ExpressVPN on my work laptop to reflect an USA IP address.
Hey, thanks for replying!! When I did check it, it did show the IP address as Atlanta which is what is set for my ExpressVPN. I tried on my cellphone & on my work laptop but I wanted to be sure that’s all I will need to do.
The router is connected via WiFi right now to my home internet to be able to work. When I go to Costa Rica I will have to connect the router to my cellphone hotspot, and then to the WiFi at the airbnb. Is there anything else you think I need to do?
I did NOT set up the OpenVPN server, only the client. Do I need to set up openVPN Server too for the Beryl?
You should only need to setup the Beryl OpenVPN client, as you are using Express VPN as a server.
In Costa Rica, you should be able to connect the Beryl to the Airbnb WIFI or your hotspot. I travel a lot. Today I'm connected to my Airbnb's WIFI using an old GL iNet AR750s as my VPN client, which connects to a VPN server in the USA that I control, to give me a USA IP address. Have you checked with your Airbnb on how good their WIFI is, and if it is shared with other guests who may also be trying to work? My current place is fine for web browsing, but it is way too slow to do video conferencing.
I recommend you test out your setup over several days to make sure you understand how it works, and that your company does not have an issue using a IP address from a commercial VPN provider. Take your Beryl and your laptop to a couple places with free WIFI like coffee shops or libraries, and work remotely for a day and see if their are any issues.
Also, think about a backup plan if something breaks. Laptops, routers, power supplies, or cables all fail at the worst possible time.
Hi Eric,
Thanks so much for replying! Glad to know all I need is the OpenVPN Client set up, I use expressVPN and have set up configurations for 2 different cities (Atlanta & Chicago) however the ONLY thing I have noticed when I checked my IP address on 2 different sites was that 1 showed Atlanta which is correct but the other site showed my IP address as in the United Kingdom. Have you ever seen that before?
Also, the WiFi at the airbnb does indeed work. It’s my aunts place and I know she has had guest that had to work from there before but I will say thank you so much for mentioning to go to a public place for a day or 2. That didn’t cross my mind & I will definitely do that!
Your time and response is much appreciated!
Is there a way to fix that? or if my job were to randomly check my ip address would it show them UK as well? or does it not really matter if it says the UK?
I don’t suspect they would at all but I want to be sure since I will be gone for a month
On the location, I have seen some tools get it wrong. I like to use: https://dnsleaktest.com/
as its home page has always given me the correct IP location, and if you run the test, it will list out your DNS server addresses and locations, which you also want to be in the USA. You may want to test on multiple Express VPN servers, and find the ones that always list they are in the USA. It is possible that Express has mislabeled some of its server locations.
I don't use Express or any commercial VPN providers, as I have setup my own VPN servers on physical routers in the USA to give me residential addresses, and on a couple cloud servers. In my travels, I have found that some companies, banks, streaming services, and government agencies only allow you to use their services from residential IP addresses, and they block IP addresses from commercial VPN providers and cloud service providers.
And to set it up to your house you had to use 2 routers correct? So I would have to buy another Beryl.
Set one up as a OpenVPN server while keeping it directly connected to my home internet provider router/modem then set up the second Beryl with the OpenVPN client and configure it to the first router that would be staying home? Would that be the correct process?
There are many ways to setup a home VPN server, but one way is to use a GL iNet router at home. I have a old GL iNet AR300m setup at a family members house as one of my physical VPN servers, and my travel AR750S as the client, and it works fine.
Please note that many people are successful setting up a home router, but I would not call doing this setup simple. I have done this many times for both people and companies, and the little differences between ISP companies and the modems/routers they use have caused me many headaches. If you are going to do this, give yourself plenty of time, and look at both the GL iNet documentation and videos on how to do this.
Recently, GL iNet announced they are partnering with a company that helps setup VPN home servers for a fee. I have not used them, but here is a link to the announcement:
I definitely will check it out. Thanks so much for sharing! I have one last question if you don’t mind… does my home ISP need to have a public IP address in order for me to be able to do that?
I am reading conflicting things about that so I am a bit confused. I am not sure where you stay but I have Spectrum as an internet provider currently but also willing to sign up for AT&T also if needed.
To setup a VPN server, you need a public IP address, meaning it cannot be behind a NAT which is sometimes called a CGNAT. The IP address does not have to be static, but if not, you will need to setup a DDNS server on your home router, which is explained in the GL iNet documentation.
If you are behind a CGNAT without a public IP address, using a different, newer VPN like technology, that has recently been added by GL iNet to its newer router firmware, called Tailscale or Zeroteir (two different commercial companies that each have a free tier) can work-around CGNAT. Once again, this makes the setup more complex, but many people like it. I have played with Tailscale, but I have not put it into production yet. You can Google both Tailscale and Zerotier to get more info on them.
Since we're advertising GL.iNet affiliate partnerships, I'll submit mine here which is cheaper than RemoteToHome. It's called The Wired Nomad. I also offer Tailscale custom DERP relay servers for monthly subscription.
When I did check it, it did show the IP address as Atlanta which is what is set for my ExpressVPN. I tried on my cellphone & on my work laptop but I wanted to be sure that’s all I will need to do.