Solved: Can't Connect Through VPN to My Nighthawk Router

A VPN enables you to connect two secure networks over the internet. For example, you can connect to a home network and one in business using VPN. However, it requires special equipment or software at both ends.

The term 'VPN Pass through' on Netgear Nighthawk WiFi routers means that the equipment doesn't support one of the endpoints but it allows traffic from those endpoints to 'pass through'. All Netgear routers provide support for 'VPN pass through' for PPTP, IPSec, and L2TP.

In order to create one of these endpoints, you first need to know what is VPN.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Networking. It provides you secure connections between private networks connected over the internet. Furthermore, it enables remote PCs to act as though they were on the same local, secure network.

You can also set up a VPN on your router even when you have already employed Netgear Nighthawk extender setup for your home.

However, the most common issue while using VPN is when users install their Netgear WiFi router, then the VPN generally stops working. Netgear WiFi routers with VPN pass through are meant to work with no modifications. But sometimes, troubleshooting is essential to localize an issue. In case your WiFi router provides support for 0 VPN terminators, you will need other equipment or software besides the router.

Solution: VPN Stopped Working After Installing Netgear Router

Any of the below-given troubleshooting steps may resolve the problem:

Confirm whether the VPN client software is running under admin mode.
Be certain that you connect to your home router's VPN server via internet from outside the home. A VPN connection can't be made within your LAN network via your wireless LAN or LAN port.
In case your equipment provides support for NAT-T, turn it on.
Be certain that your have set up your router properly.
Connect to the correct network. For instance, if you have employed Netgear Nighthawk AC2300 setup for your home, make sure that you are connected to its WiFi network only.
Keep in mind to configure your VPN software in a proper manner.
In the event that your company makes use of L2TP pass through, register the MAC address of your router with your company's system admin.
Enable port forwarding for the VPN port for L2TP-L2TP routing and remote access, PPTP, and IPSec.

Bonus Tip

The router's firewall is set to drop or delete ICMP packets sent to the WAN port from outside your network. Your VPN may need these ICMP packets. In order to accept them, do the following:

Log into your WiFi router either by using the default web user interface or via the Netgear Nighthawk app.
Fill the admin username and passphrase into the given fields.
Hit the Log In button.
Once logged in, click on the Respond to Ping on Internet Port option.
At last, click on the Apply button to save the changes done by you.