Enhancing Privacy With MikroTik Router VPN Setup

So you want to configure your own VPN on your MikroTik router? That’s a wise choice! With a VPN, you can protect your online privacy and access geo-blocked content from anywhere in the world. And the good news is that it’s not as complicated as you may think. In this article, we’ll guide you through the steps to configure a PPTP VPN server on your MikroTik router.

PPTP VPN Server Setup on MikroTik Router

What is PPTP VPN?

PPTP stands for Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, a VPN protocol developed by Microsoft in the late 1990s. It’s one of the most widely used VPN protocols due to its ease of setup and compatibility with virtually all platforms. PPTP uses a control channel over TCP and a GRE tunnel operating to encapsulate PPP packets.

Why set up a PPTP VPN server on your MikroTik router?

There are many reasons why you may want to set up your own VPN server. Here are a few:

Protect your online privacy: A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP address, making it virtually impossible for anyone to monitor your online activities.
Bypass internet censorship: If you live in a country with strict internet censorship laws, a VPN can help you access blocked websites and services.
Access geo-restricted content: With a VPN, you can bypass geo-restrictions and access content that’s normally unavailable in your country.

Step-by-step guide to configure PPTP VPN server on your MikroTik router

Now that you know the benefits of setting up your own VPN server, let’s get started with the setup process. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Login to your MikroTik router and open Winbox

The first step is to open Winbox and log into your MikroTik router. If you don’t have Winbox installed, you can download it from the MikroTik website. Once you’ve opened Winbox, enter the IP address of your router in the “Connect To” field and click “Connect”.

Step 2: Configure your DHCP server

Before you can set up a PPTP VPN server on your MikroTik router, you need to configure your DHCP server. To do this, navigate to the “IP” tab and select “DHCP Server”.

Next, click “Add” to create a new DHCP server. Enter the following details:

“Name”: Enter a name for your new DHCP server.
“Interface”: Select the interface on which your DHCP server will operate.
“Address Pool”: Enter the IP address range that you want to use for your DHCP server.

When you’re done, click “OK” to save your changes.

Step 3: Create a new PPTP VPN server

Now that your DHCP server is set up, you can create a new PPTP VPN server. To do this, navigate to the “PPP” tab and select “PPTP Server”.

Next, click “Add” to create a new PPTP server. Enter the following details:

“Name”: Enter a name for your new PPTP server.
“Local Address”: Enter the IP address of your MikroTik router.
“Remote Address”: Enter the IP address range that you want to use for your VPN clients. This range should be different from the range you specified for your DHCP server.

When you’re done, click “OK” to save your changes.

Step 4: Configure your PPTP server settings

Now that you’ve created your PPTP VPN server, you need to configure its settings. To do this, select your PPTP server from the list of servers on the PPP tab and click “Edit”.

Next, enter the following details:

“Authentication”: Choose whether you want to use local or RADIUS authentication. If you choose local authentication, you will need to create user accounts for your VPN clients.
“Encryption”: Choose the level of encryption you want to use for your VPN connections.
“Keepalive Timeout”: Specify the amount of time (in seconds) that your VPN connections will remain active if no data is being transmitted.

When you’re done, click “OK” to save your changes.

Step 5: Create user accounts for your VPN clients

If you chose local authentication in Step 4, you need to create user accounts for your VPN clients. To do this, navigate to the “PPP” tab and select “Secrets”.

Next, click “Add” to create a new user account. Enter the following details:

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“Name”: Enter a username for your new user account.
“Password”: Enter a password for your new user account.
“Service”: Select “pptp” from the dropdown menu.

When you’re done, click “OK” to save your changes.

Step 6: Test your VPN connection

Now that you’ve set up your PPTP VPN server and created user accounts for your clients, it’s time to test your VPN connection. To do this, you’ll need to create a new VPN connection on your PC or mobile device.

Here’s how to do it on Windows:

Click the Start button and type “VPN” in the search bar.
Select “Set up a virtual private network (VPN) connection” from the search results.
Enter the IP address of your MikroTik router in the “Internet address” field.
Enter the username and password you created for your VPN client in the “Username” and “Password” fields.
Click “Connect” to establish your VPN connection.

Once your VPN connection is established, you should be able to access the internet and browse the web anonymously.

Conclusion

Setting up your own VPN server on your MikroTik router is a great way to protect your online privacy and access geo-restricted content from anywhere in the world. And with the easy-to-follow steps we’ve outlined in this article, you should be up and running in no time!