I’m not the most tech savy but here I am. I’m running 0.4.0.2 and its connected directly to my TPLink Archer AX10 router, which is connected directly to the internet. I use a VPN on my laptop and can access my server via my home connections just fine. My Samsung phone is stuck in the dark ages as I still use the slow Onion browser to access Vaultwarden and NextCloud while on the go. I also normally run NordVPN on my phone.
Can someone explain the simple way to get a connection to my server and hopefully use the Vaultwarden and NextCloud native apps on my phone. I think I want to use my router to handle this and not pay/use a VPS. This is where my knowledge of stuff stops.
Hey, good news: you don’t need a VPS for this. Your Archer AX10 has a built-in VPN server, so your phone can “dial home” and act like it’s on your home WiFi. Then the Bitwarden and Nextcloud apps can talk to your server directly, much faster than Tor.
One note: the AX10 does not support WireGuard, only OpenVPN, so we’ll use OpenVPN. It works fine.
Give your server a fixed address: Advanced > Network > DHCP Server > Address Reservation. Add your Start9 server and save. Write down that IP (something like 192.168.0.50).
Set up a free name for your home connection: Advanced > Network > Dynamic DNS. Pick TP-Link as the provider, log in with your TP-Link ID and register a name (like myhome.tplinkdns.com). This keeps the VPN working when your internet provider changes your home IP.
Make sure the router clock is right: Advanced > System > Time. Set it to get time from the internet.
Turn on the VPN: Advanced > VPN Server > OpenVPN. Tick Enable, Service Type UDP, port 1194, and set Client Access to “Home Network Only”. Save, click Generate (certificate), then Export to download the config file.
On your phone:
5. Install “OpenVPN Connect” from the Play Store and import the config file you exported (email it to yourself or copy it over USB).
6. Trust your server’s certificate so the apps don’t complain. In StartOS go to System > About this Server and download the Root CA. On the phone: Settings > Security > More security settings > Encryption & credentials > Install a certificate > CA certificate, tap Install Anyway and pick the file.
7. In StartOS, open Vaultwarden > Interfaces and copy the address that starts with your server’s IP and has a port at the end (like https://192.168.0.50:12345). Do the same for Nextcloud.
8. Bitwarden app: on the login screen choose “self-hosted” and paste the Vaultwarden address as the Server URL. Nextcloud app: paste the Nextcloud address as the server address.
To test, turn off WiFi so you are on mobile data, connect OpenVPN, and open the apps.
About NordVPN: Android only lets one VPN run at a time, so when OpenVPN is on, NordVPN is off (and the other way around). The good part: the Bitwarden app keeps a copy of your vault on the phone, so your passwords still work with NordVPN on. You only need the home VPN when you want to sync, add passwords or use Nextcloud.
If step 4 fails to connect from outside, tell me. Some internet providers use something called CGNAT, which blocks this, and then we look at other options.