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TL-R605 VPN capabilities

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TL-R605 VPN capabilities

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TL-R605 VPN capabilities
TL-R605 VPN capabilities
2021-08-05 23:24:57
Model: ER605 (TL-R605)  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 1.0.1 Build 20210113 Rel.35074

Hi,

 

I'm hoping this will appear in google so no one makes the same mistake I did and wastes their time looking into VPN solutions with this device. I was hoping to use this to put my whole home network through a VPN using ExpressVPN, NordVPN or MullVad. TL;DR you can't.

 

I bought this TL-R605 as it was marketed as SafeStream Gigabit Multi-WAN VPN-Router with "Highly Secure VPN: Supports up to 20× LAN-to-LAN IPsec, 16× OpenVPN*, 16× L2TP, and 16× PPTP VPN connections."

 

The asterix (*) links to a comment at the bottom of the whole page "*These functions require the use of Omada Hardware Controller, Software Controller, or Cloud-Based Controller."

 

This is just the beginning of the nightmare.

 

Yes, to do anything VPN wise, you need the Omada controller.

 

After signing up for the Cloud-Based controller I spend half an hour searching for a "device key" before realising that this wouldn't work. You have to install the "Omada Software Controller" onto a PC in the local network, enable "Cloud Access" and then it should discover it and let you add it. You can then link your software to the cloud if you want.

 

Cool. Let's do VPN now right? No

 

General Issues

  • No logging available. You can't see what went wrong unless you have access to the VPN server logs.
  • No status available. You can't see if the device is connected to the VPN or not. You can only try some websites that geolocate your IP to see where you are and if it worked.

 

OpenVPN

  • Username / Password not supported. You heard that right
  • Username Password File not supported.
  • Only one file can be uploaded: the OVPN file. No cert files, no key files.
  • These issues basically mean there's about one configurable way to use OpenVPN as a client on this router and you'd have to set up the server on AWS or something for this to work. Don't even bother wasting your time on this.

 

LT2P/IPSEC

  • Only ExpressVPN seems to support this. NordVPN dropped support for this.
  • Insists on having a defined "Remote Subnets" when ExpressVPN insists on putting this to "Dynamic" or "Let server configure".
  • Won't work

 

PPTP

  • If you're desperate enough to use this protocol, then you're desperate enough to return this product and buy something better.

 

 

All in all, damn. Could've been a brilliant router. Instead it was released half finished. The forum has a few posts of people trying to set this up with VPN services and being told it won't work or that "devs will schedule the work".

 

I feel like these issues are buried so deep in the backlog that no dev is ever going to bother implementing this properly. There's been one firmware update on 2021-03-03. Five months later and nothing has happened. 

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8 Reply
Re:TL-R605 VPN capabilities
2021-08-06 06:27:05

@Dullaz 

You should know that there are different types of VPN. 3rd party is not avail/restricted on many brands. You should ask this with their support before buying. TP only supports OpenVPN under Omada Controller mode. 

What should I do if VPN doesn't work on Wi-Fi Router?

Q: Does TP-Link Wi-Fi Router support Third-Part VPN Server Provider such as ExpressVPN, Nord VPN?

A: When setting up VPN tunnel, there are control links and data links existed. Data links has two different modes: unencrypted and encrypted. Our TP-Link Wi-Fi router can only support unencrypted data links. However, most of third-part VPN Server Provider, such as Nord VPN, Express VPN and so on, use encrypted VPN connection, which means TP-Link router don’t support most of third-part VPN Server Provider now.

 

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Re:TL-R605 VPN capabilities
2021-08-06 11:08:08

@Yannie Yeah I understand this all now after buying and exploring this product. My issues are numerous ( as listed in the original post ) but the main problem is this was false marketing.

 

You can't claim to "support OpenVPN" without clearly stating you don't support encrypted connections. 

 

ExpressVPN supports LT2P/IPSEC connections and so does this TP Link router. The only issue is that the router demands a defined IP Subnet rather than letting the VPN server configure it. Nothing to do with OpenVPN either, since IPSEC is the encryption side used with LT2P and they're all completely different protocols. This doesn't work and it has nothing to do with OpenVPN

 

In other words, it was all just poorly implemented and poorly marketed. I have a feeling the development team realized how CPU intensive encrypted OpenVPN connections are and that the hardware won't support it so they just ignored it.

 

This needs to be clearly stated so no one thinks this is a "VPN Router" when it only supports half of what VPN routers should offer.

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Re:TL-R605 VPN capabilities
2021-08-28 05:18:51
Thank you! Your post saved me many hours that I would haved waste trying, too bad it couldn't save me the money spent on Omada hardware, it simply didn't do what it said it would do. TP-Link was a solid brand from my experience in its consumer products, but for the Omada series, it wasted me so much time, nothing works as expected, there are always non-standard "by default" settings that are not documented. I had to read the 400 page manual plus *all* messages in the support forum in order to see that things are defaulted to a non-standard way or is not actually supported. Inter-connected and NATed VLAN is a case in point. Now, the oxymoron of UNencrypted VPN only in a router that has "VPN" in its name baffles me, leaving me speachless except for a "thank you" to the soul who confirm that it indeed cannot work to the full extend of the imagination of TP-LINK's marketing team.
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Re:TL-R605 VPN capabilities
2021-09-25 17:19:11
I have experienced much the same and I’m amazed that this product has even been released considering it’s limited capabilities and I’m my humble but informed view does terribly damage to the TP-Link brand as such. Once the goto brand for very reliable low cost suffers now a suspicious brand ethos and will not be something I will invest in going forward. Fewer but deeper functionalities that work, please. I don’t mind having to buy a box for each but don’t release a box that claims to do what it doesn’t. And who on earth would want to run an unencrypted VPN?
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Re:TL-R605 VPN capabilities
2022-01-04 17:05:56

@Dullaz 

Thanks for the effort of trying to save my time!.... Being familiar with setting this sort of stuff up before... I assumed that it was going to be possible.... missed your post and spent real money on tp-link AP, switch, gateway and controller hardware. I actually have enjoyed learning how to setup this environment but its a huge disapointment to find setting up a simple vpn client is not possible, at least how I was intending to implement (SSID and VLAN for a nord vpn configuration).

 

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Re:TL-R605 VPN capabilities
2022-01-05 19:36:34

Search your model and find your model. Click support and read the datasheet. You can find anything about this router and its performance.

ScReW yOu gUyS. I aM GOinG hoMe. —————————————————————— For heaven's sake, can you write and describe your issue based on plain fact, common logic and a methodologic approach? Appreciate it.
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#7
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Re:TL-R605 VPN capabilities
2022-06-10 19:19:55
One would expect an ENTERPRISE router to have basic function like OpenVPN with username and password.
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#8
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Re:TL-R605 VPN capabilities
2022-10-17 03:48:39 - last edited 2022-10-17 03:57:02

  @Dullaz 

 

You nailed it. I set up my own VPN server (Amazon EC2) with encryption without a mandatory username/password.

The performance is so disappointing.

Using my phone, when I connect to the VPN using the OpenVpn App, I can get my full ISP internet speed (150/50 Mbs upload/download).

However, when I set up the same VPN on the Omada Controller and link it to a different VLAN/Wireless network, I only get a ridiculous 8/14 Mbs (upload/download). 

 

They have done something wrong on the firmware of that router, or they are using toy's hardware in it.

I have an OpenVPN server/client connected running on 2017 Raspberry Pi3 (on both sides) that gives me almost 100/100 Mbs.

 

PS.:

It seems like the TL-R605 has a very little capacity for OpenVpn

https://www.tp-link.com/us/compare/?type=smb&typeId=5749&productIds=45943%2C45942

 

The stated speed it's disappointing • 21.70 Mbps

There isn't information about the ER7206.

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