OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Official client software for OpenVPN Access Server and OpenVPN Cloud.
PinzNneedlz
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by PinzNneedlz » Sun Oct 26, 2014 12:41 am

I'm having this problem as well and it's driving nuts!!! I've tried a number of different configurations and tried on many networks(WiFi). All WiFi connections work fine (rock solid). However no matter what I do when connected to mobile data it will drop the connection and try to reconnect. It will reconnect fine but it continuously does this and it pisses me off!!! WAY OFF!!! lol. When viewing logs on the server side of my router where the VPN server resides, I see a problem in the logs where I get a Socket protect error. Never had this problem on my Motorola Droid Razor XT912 running Ice Cream Sandwich and a CM 10 stable ROM. I'm using an LG G3 now with Kit Kat (BOOOOO!! :cry: ) installed on it stock and not rooted. I'm willing to bet it has something to do with the way Kit Kat is handling VPN connections now vs. the way Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean handled it. I can't even get the LG integrated VPN software to stay connected using the most very basic and weak PPTP protocol. :evil:. And when using PPTP I recall the server side logs and find a "Cannot determine Ethernet address for proxy ARP" error followed by "couldn't read the packet header". I'm at my end with it. All I can think of now is to wait and see if Android Lollipop addresses this. More than likely it won't though. Think it is some new implementation in the way Google wishes to handle VPN connections. :(

PinzNneedlz
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by PinzNneedlz » Sun Oct 26, 2014 2:08 am

Well I decided to call Verizon back and ask them to re-activate my Droid Razor and then transferred the same cert and key from my LG G3 phone to the Droid Razor and connected to the VPN using OpenVPN Connect and have been streaming multiple IP cameras on the droid for 30 minutes now and haven't had one disconnect. That confirms at least that the issue is with the Kit Kat build and the way it implements VPN connections. :cry: I seriously hope that the developers can figure out a way to work around or make changes accordingly to the application in order to suit the needs of these damn developers at Google and the way they choose to write their code. No telling why they decided to change VPN stack, but for now, we wait.

mainr
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by mainr » Fri Dec 05, 2014 2:26 am

I just got an OTA update for my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 today - VRUFNK1 version of 4.4.2. Fixes listed (only 2):
- Fixed VPN connectivity issue
- Fixed the intermittent power cycle issue

This updated fixed the VPN disconnect issue for me

See: http://www.droid-life.com/2014/12/02/mi ... n-verizon/

mainr
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by mainr » Fri Dec 05, 2014 2:40 am

A bit more info on VRUFNK1 update that fixed problem on Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4:

I have 2 Verizon Galaxy S4s - one rooted and one not rooted. The stock non-rooted phone updated successfully OTA, the rooted phone did not ("ERROR" when updating).

I updated the rooted S4 by unrooting via SuperSU, then downloading the update image and installing via ODIN as described here: http://androidbiits.com/i545vrufnk1-and ... -sch-i545/

hytekj
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by hytekj » Mon Dec 29, 2014 8:17 pm

Whatever came of this? I'm running 4.4.3 and seeing this issue...

Fahrenheit
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by Fahrenheit » Tue Dec 30, 2014 3:20 pm

hytekj wrote:Whatever came of this? I'm running 4.4.3 and seeing this issue...
I'm still experiencing this issue with HMAC authentication preventing connections on the latest OpenVPN Connect client (version 1.1.14) and Android 5.0.1 Lollipop (on my Nexus 6).

birtong
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by birtong » Thu Jan 15, 2015 7:53 pm

Hi,

I've been reading lots of suggestions and trying many of them, without success! :(

My LG G3 is still running 4.4.2 and openvpn drops out on Verizon connects, 100% of the time! Good news is OpenVPN reconnects after a few seconds but the drops are driving me nuts! :cry:

Who should I be frustrated with OpenVPN or Verizon and is anyone going to fix this? :?

Thanks!

Fahrenheit
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by Fahrenheit » Thu Jan 15, 2015 10:46 pm

birtong wrote:Hi,

I've been reading lots of suggestions and trying many of them, without success! :(

My LG G3 is still running 4.4.2 and openvpn drops out on Verizon connects, 100% of the time! Good news is OpenVPN reconnects after a few seconds but the drops are driving me nuts! :cry:

Who should I be frustrated with OpenVPN or Verizon and is anyone going to fix this? :?

Thanks!
I would say its not a Verizon issue because the traffic isn't being blocked. Its with the OpenVPN software on Android, or Google Android. Some people have gotten it working with recent Android updates. However I'm running Lollipop and still have the problem. To me, it points to a bug in the OpenVPN for Android app.

I think the best thing to do is up vote the bug here:

https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/ticket/428

Though I haven't seen any big updates released for the app in quite awhile.

PinzNneedlz
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by PinzNneedlz » Fri Jan 16, 2015 3:30 am

birtong wrote:Hi,

I've been reading lots of suggestions and trying many of them, without success! :(

My LG G3 is still running 4.4.2 and openvpn drops out on Verizon connects, 100% of the time! Good news is OpenVPN reconnects after a few seconds but the drops are driving me nuts! :cry:

Who should I be frustrated with OpenVPN or Verizon and is anyone going to fix this? :?

Thanks!

I did alot of investigating into it and have come to the conclusion that its the way Google's developers wrote the VPN implementation for Kitkat. It's somewhere in the stack. Hoping that my LG G3 will get the new Lollipop update soon in hopes that they fixed this problem in the new OS. Keep your fingers crossed.

PinzNneedlz
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by PinzNneedlz » Fri Jan 16, 2015 3:32 am

Fahrenheit wrote:
birtong wrote:Hi,

I've been reading lots of suggestions and trying many of them, without success! :(

My LG G3 is still running 4.4.2 and openvpn drops out on Verizon connects, 100% of the time! Good news is OpenVPN reconnects after a few seconds but the drops are driving me nuts! :cry:

Who should I be frustrated with OpenVPN or Verizon and is anyone going to fix this? :?

Thanks!
I would say its not a Verizon issue because the traffic isn't being blocked. Its with the OpenVPN software on Android, or Google Android. Some people have gotten it working with recent Android updates. However I'm running Lollipop and still have the problem. To me, it points to a bug in the OpenVPN for Android app.

I think the best thing to do is up vote the bug here:

https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/ticket/428

Though I haven't seen any big updates released for the app in quite awhile.
You are running Lollipop on an LG G3? And it is still not working?

birtong
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by birtong » Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:14 pm

I tried to add another comment to the open ticket but could not find a way. Feeling a little brain dead today :)

If the OpenVPN team is reading this, please add my concern / input to the open / assigned - Bug Ticket.

Thank You,
Birton

Fahrenheit
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by Fahrenheit » Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:17 pm

PinzNneedlz wrote: You are running Lollipop on an LG G3? And it is still not working?
It was broken on my Galaxy Nexus running AOSP Kit Kat. Now its still broken on my new Nexus 6 running Lollipop. So its not limited to LG phones or Kit Kat only.

luckyj
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by luckyj » Fri Jan 16, 2015 7:35 pm

Having this problem with my Verizon Droid Turbo. Doesn't matter if I use LTE/3G/1X, also doesn't matter if I use TLS auth or not. When the default route is enabled, the connection drops a lot when on mobile data. :(

If on Wi-Fi, there is no issue and it is rock solid.

I also tried two other free OpenVPN clients, both had the same problem.

Could this be because there are some control packets coming from the mobile network via private IP space for which responses don't make it back due to the default route? Could the solution be as simple as making an exception to the default route for the right mobile network IP block? Would be nice to be able to sniff the mobile network interface, but since I'm on a turbo I don't have root....

smolander
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by smolander » Fri Apr 03, 2015 7:22 pm

I came across this forum and thread after almost smashing my Motorola Turbo against the wall. Same issue ... on cellular it connects and then within 30-60 seconds it starts to cycle between connected and paused. I am receiving an IP address from the server, so it appears to be connecting. One of my IT techs can connect with same settings using his iPhone.

I can't find a solution here. Has anyone found a fix?

I'm running Android 4.4.4.

smolander
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by smolander » Fri Apr 03, 2015 7:42 pm

Can I post to this thread? I just posted but have not seen the post show up yet. Having the same problem on both Motorola Turbo 4.4.4 and LG Tablet 4.4.2. Connects, gets IP address then pauses. The tablet seems to pause less than phone. Will be testing with wifi tonight.

stalag
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by stalag » Wed Sep 16, 2015 2:55 am

So here is the run down on the issue. It is a bug in the policy routing / vpn framework for Android KitKat 4.4.x. I was not able to nail to any one specific bug documenting the issue on the Google/AOSP site or the exact offending code or conditions which causes it to occur. I have a developer phone and ran various debug utilities and tcpdump/wireshark to figure what the cause was. The VPN framework on 4.4.x occasionally leaks packets to the mobile network. When Verizon's network detects packets with the source address of your VPN assigned IP address it kicks you off their network causing your phones modem to reset. Other wireless service providers may not have these network/policy protections in place and it will go unnoticed as you are not kicked off their network when your device routes packets inappropriately. It is not an IPV6 issue, though IPV6 leaks may be of another concern. If you can root (haha, good luck) your phone, you can create firewall policies with iptables to block the bad packets and prevent the disconnects from occurring. You might even be able to automate it with the Tasker app or create a specific app to do it. The other alternative is to get a device with Android Lollipop 5.1 as I have not observed the issue with OpenVPN under the new OS. Most of the VPN services/apps available in the market are based on OpenVPN, BTW.

I have not done any packet captures while using OpenVPN on WiFi, but I would not be surprised if 4.4.x was leaking packets on those networks as well. Most WiFi routers and ISP's will just silently drop packets (or worse, forward them) with source address violations and not disconnect the offender. As such I cannot recommend anyone use any VPN applications on 4.4.x devices as your communications are not likely to be completely secure. This issue has been plaguing everyone for nearly two years and I find it hard to believe that Google nor any other vendor has acknowledged the issue let alone fixed it for 4.4.x devices. It is unbelievable that software updates for these devices are abandoned almost as soon as they are released, despite costing many hundreds of dollars. Alas, you have your answer and the completely unreasonable solution.

Fahrenheit
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by Fahrenheit » Mon Nov 23, 2015 2:39 pm

stalag wrote:The VPN framework on 4.4.x occasionally leaks packets to the mobile network. When Verizon's network detects packets with the source address of your VPN assigned IP address it kicks you off their network causing your phones modem to reset.
Wow that is some unbelievable troubleshooting you've conducted...and it makes perfect sense! I've finally gotten Android 6 Marshmallow on my Nexus 6 which appears to have solved the issue for me. Maybe Google fixed the code in the network stack finally? I actually moved to AT&T service too, so I can't confirm unfortunately.

speed_phreak
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by speed_phreak » Tue Feb 02, 2016 3:51 am

Count me in with this issue Samsung Galaxy Note 3 running 4.4.2. I also have tls auth enabled. The connection drops in about a minute, pause, reconnect. I will try disabling tls auth to see if that helps. For me, this issue is especially bad with a UDP VPN connection. I also have a TCP tunnel set up and it seems to keep the connection considerably longer.

Glad I am not alone anymore... I have been searching everywhere for you, friends...

djaroneski
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Re: OPenVPN Connect on Android 4.4.2

Post by djaroneski » Mon Feb 11, 2019 8:43 pm

Granted the last post to this thread was several years ago, I think I found an answer for anyone else with this problem. I have Verizon also, on a Galaxy S4. I had Power Saving enabled. Disabled it, bingo bango. Maybe there is some similar setting causing havoc with the rest of youse.

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