Trouble Connecting to OpenVPN Access Server from External Network

[OrcaAx]

I am having trouble connecting to my OpenVPN server from external networks. When on the same LAN as the OpenVPN server, I can connect immediately without issue. I have been working on this for a week with no success, so I'm hoping someone might have some new ideas.

The server is running on an Ubuntu 18.04 system with UFW (universal firewall). The server is set to run in multi-daemon mode, using both TCP and UDP. With TCP being on port 443 and UDP on port 1194. The admin panel is at port 943. The ufw firewall has exceptions to allow traffic through ports 443, 943, and 1194. I have tested with and without the ufw firewall enabled.

My router is an AT&T Router/Modem combo, a BGW210-700. I have set it up to forward the ports 443, 943, and 1194. When doing an open port check, 443 and 943 show open but 1194 shows closed. I have tried disabling all of the firewall settings and disabling packet filtering.

I have tried adding another router (TP-Link ER605), connected directly to the LAN port of the AT&T router. I set the AT&T router into IP passthrough mode and pass the IP address directly to my new TP-Link router. I can confirm that the second router now shows at the public IP address. I again forwarded 443, 943, and 1194. The result is the same: 443 and 943 show open, 1194 shows closed.

From an external network, I can access the admin panel at port 943 to download my user profile. When I try to connect to the VPN, it eventually times out. The server logs never show an incoming connection attempt, the client just times out when trying to connect. This result has been the same for both router configurations and with firewalls on/off for the server (ufw) and the AT&T Router. When in multi-daemon mode, the client seems to get stuck trying port 1194. When I set the server to use TCP only, it seems to get stuck trying port 443.

I am trying to connect remotely via Android app and the Verizon LTE network.

Any suggestions are much appreciated!

[openvpn_inc]

Hello OrcaAx,

This may sound a bit too simple but since this a mistake many people have made before you... did you check that the IP address in the OpenVPN client connection profile is actually pointing to the public address that your router is accessible at from the Internet, and not set to the private IP address within your own network? Because then you would be able to connect only from within your network and not from outside of it through the Internet.

Kind regards,
Johan

[OrcaAx]

Johan, thank you so much for your reply. The guide I used to setup and configure the OpenVPN server never mentioned needing to configure the Hostname/IP Address to be my public IP address rather than my local IP address. I guess the setup just defaulted the local address and I assumed that was correct.
Thanks again!

[openvpn_inc]

Hi OrcaAx,

You're welcome. Access Server doesn't know what public IP clients should connect to when Access Server is set up in a private network. You can configure the correct address for clients to use for all new connection profiles by setting the "host name or ip address" field in the network settings in the admin ui.

Kind regards,
Johan