Works one day, not the next

hal59 · Post by **hal59** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 4:19 pm

Hi. Trying to figure out why I can have my config all set up and it works just fine. Then, later that day, or the next day, OpenVPN can't connect. (I see this on iOS and on Windows devices, although I can't confirm timing.)

RBR50 (Orbi router) is the server, running firmware v2.7.5.4.

iPhone 13 running is the client, running iOS 17.1.1 (and recently 16.something).

During a failure scenario, the client throws the dreaded "server poll timeout" message.

Rebooting the router used to solve this. It doesn't any more. I have also tried rebooting the client, re-importing the profile, re-installing OpenVPN, etc.

The only workaround I have found is to do the following:
1. On router: Advanced | Internet setup | Internet IP address --> select "use static IP address" (and hope my ISP doesn't change it on me??)
2. In OpenVPN profile, hard code the IP address of the server
(I'm not sure if this opens me up to any risk. This, I'm guessing, will create a secure tunnel, but if ISP makes changes, I could be screwed. The address has remained constant for many months, so crossing fingers.)