How to set up FastVPN on pfSense router

To ensure a proper work of FastVPN with a pfSense router, you will need:

A secure FastVPN connection (Don’t have one? Sign up here!);
An internet connection;
Access to you FastVPN Account Panel .
pfSense hardware (this guide uses pfSense v2.4.5 version for demonstration purposes).

1. Create CA Certificate:

In your PfSense device click on System >> Cert manager >> CAs and then click on +Add
Give the CA a name (it can be whatever you want, lets say “CA_NCVPN_CERT”).
Chose to Import an existing Certificate Authority. Copy and paste the certificate from here into the Certificate data field.
Click on Save.

2. Add a VPN connection:

In this example, we'll create the VPN connection to Phoenix server (phx-a01.wlvpn.com). You can find domain names of other locations from your FastVPN Account Panel here.
Click on VPN >> OpenVPN >> Clients >> +Add & enter the following configuration:
General Information:
- Server Mode: Peer to Peer (SSL/TLS)
- Protocol: UPD on IPv4 only
- Device mode: tun
- Interface: WAN
- Server host: phx-a01.wlvpn.com (pick any other location server location from the FastVPN Account Panel)
- Server port: 1194
- Description: CA_NCVPN_CERT
User Authentication Settings:
- Enter your FastVPN Network Credentials, available from the FastVPN Account Panel, username & Password
- unchecked -> checked
Cryptographic Settings:
- TLS Authentication leave unchecked
- Peer certificate authority: CA_NCVPN_CERT (certificate we created at step1)
- Client Certificate: None
- Encryption Algorithm: AES-256-CBC
- Enable NCP: unchecked -> checked
- NCP Algorithms: [none] -> AES-128-GCM, AES-256-GCM, AES-256-CBC
- Auth digest algorithm: SHA256
- Hardware Crypto: No Hardware Crypto Acceleration
Tunnel Settings:
- IPv6 Tunnel Network: leave blank
- IPv6 Remote Network(s): leave blank
- Limit outgoing bandwidth: leave blank
- Compression: LZO Compression [compress lzo, equivalent to comp-lzo)
- Topology: Subnet – One IP-address per client in a common subnet
- Type-of-Service: Should not be selected
- Don't pull routes: Should not be selected
- Don't add/remove routes: Should not be selected
Advanced pfSense router configuration:
- Custom options:
               persist-remote-ip
               remote-cert-tls server
               keysize 256
             tls-cipher TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA:TLS-DHE-DSS-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA:TLS-RSA-WITH- AES-256-CBC-SHA
- UDP fast I/O: Should not be selected
- Send/Receive buffer: Default
- Verbosity level: 3 (Recommended)
- Click Save.

3. Firewall setup

pfSense is a system with good security level; for this reason you have to set some rules to enable users to connect with vpn and to the other systems in lan:

Move to Firewall –> Rules –> WAN
Add this rule:
Protocol IPv4 TCP
Source *
Port 1194
Destination This Firewall
Port 1194
Gw *
Queue none
To enable OpenVPN clients to connect to LAN ip move to Firewall –> Rules –> OpenVPN
Add this rule:
Protocol IPv4 TCP
Source *
Port *
Destination *
Port *
Gw *
Queue none

Since OpenVPN is not the default router, it’s mandatory that every connected client must be masquerade by firewall IP. Move to Firewall –> NAT –> OpenVPN then configure Outbound Mode Hybrid.

Add masquerading rules from every client connecting. This is because every server in LAN has a default gw rule pointing to the edge. For this reason the only way to connect is using the pfSense IP which has a LAN IP.

The simplest way to distribute client-to-lan vpn to users is:

1. Issue new user in System -> User manager -> Users.

2. Share configuration data for OpenVPN client.

We suggest to install opnevpn-client-export package to speed-up VPN client delivery process

Test the VPN simply downloading OpenVPN client and export configuration (or download a packaged version directly from VPN –> OpenVPN –> Client Export) and connecting with it’s option under OpenVPN client connection option.

That’s it! pfSense VPN setup is complete, and you should now have a FastVPN connection.

If you need any further assistance, please contact our Support Team.

Updated

4/20/2023

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