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This tutorial will show you how to manually configure a VPN on your Netduma R1 router using the OpenVPN protocol. If you are using Netduma R2, follow this tutorial.

Not all ExpressVPN locations may be available for manually configured connections.

Important: The OpenVPN manual configuration does not offer the same security and privacy benefits as the ExpressVPN app. If your router does not support AES-NI (e.g., Asus RT-AC86U), you may experience occasional speed issues while using the OpenVPN manual configuration.

Note: This tutorial uses a Netduma R1 router on debug version 1.03.6g running on rb-951g-2hnd.

Jump to…

1. Download the VPN configuration files
2. Configure your Netduma router
Configure which devices use the VPN
Disconnect from the VPN


1. Download the VPN configuration files

Go to the ExpressVPN setup page. If prompted, enter your ExpressVPN credentials and click Sign In.

Enter your account credentials, then click "Sign In."

Enter the verification code that is sent to your email.

On the right, with OpenVPN already selected for you, you will see your username, password, and a list of OpenVPN configuration files.With OpenVPN already selected for you, you will see your username, password, and a list of OpenVPN configuration files.

Click the location(s) you want in order to download the .ovpn file(s).

Keep this browser window open. You will need this information for the setup later.

Need help? Contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

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2. Configure your Netduma router

To access the Netduma admin dashboard, open a web browser and enter 192.168.88.1 into the address bar. If your router’s IP address was changed in the past, or if you cannot remember it, you can find it in your device’s settings.

Sign in with your username and password. (By default, the username is admin and the password is password.)

In the left sidebar, click VPN.

Select the connected device that will use the VPN, then click Setup.

Enter the following information:

  • Config: Right-click the .ovpn config file you downloaded earlier. Open it with a text editor (Notepad for Windows, TextEdit for Mac). Copy the entire text and paste it in this field.
  • Username: Enter the username you found earlier.
  • Password: Enter the password you found earlier.
  • Enable: Check this box.

Click Apply.

To verify your connection, you can use ExpressVPN’s IP Address Checker to check your IP address. If your VPN connection is successful, the IP address shown will correlate to the location you are connected to via the VPN.

After you are connected to the VPN successfully, you will see “Connected” in green.

Need help? Contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

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Configure which devices use the VPN

You can select which connected devices will use the VPN.

In the left sidebar, click VPN. To select which device to use or not to use the VPN, check or uncheck the box next to the device name.

Need help? Contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

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Disconnect from the VPN

If you want all of the connected devices to stop using the VPN, you can disconnect from the VPN.

In the left sidebar, click VPN. Uncheck Enable, then click Apply.

You will see the word “Disconnected” in green.

You are now disconnected from the VPN.

Need help? Contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

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