Any experience with comparing connectivity with OpenVPN vs ZeroTier when on public Wifi?

looney2ns

looney2ns

IPCT Contributor
Sep 25, 2016
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Evansville, In. USA
Ok, so I'm running into more public wifi spots, grocery stores, restaurants, etc that either OpenVPN can't connect back home or it connects, but the link can't be used due to rules set on the premises routing equipment.

Has anyone used both and found that ZeroTier works in more locations typically?
Thanks.
 
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First you'll need to get past the captive portal (agreeing to TOS or otherwise logging in).

Assuming you've done that and open vpn won't connect you might try using a different port for your openvpn server.
 
What type of phone and what VPN client app (there are multiple openvpn apps, I'm guessing the official android app)? Can you get the client connection log to see what it says?
 
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I had the same concern for using zerotier, and not wanting to use a vpn with holes through my router. I had a bunch of errands around my local town (small mountain town in Colorado), so i decided to test on my iphone (verizon) that has zerotier installed …

totally open public wifi: public government building. Library, grocery store, city park - no issues
Open with portal acceptance: sandwich shop, police station (in parking lot), coffee house - no issues
public wifi with password: another sandwich shop, anytime fitness gym, true value hardware store, another small grocery store - no issues (although true value took three tries to connect on zerotier. Once connected blue iris app worked as normal)

I had also used zerotier previously using a a captive portal at an RV campground. No issues and blue iris app worked normally. (Captive meaning portal login page comes up, you agree to their service and can purchase extra speed ($5.00) for your one device for 24 hours).

Zerotier also has worked fine using the blue iris app on verizon throughout a few surrounding states.
 
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Since zerotier is P2P, shouldn't it be expected to work anywhere web browsing works?
 
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tangent said:
What type of phone and what VPN client app (there are multiple openvpn apps, I'm guessing the official android app)? Can you get the client connection log to see what it says?
Click to expand...
OpenVPN Connect on a Pixel 3a XL Android 12.
I think I tried the 443 port a while back and it didn't help much, but I've slept since then and will try it again.

I've also now have Zerotier set up and configured on my BI server and phone, so next time I'm out I'll give both a whirl.
 
tigerwillow1 said:
Since zerotier is P2P, shouldn't it be expected to work anywhere web browsing works?
Click to expand...

No, zerotier traffic does not look like ordinary web browsing traffic, not at all. But an OpenVPN server listening on port 443 using the TCP protocol (not UDP) does look a lot like standard HTTPS web traffic and therefore it is most likely to be allowed.
 
I had OpenVPN set up first and then set up zerotier and I can use either one when I am out. I haven't been anywhere that OpenVPN was not working to see if zerotier did.
 
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00Buck said:
I had OpenVPN set up first and then set up zerotier and I can use either one when I am out. I haven't been anywhere that OpenVPN was not working to see if zerotier did.
Click to expand...
Sorry I know this is an old thread, but curious how you had both set up simultaneously? I currently use ZT as OpenVPN was over my pay grade to setup as a server. Now I have it on my TP Link router and it was easy to setup and export configs etc. However, on BI webserver for open VPN I would use the machines ip:port I believe, but for zerotier I needed to switch the NIC to the virtual for ZT and the IP for WAN is different as well. How do I run both simultaneously to test?
 
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