Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine
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So, today is a new day. After a week or so, this morning, the Roku wont load. Let me be specific. There are some channels that will work. When I select a movie on Amazon prime I get a message that it will not continue because I am using a VPN or proxy. Spectrum, my cable ISP, indicates as much by not populating the channels number listing with channel numbers, except for channel 1, which is the Spectrum news station. (Note that this has been working for probably a week)
To troubleshoot this, I set up my pc with a spare fixed IP in the VPN_Bypass alias. (I put in 2, 1 for the Roku and one spare-- 192.168.1.236 & 237. When I checked my IP on whatismyip.com, it showed that I am routing through the VPN (wtf?)
Then I changed the rules to route ALL traffic through the WAN_DHCP
This seemed to work. My IP showed up correctly in my city (the VPN gateway is not in my city) however, Spectrum did not work and I got the same message from Amazon prime about the VPN or proxy.
Here is the NAT
I dont know where to go with this next. Now it is difficult to go back to my previous WIFI router because the config is changed to an AP. Please help. Thanks.
As a follow up, I changed my FW rules back to the original, routing the alias VPN_Bypass back to the WAN_DHCP. The PC I am on still was part of the VPN_Bypass alias and the ping showed correctly (no VPN). Another PC showed that it was back on the VPN, correctly withthe Roku, and Spectrum. So, the question remains is why the Roku thinks its on a VPN or proxy. Another question is why its been working for weeks and decided to bomb today.
Thanks for your help. -
I'm just thinking out loud now :
Was the OpebVPN client still running, and this connected to your VPN supplier ?
You still had the NAT mode set to Hybrid mode ?
If both are true, probably active network states still routes through your VPN, even if a firewall changed.I'm still looking for something like a kill switch : with one change activate or deactivate my VPN, without the need to change several settings to enable or disable it. Purely so I know how it work : I don't need neither want to use a VPN.
@bill1 said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
When I select a movie on Amazon prime I get a message that it will not continue because I am using a VPN or proxy
Known and some what normal. Most VOD comapnies don't "like" VPN's because you could be situated 100 meters away, or using their services from an another contingent. VOD companies maintain and collect lists with known VPN suppliers, and block connections coming from them. That is, they will inform you that it's not OK to use their services through a VPN.
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@Gertjan said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
hey will inform you that it's not OK to use their services through a VPN.
Thanks for thinking on this. The message about the VPN was interesting because I was NOT on the VPN. I created an alias which was routed to WAN-DHCP, my cable modem gateway. I was able to verify that because I checked the IP online, and it was in my town. The VPN ip comes up in another state nearby. The really crazy part was that it worked fine for almost 3 weeks, then it didnt.>............................................Update from today. The VPN slowed down to like 8/12 mbps for certain parts of my LAN. I modified the firewall to route to the WAN (avoiding the VPN) and speeds went back up to 100. I want to see if anything else changes. I agree that there could be a NAT issue.
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Even a small device like a SG-1100 would have no troubles with a 100 Mbits stream.
Because you are using IPv4, NATting takes always place, in both directions, because your LAN is RFC1918, and the WAN is .... the world. That's what's routing is all about. Live with IPv6 will get easier on you in the future (but why wait ? ^^ ).@bill1 said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
The VPN slowed down to like 8/12 mbps for certain parts
I guess you just found out that VPN servers do not sell a fixed rate / speed, just 'what they have right now'.
Let's say a VPN server with an 1 Gigabit / sec pipe to the net costs about 50 $ a month.
Would you rent it out to 10 clients (VPN accounts) and then stop having more clients using that server, or leave the number of connections and clients open and see what happens ? (and while doing so, you would a a free BMW and a Tesla at the end of the year, instead of a basic Ford ?)
VPN's that are limited by the (your) ISP bandwidth are hard to find .... and will cost more then something like 10 $ / month. -
@Gertjan I can live with the vpn speed, or bypass it. My main issue is that by routing through the firewall and out the WAN_DHCP port I am still seen by Roku and other streaming services as a VPN or proxy. So, I cannot get to some Roku channels, nor can I access Spectrum stations that I pay for access. How do I fix this besides demoting the firewall and installing a different DHCP server connected to the cable modem ? How about this, I can connect the Roku to its own firewall port. Is there a way to NAT that out differently, or would it make a difference ? Thanks
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@bill1 said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
How about this, I can connect the Roku to its own firewall port. Is there a way to NAT that out differently, or would it make a difference ?
An OPTx port, which is just another 'LAN' network, has uses the default gateway, which should be your WAN, or VPN.
I never tried it myself, but what you should do is :
Lock the Roku to a fixed IP, by using a static IP setup, or use the MAC DHCP Lease.
Then , because the IP is known, make a firewall rule that uses a thing that is known as "policy routin" == define the gateway for this rule.
For me, this means : when this IP = Rocku sends traffic, then the assigned gateway in that rule will get used, whatever the system default gateway is. -
As I mentioned above, I have the Roku on its own DHCP lease. I have assigned the ip to an alias called "VPN-Bypass" I route the VPN bypass traffic to the WAN-DHCP gateway to bypass the vpn. I verified that "VPN-Bypass" traffic is NOT going through the VPN by checking the IP online. YET, the Roku and Spectrum message I get says that I am connected to "a vpn or proxy" Last night, the VPN was slow so I modified the rules as below to route all traffic through the WAN-DHCP gateway. but still Roku and Spectrum return the same messages. Am I the only one that cant get this to work? Obviously my intent in the firewall setup was not to block content I am paying for. There should be a way to fix this.
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@bill1 said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
but still Roku and Spectrum return the same messages.
Is it possible to check with the Roku thing what the IP-WAN is ? If it is your from your ISP, then your ISP is listed as a VPN ^^
To be 100 % sure, you did stop the OpenVPN client service, right ?
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When you change the rules that does not clear existing states that were opened by the previous rule.
So you might have had an open state still for the Roku to Amazon via the VPN. If something is holding that open it will just use that state rather than opening a new state that would then use the new rules and hence the WAN directly.Clear the firewall states between tests.
Steve
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@Gertjan said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
Is it possible to check with the Roku thing what the IP-WAN is ?
I did verify that the Roku picked up the correct allocated ip in the "Bypass_VPN" alias. Also I allocated another ip within the VPN_Bypass alias. I assigned a pc this address and verified that the IP was not going through the VPN. However, I did not stop the VPN service. I will try that for sure. Thanks
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@stephenw10 said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
might have had an open state
Hey, I think you are on to something. Over the many hours of startup learning, I was beginning to think that there was some kind of latent setting that wasnt resetting. I have re-booted the firewall, tried stopping and restarting services, but I noticed that when I get something working, it often does not stay working. The next morning, for example. Could also happen days or weeks. *******************!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK,I reset the states and it worked. I have the Spectrum channels back. Now I just have to un-do the work around and see if I can get the other traffic back through the VPN.
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ugh, still not working. I thought it was because the channel numbers were populating, but not any more. I still get the message that I am on a proxy or VPN.
This is the rules table
All traffic is going to the WAN-DHCP. I verified this by checking the IP. I also shut down the VPN service. Any ideas on what I can check next? -
under source it should list your Alias with the correct IP of the device. not lan.net
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@bcruze in this case I am trying to eliminate the VPN. I shut down the VPN service and the 2nd rule should take all traffic through the WAN_DHCP gateway. What I do not understand is why I cant stream from Spectrum. The message is that I am on a VPN or proxy. Spectrum says disable that to continue. Also, I get the same message on the Roku amazon. No streaming to a vpn. But the best I can tell, I am not on a VPN.
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@bill1 said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
@bcruze in this case I am trying to eliminate the VPN. I shut down the VPN service and the 2nd rule should take all traffic through the WAN_DHCP gateway. What I do not understand is why I cant stream from Spectrum. The message is that I am on a VPN or proxy. Spectrum says disable that to continue. Also, I get the same message on the Roku amazon. No streaming to a vpn. But the best I can tell, I am not on a VPN.
Exactly how did you configure the VPN originally? Most every set of VPN setup instructions from the various providers fail to instruct you to check the box for "Don't Pull Routes" during the setup on pfSense. When not checked, this setting causes the default route to be pulled from your VPN provider host and this default route can override your actual WAN gateway provided by your ISP. That very well might be what is happening to you. Even with the VPN "turned off", that default route could still be causing you problems. When you do policy-based routing you should always check the "Don't Pull Routes" checkbox. The short version is that with your VPN provider set as the "default route", all of your traffic including non-encrypted non-VPN traffic will still get routed through your VPN provider's networks. This will trigger the "you appear to be using a proxy or VPN message".
I have not carefully and throughly read every single post in this kind of lengthy thread, so forgive me if this has already been checked out. But this is something you need to check on if you have not already done so.
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@bmeeks said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
check the box for "Don't Pull Routes
OK, I checked the box. This was not mentioned before. We will see what happens when I go back to the VPN. For now I got it working again. Yes, Roku and Spectrum stream (yea)!!. What I did (I think) to get it working was that I disabled all the outgoing NAT Hybrid rules
Could this be related?
I will give it a little time and then see if i can get the other traffic back through the VPN.
This IS progress. Thanks -
@bill1 said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
@bmeeks said in Roku TV - pfSense - OpenVPN - : Netflix, Hulu, QVC won't stream at all, Prime streams fine:
check the box for "Don't Pull Routes
OK, I checked the box. This was not mentioned before. We will see what happens when I go back to the VPN. For now I got it working again. Yes, Roku and Spectrum stream (yea)!!. What I did (I think) to get it working was that I disabled all the outgoing NAT Hybrid rules
Could this be related?
I will give it a little time and then see if i can get the other traffic back through the VPN.
This IS progress. ThanksYou will likely need a few of those NAT rules in place for the VPN to function. You can selectively enable them for testing and see what is required. Don't forget, when testing the VPN, to also test your services that should NOT be going over the VPN to be sure they still work.
I'm betting the "Dont' Pull Routes" setting was a part of your problem. Most VPN setup instructions don't mention that because they assume you will always be sending all of your traffic to them over the VPN tunnel. However, when you want to send some traffic over the VPN but other traffic through your regular ISP, you need to be sure your default route is not changed to be that of your VPN provider. That's what that checkbox does.
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At least you still have those WAN NAT rules. Many VPN providers have you remove them to give a feature they totally confusingly name "Kill Switch". Fail Safe would have been much better but I guess that didn't justify their existence sufficiently.
Anyway the problem here was likely that the default route was changed causing Unbound to use the VPN for DNS queries and services like Netflix will detect that and block you.Steve
