A virtual private network (VPN) lets you use the Internet to securely access your network when you aren’t home. This type of VPN access is called a client-to-gateway tunnel. The computer is the client, and the router is the gateway.

Note: The router currently does not support iOS and Android VPN client software.

Note: Product appearance varies by model.

NETGEAR recommends setting up a DDNS accont or using a static IP address when using this VPN feature.

To set up VPN:

1. Launch an Internet browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the network.
2. Type http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.
   A login screen displays.
3. Enter the router user name and password.
   The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
   The BASIC Home screen displays.
4. Click the ADVANCED tab.
5. Select Advanced Setup > VPN Service.
   The VPN Service screen displays.
6. Select the Enable VPN Service check box and click the Apply button.
   
7. Right-click the http://openvpn.net/index.php/download/community-downloads.html link and select a menu option to open it in a new tab or window.
   
   The OpenVPN page displays in the new tab or window.
   
8. Download the Windows installer for your computer's processor (32 bit or 64 bit).
   
9. When prompted, select the Save As option.
   
   You are prompted to choose a location for the install file.
   
10. Select a location and click the Save button.
    In this example, the file is saved to the desktop.
    An icon displays on in the location where you saved the installer file.
    
11. Right-click the installer file icon and select the Run as administrator option.
    
    The Setup Wizard launches.
    
12. Follow the wizard's prompts and accept the default options.
    A new icon appears on the desktop:
    
    Note: You can ignore the INSTALL-win32 notepad pop-up window that appears.
13. In NETGEAR genie, click the For Windows button.
     
    You are prompted to save the file.
    
14. Select the Save As option and choose a location for the file.
    In this example the file is saved to the desktop. The file name by default is windows.zip.
    
15. Right-click the file icon and select the Extract files option.
    
    The files are extracted to the location that you specify. The unzipped folder contains four files.
16. Copy all four files and paste them in the folder where the VPN client is installed.
    Note: The VPN client is installed at C:\Program files\OpenVPN\config\ by default.
17. From the Start menu, select Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections.  
18. Find the TAP-Windows Adapter V9 network connection icon.
    
19. Right click the TAP-Windows Adapter network connection icon and select the Rename option.
20. Change the name to NETGEAR-VPN.
    After the icon is renamed, the icon appears as follows:
     
    You can now access the VPN from a remote location.

To access the VPN from a remote location:

1. With the computer that has the VPN client, connect to the Internet from a remote location.
   You cannot use the network that uses your Nighthawk R7000 router.
2. Right-click on the OpenVPN GUI icon and select Run as administratior option.
   
3. On the System Tray, right-click  the OpenVPN GUI icon and click Connect.
   
   While the connection is established, the progress displays as shown:
   
   After the VPN connection is made, the color of the OpenVPN GUI icon changes to Green.
    
   You are connected to the VPN.
4. (Optional) From the Start menu, enter CMD in the Search field.
   A command prompt displays.
5. (Optional) Enter ipconfig at the command prompt.
   
   The computer has two IP addresses. One IP address is from the R7000 Nighthawk router, and the other is from the remote network.
   Note: It is normal for the VPN connection to not have a default gateway.