How do I connect to VPN Plus Server via an Android device?

How do I connect to VPN Plus Server via an Android device?

Purpose

This article explains how to connect your Android device to the VPN Plus Server on a Synology Router. If you want to connect to the VPN Server on a Synology NAS, please refer to this article.

Environment

  • VPN server: the VPN Plus Server package on a Synology Router.
  • VPN client: Android devices. We take Android 10 on Google Pixel 3 as an example in this article. The actual steps may vary across OS versions and devices.

Resolution

Before you start

  • Set up VPN Plus Server and the following services on a Synology Router depending on your needs:
  • Ensure the Internet connectivity of the Synology Router. Set up port forwarding rules if needed (refer to this article).

Set up a Synology SSL VPN connection

  1. On your Android device, open Google Play Store to download and install Synology VPN Plus.
  2. Enter the information below and tap Connect:
    • Domain name or IP: Enter the domain name or public IP address of your Synology Router. If the port of your SSL VPN connection is not 443, please attach the VPN's port number to the URL, e.g., "test.synology.me:688" or "112.11.22.33:566".
    • Account: Enter the username of your SRM account.
    • Password: Enter the password of your SRM account.
  3. When CONNECTED displays on the application page, you have established the Synology SSL VPN connection2 through VPN Plus Server on your Android device.

Set up an OpenVPN connection

  1. Go to SRM > VPN Plus Server > Standard VPN > OpenVPN via the web browser on a computer.
  2. Click Export Configurations to download a .zip file, and extract it to get VPNConfig.ovpn and README.txt.
  3. Open VPNConfig.ovpn with a text editor and replace "YOUR_SERVER_IP" with the public IP address or domain name of your Synology Router. If you wish to configure the OpenVPN server as the default gateway of your Android device, remove the hashtag from the line "redirect-gateway def1".
  4. Save the VPNConfig.ovpn file to your Android device.
  5. On your Android device, open Google Play Store to download and install OpenVPN Connect.
  6. Open OpenVPN Connect and go to Import Profile > FILE.
  7. Select the VPNConfig.ovpn file and tap IMPORT.
  8. Enter your SRM username in the Username field and tap ADD.
  9. Switch on the toggle to start an OpenVPN connection.
  10. Tap CONTINUE in the pop-up message to proceed with the connection. You don't need to manually import a certificate at this step because the client certificate has been included in the configuration file.
  11. When CONNECTED displays on the Profiles page, you have established the OpenVPN connection through VPN Plus Server on your Android device.

Set up an L2TP/IPSec VPN connection

  1. On your Android device, go to Settings > Network & Internet.
  2. Expand the Advanced section and tap VPN.
  3. Tap + in the upper-right corner.
  4. Configure the following settings and tap Save:
    Option Operation
    Name Enter a name for your VPN profile.
    Type Select L2TP/IPSec PSK from the drop-down menu.
    Server address Enter the public IP address or domain name of your Synology Router.
    IPSec pre-shared key Enter the IPSec pre-shared key configured in VPN Plus Server (check it at SRM > VPN Plus Server > Standard VPN > L2TP).
    Username Enter the username of your SRM account.
    Password Enter the password of your SRM account.
  5. Tap the VPN profile you have added.
  6. Tap Connect in the pop-up message.
  7. When Connected displays under the name of your VPN profile, you have established the L2TP/IPSec VPN connection through VPN Plus Server on your Android device.

Set up a PPTP VPN connection

  1. On your Android device, go to Settings > Network & Internet.
  2. Expand the Advanced section and tap VPN.
  3. Tap + in the upper-right corner.
  4. Configure the following settings and tap Save:
    Option Operation
    Name Enter a name for your VPN profile.
    Type Select PPTP from the drop-down menu.
    Server address Enter the public IP address or domain name of your Synology Router.
    PPP encryption

    Configure this option according to the encryption mode of PPTP VPN (check it at SRM > VPN Plus Server > Standard VPN > PPTP > Encryption):

    • No MPPE: Untick PPP encryption on your Android device if you select this encryption mode.
    • Optional MPPE: You can tick or untick PPP encryption on your Android device if you select this encryption mode.
    • Require MPPE: Tick PPP encryption on your Android device if you select this encryption mode.
    Username Enter the username of your SRM account.
    Password Enter the password of your SRM account.
  5. Tap the VPN profile you have added.
  6. Tap Connect in the pop-up message.
  7. When Connected displays under the name of your VPN profile, you have established the PPTP VPN connection through VPN Plus Server on your Android device.

Notes:

  1. L2TP and PPTP are not supported on Android 12 and later; clients will need to connect using OpenVPN instead.
  2. By default, one free license has been installed on each VPN Plus supported Synology product, and this quota will be used when a client connects to Synology SSL VPN using an SRM account. Please refer to this web page to know how to add concurrent users that can access VPN features in VPN Plus Server.
Purpose
Environment
Contents
Resolution
Before you start
Set up a Synology SSL VPN connection
Set up an OpenVPN connection
Set up an L2TP/IPSec VPN connection
Set up a PPTP VPN connection
Further reading