Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up a VPN Client on MikroTik Print

Hello there! I’m Corels from Emmanuel Corels Creatives, and today I’m excited to walk you through a practical, real-world tutorial: setting up your MikroTik router as a VPN client. In this guide, we’re not just listing commands—we’ll explain what each step means and how it applies in everyday scenarios. Whether you want to securely connect your network to a remote office, access geo-restricted content, or simply add an extra layer of privacy, this guide is for you.

What’s the Goal?

Imagine you’ve got a home network behind your MikroTik router and you want to establish a secure tunnel to your office network or even a commercial VPN provider. Instead of configuring each device separately, you can set up your router to be the VPN client. All traffic from your LAN will then flow through this encrypted tunnel. This not only enhances security but also simplifies your network management.

The Basics: What You’ll Need

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

• A MikroTik Router running RouterOS (v6 or v7, but note that some VPN features might be more polished on newer versions).
• VPN Provider Details: Whether you’re connecting to a corporate VPN or a service like NordVPN, you’ll need the server address, authentication credentials, and the desired VPN protocol (we’ll use PPTP here as it’s simple for demonstration—but note, for production, consider more secure protocols like L2TP/IPsec or OpenVPN if your router supports them).
• Basic Access: Either via WinBox or the terminal.

For today’s example, we’ll set up a PPTP VPN client. PPTP is widely supported and very easy to configure—perfect for a beginner guide. (Keep in mind that PPTP is not considered the most secure option; for sensitive environments, research more robust alternatives.)

Step 1: Checking Your Network Setup

Before setting up the VPN client, ensure your router’s WAN interface is working and connected to the internet. Use these commands:

• View Interfaces:

  /interface print
  

  Confirm that your WAN interface (often ether1 or a PPPoE client) is running.

• Ping a Public IP:

  /ping 8.8.8.8
  

  If you get replies, your basic internet connectivity is good.

Step 2: Configuring the PPTP VPN Client

1. Open the VPN Client Setup
   In WinBox, navigate to PPP → Interfaces and click the “+” button, then select PPTP Client.

2. Set the Basic Parameters:

   • Name: Give your PPTP client a name, e.g., pptp-office.
   • Connect To: Enter the VPN server address provided by your VPN provider or your office VPN server (e.g., vpn.office.com).
   • User: Input your VPN username (for example, vpnuser).
   • Password: Enter your VPN password (e.g., StrongVPNPass!).
   • Profile: Leave at default or create a specific profile if you need custom settings later (such as DNS or idle timeouts).

   Why these parameters?
   The Connect To field tells the router where to establish the tunnel. The username and password are used for authentication. If you have multiple VPN connections, naming them helps you manage and differentiate each one.

3. Advanced Settings (Optional):

   • Dial on Demand: If you want the VPN to connect only when needed, you can enable this option.
   • Use Peer DNS: Check this box if you want the VPN to override your local DNS settings with the VPN provider’s DNS servers.
   • Default Route: Enabling this makes the VPN connection the default route for all traffic. This is useful if you want all your traffic to pass through the VPN.

   Tip: For our demonstration, we’ll leave Dial on Demand unchecked (for a constant connection) and enable Use Peer DNS and Default Route so that all traffic is routed securely.

4. Apply and Connect:
   Click OK to save the settings. Then, right-click the new PPTP client interface and select Connect (or simply click the connect button). You should see the status change to “Connected” if everything is set up correctly.

   CLI Equivalent:
   You can also set up the PPTP client via the terminal with:

   /interface pptp-client add name=pptp-office connect-to=vpn.office.com user=vpnuser password=StrongVPNPass! default-route=yes use-peer-dns=yes disabled=no
   

   This single command creates and enables the PPTP client with the parameters we discussed.

Step 3: Verifying the VPN Connection

Once connected, here are a few things to check:

• Active Connections:

  /ppp active print
  

  Look for the PPTP client entry, which indicates an active VPN session.

• Ping Through the VPN:
  Try pinging an IP address that should be reachable only via the VPN. For example:

  /ping 10.10.10.1
  

  If the VPN tunnel is working, you’ll see successful ping replies.

• Check the Routing Table:

  /ip route print
  

  Confirm that there’s a default route pointing through the VPN interface. This ensures that all traffic is being directed over the secure tunnel.

Step 4: Real-World Application and Troubleshooting

Scenario Example:
Imagine you’re working remotely and need to access confidential files stored on your office network. By setting up this PPTP VPN client, your entire home network can securely route traffic to your office, making it appear as if you’re physically there.

Common Issues and Fixes:

• Authentication Errors:
  If you see error messages related to login, double-check your username and password. Sometimes extra characters (like spaces) might sneak in.
• No Connection:
  If the VPN doesn’t connect, verify that your WAN connection is active and that the VPN server address is reachable (try pinging it).
• Routing Problems:
  If connected but unable to access office resources, examine your routing table to ensure the default route is correctly set to the VPN interface.
• DNS Issues:
  If you’re experiencing problems with domain name resolution, consider enabling the “Use Peer DNS” option or manually specifying DNS servers.

Final Thoughts

Setting up your MikroTik router as a VPN client is a powerful way to secure your network traffic and connect remote locations. While our demonstration uses PPTP for simplicity, remember that more secure protocols (like L2TP/IPsec or OpenVPN) may be preferable for sensitive environments. The process remains similar: define the connection parameters, authenticate, and verify connectivity.

I hope this guide has given you a clear, step-by-step understanding of configuring a VPN client on your MikroTik router. As always, feel free to experiment, and if you run into any issues or have questions, I’m here to help. Happy networking, and here’s to secure connections wherever you go!

Explained with practical context by
Corels – Admin, Emmanuel Corels Creatives