I’d like to setup a self hosted VPN so I can access UK TV content from Europe. I’d like to do this under a webmin/virtualmin setup, so I can easily manage the server (I already have a couple webmin/virtualmin servers for website/mail).
Has anyone done anything similar and can offer some insights? I’ve seen some online instructions for creating servers to do this (contabo actually have a wireguard installation option for new servers, it’s created this with Ubuntu). But I’d rather do it within Virtualmin as I am familiar with the interface.
I’m trying to get access from TV boxes, I’ve a few firesticks, but I’m looking for alternatives and have purchased a Xiaomi box S (running android 14 and Google TV).
In this case, because most TV boxes and streaming apps don’t have proxy settings, it’s not very practical to make them connect through your server directly.
If this were your computer with, say, Firefox, it would be much easier. You could just run:
Then in Firefox you’d change the proxy settings to use localhost as the SOCKS v5 host, and that’s basically it. It’s simple and doesn’t need much setup or ongoing care.
For TV boxes, the better option, I think, is to let your router do the work and route specific clients on your local network through your server, while the rest of your devices use the normal internet connection.
For example, at home I’ve got an ISP ONT, a primary Asus router as my edge router, and a second Asus router as a wired mesh node over Ethernet. Both Asus routers run Merlin firmware, and this setup works well for sending only some devices through the tunnel while keeping everything else on the normal connection.
So it’s definitely doable if your hardware can handle it…
It can be done. I was able to install VPS at the OS level and Webmin to manage firewall rules while handling Virtualmin web and mail without issues.
I have a DedicatedCore UK VPS, where I was able to access WireGuard since I have full root access and a stable network. To do it, I installed WireGuard manually on Ubuntu with Webmin, which gives better control over Virtualmin services.
Purchase a cheap VPN subscription, then run a pfsense router that has a VPN setup as a gateway.
I have 10 VPN gateways setup on mine and I can swap traffic in and out of them to move my PCs around the world. I have not managed to get port forwarding to word but I have not really tried as it looks tricky.
A lot of VPS provides will not like you running a permanent VPN especially if it is doing have audio/visual traffic.
You can also just run the free app that comes with your subscription. £65 pounds for 3 years, no hassle.
Thanks for the pointers. I think I’ll have a go at what Deepesh is suggesting…
So far, I’ve tried doing this with a Contabo VPS in the UK, that has the option to install wireguard with the O/S from an image. This was realtively simple, and I’ve successfully created a VPN using it. However, the UK TV channels somehow know to block it (with the exception of BBC iPlayer), either based on the type of traffic, ot the IP Address of the server in the data cantre. I was pleased with how easy it was to setup, but it fails in practice, and with it being an O/S image and Wireguard, I don’t have any easy/familiar interface to make sure everything is updated.
As this is something I eventually want to allow friends/family to use, having a simple VPN account isn’t an option. I’m also not looking for anything at a network/router level, just something that can be enabled/disabled as and when needed on various clients (PC/Phone/Android TV device),
Deepesh - did you order any particular VPS from Dedicated Core? I’ve has a quick look at their website, and they have a UK-EX2 at £6.99 a month. Is this what you use?