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    Convenient VPN App

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved App Development
    38 Posts 14 Posters 7.2k Views 4 Watching
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      • dobeyD Offline
        dobey @marc_aurel
        last edited by

        @marc_aurel said in Convenient VPN App:

        Supporting kill switch

        You keep saying kill switch but it's not at all clear what you mean by that. The indicator has a toggle to turn VPN on and off already.

        @marc_aurel said in Convenient VPN App:

        Supporting newer protocol WireGuard

        This is not currently supported in UT at all, so perhaps you could start with getting the basic support of that into a PR, as well.

        @marc_aurel said in Convenient VPN App:

        Convenient installation for consumers

        If hide.me provides an OVPN file, how would simply loading this into the System Settings page, not be convenient? Marketing != convenience.

        KenedaK 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • KenedaK Offline
          Keneda @dobey
          last edited by Keneda

          @dobey
          Kill switch, in my knowledge of VPN, is the ability for a VPN solution to prevent apps from using "normal" network when encrypted link fails between device and VPN server.

          This, is in order to prevent user from sending datas over non secured network if anything goes wrong in VPN connection, it's a privacy safeguard.

          It's an automated task.

          In VPN settings, that would be an option like "turn off data if VPN connection fails".

          When kill switch is active, only VPN software is allowed to send data to its server in order to try reconnect VPN.

          Some kill switch solutions offer a whitelist for allowing user chosen apps to connect outside VPN protocole when kill switch is active.

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          dobeyD M 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • dobeyD Offline
            dobey @Keneda
            last edited by

            @Keneda OK. This already exists in NetworkManager sort of, but there is no UI for it on UT I guess. That is apparently another specific thing that Volla could work on and help improve VPN for everyone.

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            • M Offline
              marc_aurel @Keneda
              last edited by

              @Keneda Exactly. We may develop that our selves. But community developers are invited to help us. We would spend a developer device.

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              • M Offline
                marc_aurel
                last edited by

                Good news. Our partner eVenture has recently published a command line tool for a Wireguard VPN connection as open source on Github:

                https://github.com/eventure/hide.client.linux

                It would be great to have a UI for this command line tool, so consumers can use VPN on Ubuntu Touch conveniently. Is someone interested to help us with an improved user experience regarding VPN on Ubuntu Touch?

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • S Offline
                  scottbouch @theare27
                  last edited by

                  @theare27 I'd echo these points...

                  I have set up several VPN configs, all through privateinterneraccess, they work nicely. (Oneplus One).

                  I like access to switch them on or off by the top network menu, it is convenient.

                  But alas, whenever I leave the house, go off my wifi and onto mobile data, or from mobile back to wifi the VPN connection never re-establishes itself, and having no VPN symbol in the top menu, this can be the case for hours until I notice I'm not VPN'd.

                  An automatic re-connection is desireable, notification symbol, and maybe a kill switch if VPN is not connected to block all data until VPN is re-connected.

                  These are features offered by privateinterneraccess's Android app that made phone use more private / secure.

                  Many thanks, Scott

                  M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • M Offline
                    marc_aurel @scottbouch
                    last edited by

                    @scottbouch I see. That’s another reason for an app, that includes a kill switch an automatic reconnection, if you chance the network. So that you can be sure to be connected to the VPN.

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                    • dobeyD Offline
                      dobey
                      last edited by

                      I see no reason it needs to be a separate app for any of those features, versus simply improving the existing system.

                      And having an app doesn't negate the need to fix things in the system to work in a certain way. Apps alone cannot solve all the problems.

                      M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • D Offline
                        domubpkm
                        last edited by

                        VPN editor is an app that works well now when I use it. It was already suggested a long time ago to 'merge' this app into UT system. And if UT system could also include a VPN connection indicator and a KILL SWITCH it would be very nice. Because indeed, the ultimate goal is that all UT phones can configure a safe working VPN.

                        M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • M Offline
                          marc_aurel @dobey
                          last edited by

                          @dobey How could a system setting retrieve the available servers and countries of a specific VPN provider?

                          dobeyD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • M Offline
                            marc_aurel @domubpkm
                            last edited by

                            @domubpkm Sounds promising. Is it available in the store or on any platform like Github?

                            arubislanderA 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • arubislanderA Offline
                              arubislander @marc_aurel
                              last edited by

                              @marc_aurel

                              It can be found in the OpenStore

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                              • dobeyD Offline
                                dobey @marc_aurel
                                last edited by

                                @marc_aurel said in Convenient VPN App:

                                @dobey How could a system setting retrieve the available servers and countries of a specific VPN provider?

                                You are conflating too many features to be a single thing. Most providers just configure the whole set of servers, and then the user picks from one in the list. Solve each individual problem one at a time, rather than trying to block everything on your partnership with hide.me.

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                                • M Offline
                                  marc_aurel @dobey
                                  last edited by

                                  @dobey It's not a use case for hide.me. I know this form other VPN providers like NordVPN.

                                  Sailfish OS uses a simple approach to setup a VPN by importing an OpenVPN file. This is fine for the first step.

                                  But I realized, that the servers for each country are frequently changing. For a consumer it's difficult enough to download the correct OpenVPN file from the provider's support page, but frequently do this again is not convenient, in particular if you are mobile and busy and you realize, that the VPN is not working any more.

                                  dobeyD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                  • dobeyD Offline
                                    dobey @marc_aurel
                                    last edited by

                                    @marc_aurel You would only need to download and import each ovpn file once for each service/endpoint you wish to add to the list. Importing additional files would not overwrite existing VPN config. One can configure as many as they want.

                                    But the point is we don't need to solve all problems before solving the simpler ones. The system can be improved in iterations, and simply enabling the ovpn import support would be a huge improvement for a lot of users, probably much more than being able to hit some API (outside of the VPN) to query what VPN endpoints are and which one to use.

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • S Offline
                                      scottbouch
                                      last edited by

                                      Hi, just re-visiting this, having the existing UT VPN take care of these features would be ace, save having to depend on extra apps.

                                      from a users point of view, having the mobile data reception indicator or wifi indicator in the top bar turn green when connected via VPN successfully would be a nice way to show a secure connection rather than an extra indicator symbol cluttering up the top bar.

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