VPN accounts

Questions about applications and software
Forum rules
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Locked
jpncs

VPN accounts

Post by jpncs »

These are enjoying a surge in popularity I think because of the growing desire for a little privacy on the internet. I don't know about the rest of you but I'd like to be able to visit a site without having to identify myself to marketing. So I recently signed up with Proton VPN.

I keep a laptop with Windows 10 in operation only because it's handy for when I want to use my VPN. I see that on Linux there is an open source VPN package but I also note that it cannot be installed and set up using a GUI. At nearly 80 I am too old to learn how to do the terminal thing. I think it's about time someone in Linux created a GUI controlled VPN interface that will sense and work with any of the popular VPN's. Learning how to use a terminal just for this one reason is too much to ask. Sure, there are detailed instructions but they always include terms that I can't figure out and I've tried but always fail. And what happens when LMDE5 comes along?

If anyone has an idea about a nice easy to manage VPN software package comes along. I am determined to stick with Linux and I shy away from any that are Ubuntu derived because I've heard that Facebook has bought Ubuntu. All thinking people know what that could mean for privacy.

Thanks for any helpful answers that don't advise me to go back to MS.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
phd21
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 10103
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:42 pm
Location: Florida

Re: VPN accounts

Post by phd21 »

Hi jpncs,

Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux Mint and its excellent forum!

It would help to know more about your system setup. If you run "inxi -Fxzd" and "lsusb" from the console terminal prompt, highlight the results, copy and paste them back here, that should provide enough information.

I think it is a great idea for people to use a VPN for security and anonymity especially if you do online banking, shop online, pay bills online, etc... All the VPN provider websites have good explanations for using a VPN.

Because of the proprietary nature of each VPN provider, there is no one desktop GUI VPN application that would work for all or most VPN providers at least not that I know of.

ProtonVPN is an excellent VPN provider, but they do not have a Linux desktop GUI client although they do have an easy to use console terminal client. There are a couple of 3rd party ProtonVPN clients you can try if you want (see below).

Not long ago, most Linux users had to set up VPN provider servers through the Network Manager (NM). Anyone can still set up ProtonVPN and other VPN servers through the Network Manager which is easy to do and once the servers are in the Network Manager you can just click the NM icon to connect or disconnect from the VPN servers (see link below).

There are numerous VPN providers that do have Linux Desktop GUI software clients and clients for MS Windows and Mac operating systems and smartphones and tablets.

If you are willing to switch VPN provider, then you can have a desktop VPN software client in both MS Windows and Linux. I use "VPN.ac" which has a great software client for Linux, MS Windows, smartphones, tablets, etc... Private Internet Access (PIA) has a Linux client in the Linux Mint Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM).

ProtonVPN command-line tool for Linux - ProtonVPN Support
- has list of commands
https://protonvpn.com/support/linux-vpn-tool/
ProtonVPN VPN setup for Linux using the Terminal (CLI)
To install this using the PPA method, open a console terminal, type in, or copy & paste, each line below one by one: Click "Select All" above command, right click the highlighted command, select Copy (or Ctrl+Insert), click in the console terminal window, and right-click paste ("Shift+Insert" or "Ctrl+Shift+v"), repeat for each command.

Code: Select all

sudo apt install -y openvpn dialog python3-pip python3-setuptools

Code: Select all

sudo pip3 install protonvpn-cli
This only has to be done one time
Run the initial setup to enter in your login name and password, your ProtonVPN plan, Choose a port optionUDP or TCP, that's it.

Code: Select all

sudo protonvpn init
Then pick a default server location (see their commands in the link, or use this

Code: Select all

sudo protonvpn c --fastest
to disconnect

Code: Select all

sudo protonvpn disconnect
Setting up Proton VPN servers in Linux Network Manager
How to use ProtonVPN on Linux? - ProtonVPN Support
https://protonvpn.com/support/linux-vpn-setup/

ProtonVPN GUI apps
1.) * GitHub - ProtonVPN/linux-gui: GTK3 GUI client with systray, for ProtonVPN. Works on top of linux-cli.
https://github.com/ProtonVPN/linux-gui

2.) GitHub - frankstan33127/ProtonVPN_GUI: A simple and basic ProtonVPN GUI for linux. Made using python.
https://github.com/frankstan33127/ProtonVPN_GUI


Hope this helps ...
Phd21: Mint 20 Cinnamon & xKDE (Mint Xfce + Kubuntu KDE) & KDE Neon 64-bit (new based on Ubuntu 20.04) Awesome OS's, Dell Inspiron I5 7000 (7573) 2 in 1 touch screen, Dell OptiPlex 780 Core2Duo E8400 3GHz,4gb Ram, Intel 4 Graphics.
Marssommes

Re: VPN accounts

Post by Marssommes »

I am using LMDE4 and love it on my old Dell laptop with 4tb of hd memory installed. One 2tb drive in the main slot and another 2tb drive in the DVD reader slot. Both are SSD types and both are physically inside the computer. Good arrangement. My 9 year old Dell is lightening fast. I'm not a fan of cloud computing as you can tell. Too many horror stories. I have two 2tb drives in this thing. One has LMDE4. The other has Windows 10. So I choose at boot. The only reason I have Windows is because I use ProtonVPN. I sure wish I could use it on my Linux too but I'm deathly afraid of anything to do with command lines. I downloaded the OpenVPN and it's installed but there isn't any menu item for it so I don't know how to open it to see if I can make it go. What do I do? Do I have to mess with the terminal to open this program? I saw that it has a graphic desktop presentation (GUI) with menus but the installation did not include it being added to my menus so it's in la la land so far as I'm concerned. It's installed but I don't know how to open it. Back in 84 when everyone was buying Commodore 64s I got one for my kids. That was the last time I typed commands to open a program. Anyone reading can tell me how to open OpenVPN I'd sure be grateful. I'm nearly 80 now and don't have any teens in the house to show me how to do stuff.
User avatar
cpedretti
Level 3
Level 3
Posts: 199
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2020 12:06 am

Re: VPN accounts

Post by cpedretti »

Since i'm on LMDE4, i use Expressvpn, available on Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Centos, Arch and Raspbian.

No grafic interface tool, but the commands are very easy to use.

With an account, you can use it on 3 devices, in my case LMDE4/Win10/Smartphone.

Have a look here => https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn- ... for-linux/

Image
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X - 32GB DDR4 RGB White - RTX4060TI O8GB White- SSD NVME Crucial P5 500GB - Mobo Gigabyte AORUS ELITE B550 V2 - PSU Corsair RM750 White - Case Corsair 5000D Airflow White 7 fans AF120 ARGB - AIO Corsair H100I Cappelix 240 White
Aztaroth
Level 5
Level 5
Posts: 769
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2021 1:48 am

Re: VPN accounts

Post by Aztaroth »

Hello,
I don't know if what follows maches your expectations, but there is a common misconception about 'privavy' and the commercial model of VPNs companies, which is focused on a plain Window user, i.e. some brainless compulsive individual thinking he can solve every problem in the world with a mouse clic and a software install.
The privacy tool you need depends on what 'privacy' you want :
- 'privacy' to download the last torrent file of a recent movie or watch a Netflix serie or a youtube video banned in your country ? The VPN is the perfect tool for that. But the first thing to care is not the GUI of your VPN, but the country in which the VPN company is based, because it has to follow the laws of this country, and some countries are much more inquisitive than others. Feel free to read more here :
https://privacytools.io/
- only sharing your philosophical, religious or political ideas with the people you've chosen to share with. The VPN is very bad for that. Only TOR can give you some anonymity if you use it without (I insist) a VPN. There are many many other ways to fingerprint you than your IP and only TOR gives a good (but not absolute) protection. Here's a link explaining all adjustments the TOR project made on Firefox to ensure good privacy and what kind of spying these improvements are directed against (long but instructive if you really care for your privacy) :
https://2019.www.torproject.org/project ... er/design/
- Last tip : never use your VPN when logging to an GAFAM or any commercial account. It's like saying : 'Hey, I connect through an IP in South Asia but in fact I'm John Martin, live at 653 South Street, Philadelphia'. Change location often, even account number at expiration.

By the way, the VPN I use when necessary - New Zealand rugby games are far better than in my country :-) - is Mullvad and their .deb installation pack works fine with Debbie (download, double-click on it, GDebi installs and it works immediately). Their technical service is responsive too if you need tips.
dual boot LMDE4 (mostly) + LM19.3 Cinnamon (sometimes)
Locked

Return to “Software & Applications”