Page 4 – Connecting to your VPN server from macOS and iOS
Connecting to Your New VPN
Algo has created everything you need to connect to your new VPN, in the configs/[IP Address] directory. Go to that folder in Finder, and double-click the .mobileconfig file with your username attached to it. macOS will ask if you want to install the profile, so say yes at all of the dialog boxes and enter your password when prompted.
That’s all you need to do for macOS – assuming you didn’t set your current Wi-Fi network as a trusted one, you will be ready to connect to your new VPN. To do this, simply go to System Preferences > Network. Choose your Algo network device, and click Connect.
Getting Your VPN Settings to Your iOS Device
To connect to the VPN service from your iPhone or iPad, you’ll need to get that .mobileconfig file to yourself. You can email it to yourself, Airdrop it from your Mac to your iOS device, or use something like iCloud or Dropbox. When asked, confirm the profile installation and your iOS device will connect to the VPN.
On iOS 10.3.1, you’ll now see an option in Settings > Preferences labeled VPN. Toggle it on to connect to your new VPN service. Once you decide you don’t want to use the VPN anymore, toggle it back off.
You can also check out our guide to setting up a VPN on an iPhone with iOS 10.
Up next: Testing and modifying your VPN Server
You made a bit of an error. Earlier, you said you said No to whether you wanted the CA certificate retained, but at the end you said that you could update users—using a method that requires the CA certificate to be retained.
Thanks! Set up my own vpn server.
Thanks, Jamie! We all do our best 😀
I’m really enjoying your articles, Jeff (and Melissa, and Bob etc.). Great user-ccentric technical articles are something I’ve really missed as they’ve become less common on most Apple sites these days. This is something I really appreciate about TMO.
It’s what I do, Ducky. It’s what I do 🙂
Interesting. Thanks
@geoduck: I have good news for you! DigitalOcean has data centers in other regions than the US. Specifically, they have data centers in Amsterdam, Singapore, London, Frankfurt, Toronto, and Bangalore. Installation is so simple that you can destroy your existing droplet and create a new one in a matter of minutes, so changing locations from day to day isn’t too strenuous.
The one issue with this is the location of the server. I’m specifically looking for a server outside of the US, and other Five-Eyes countries. I like existing services because I can run my Mac through Germany, one day, the Netherlands the next and have my phone going through Singapore. If my personal VPN server is set up in the US, then it’s a fixed target in a vulnerable location.