How to share VPN to other devices?

General Help
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1

Hi guys,
I’m using Zorin OS 17.3 Core, and I’m having trouble sharing my VPN connection through a hotspot to other devices.
I'm using ProtonVPN and Windscribe.
How can I create a hotspot and share the VPN from Zorin OS?

I prefer GUI-based solutions, but I appreciate any help, even if it’s a terminal method.

Thanks in advance!

2

Hi, and welcome to the community!

I'd recommed following the VPN provider's instructions:

You are using both at the same time? :thinking:

3

Hi, and thanks a lot for your reply!
No, not trying to do everything at once :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
I'm new to Linux :sweat_smile:
Right now, I’m connected to a VPN through Wi-Fi, and I want to share that VPN connection via Wi-Fi Direct or a hotspot, just like we can do in Windows.
In Windows, it's simple because I can just share the VPN connection through a virtual adapter.
But in Linux, it's a bit trickier. For example, I know the VPN uses an interface like tun0, but I'm not sure how to share that over Wi-Fi.
The link you sent helped me understand how to share a regular Wi-Fi connection, but what I want is to share the VPN connection itself, just like a Wi-Fi bridge or tethering feature in Windows or Android.

Maybe it's interesting to mention this as well:
For example, in Windscribe on Windows, there's an option called Secure Hotspot that lets you share the VPN connection directly through the app.
But unfortunately, this feature doesn’t exist in the Linux version.

Another question I have is:
Is it possible to share the tun0 interface (which is the VPN driver) using the terminal, by configuring hostapd with a custom config file?

4

It's the same principle as in Windows, the only difference is that you cannot use the same network adapter for both sharing and regular traffic.
For example, if you had both Wi-Fi and Ethernet available on your computer, you could use the wireless network adapter to create a hotspot, have your other devices connect to it, and then all the communications would be routed automatically through Ethernet.

You do however need another network adapter (or network card, if your prefer). If you don't have that option available, you can buy an external USB wireless antenna and that would do the trick.

5

Yes, I have two network cards (wlan0 & wlan1).
Is it possible for you to guide me step by step, please? :smiling_face_with_tear:
A GUI-based solution is better

For Example:

  1. Connect to VPN
  2. Go to settings
  3. . . .

Thanks a lot :blush:

6

In Settings → Wi-Fi, click on the menu and enable "Turn On Wi-Fi Hotspot..." as shown here (for me it's disabled because this is on a virtual machine):

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I'm not actually sure how that looks for two network adapters but you should be able to select either one of them. Before you connect any devices, make sure that you still have internet access and that the VPN is working correctly. Then, connect something and check if everything works as expected.