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Knowledge document #3685

Setting up a WireGuard VPN to the FRITZ!Box on the computer

Easily set up your VPN connection from your computer to the FRITZ!Box for free via WireGuard - in Windows, Linux or macOS. ✓

With WireGuard, you can easily establish VPN connections to the FRITZ!Box on your computer, no matter whether you use Windows, Linux or macOS. This way you can access your FRITZ!Box and all devices in your home network with your computer over a securely encrypted connection, even when you are away from home.

In addition, the computer also forwards all web requests over the VPN connection to your FRITZ!Box. This means you can use sensitive services such as email or online banking in public Wi-Fi hotspots just as securely as if you were directly connected to your FRITZ!Box via Wi-Fi at home.

You can find an overview of additional VPN connection options in our guide VPN with FRITZ!.

Requirements / Restrictions

Note:All instructions on configuration and settings given in this guide refer to the latest FRITZ!OS for the FRITZ!Box.

1 Preparations

Configuring MyFRITZ!

Register the FRITZ!Box with MyFRITZ!Net so that it can always be reached on the internet at a fixed MyFRITZ! address:

Setting up MyFRITZ!
  1. Click "Internet" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click on "MyFRITZ! Account" in the "Internet" menu.
  3. Enter your email address in the "Your email address" field.
  4. Click on "Apply". Now MyFRITZ!Net sends you an email with the confirmation link to your FRITZ!Box.

    Important:If you do not receive an email, the email was classified as unsolicited advertising (spam). In this case, check the spam folder of your email inbox.

  5. Open the email you received from MyFRITZ!Net.
  6. Click the "Register Your FRITZ!Box" button in the email.

Adjusting the FRITZ!Box's IP network

Both ends of the VPN connection must have IP addresses in different IP networks. As soon as the computer is connected to a router (for example another FRITZ!Box) that uses the same IP network as your FRITZ!Box, VPN communication is no longer possible.

Note:All FRITZ!Boxes use the IP network 192.168.178.0 in the factory settings.

Set up an IP address in your FRITZ!Box that differs from the IP addresses of the routers you use to connect to the FRITZ!Box, for example 192.168.10.1 (subnet mask 255.255.255.0):

Changing the FRITZ!Box's IP network
  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click on "Network" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. Click on the "Network Settings" tab.
  4. Click "Additional Settings" in the section "WAN setting" or "LAN Settings" to display all of the settings.
  5. Click the "IPv4 Settings" button.
  6. Enter the desired IP address and subnet mask.
  7. Click "Apply" to save the settings and on the FRITZ!Box, confirm that the procedure may be executed, if you are asked to do so.

2 Installing WireGuard

  1. Install WireGuard from wireguard.com on your computer.

    Note:In Linux, the Network Manager can only be used to set up WireGuard starting with Ubuntu 23.04 / GNOME 44. With older GNOME versions or other desktop environments, WireGuard is usually installed without a graphical user interface (GUI). If necessary, you can install one, see for example wireguird.

3 Setting up a VPN connection in the FRITZ!Box

  1. Click "Internet" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click on "Permit Access" in the "Internet" menu.
  3. Click on the "VPN (WireGuard)" tab.
  4. Click the "Add Connection" button.
  5. Click "Connect a single device" and then "Next".
  6. Enter a name for the VPN connection (for example Anna Notebook).
  7. Click "Finish".
  8. If you are asked to do so, on the FRITZ!Box confirm that the procedure may be executed and click "OK" to complete the procedure.
  9. Click "Download Settings" and download the file with the extension ".conf" to the computer.

4 Configuring a VPN Connection on the Computer

  1. Start the WireGuard app on the computer.
  2. Click "Add Tunnel".
  3. Select the settings file for the WireGuard connection that you downloaded (Conf file) and click "Open".

5 Establishing a VPN connection

  1. Start the WireGuard app on the computer.
  2. Select the VPN connection to the FRITZ!Box (for example FRITZ!Box home).
  3. Click "Activate" to establish the VPN connection.



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