When using free Wi-Fi at a cafe or hotel while out and about, have you ever felt the risk of your communication being intercepted (security concerns)? In such cases, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be helpful. This time, we will introduce how to use a small computer called Raspberry Pi'' to build a home VPN server’’ that enables secure communication.

The biggest advantage of building a VPN server at home is that when you connect to the Internet from outside, you can communicate via your home network. As a result, communication content is strongly encrypted even when using free Wi-Fi, allowing you to safely browse the web and conduct online banking. Another big advantage is that you can access your home network equipment (NAS, etc.) from anywhere.

The most recommended software for construction is “WireGuard” or “PiVPN”. In particular, “PiVPN” is a VPN construction script optimized for Raspberry Pi that allows you to complete the construction of a complex VPN server (based on OpenVPN or WireGuard) by simply executing a single line of command in the terminal, following the on-screen instructions, and answering simple questions. The appeal is that you can configure it without having deep knowledge of Linux.

After starting up the VPN server, you need to open ports (port forwarding) from the settings screen of your home router and configure it to forward VPN communications from outside (usually UDP ports) to the Raspberry Pi.

By installing the VPN client app on your smartphone or laptop and loading the issued configuration file (which can be easily read using a QR code), you can safely communicate via your home network anytime, anywhere. Raspberry Pi is inexpensive and low power, making it the perfect device for a VPN server that operates 24 hours a day.