Configuring the Cudy WR3000 as a ProtonVPN WireGuard Router (Step-by-Step Guide) 🔧
If you’re building a lab, you don’t want your attack traffic mixing with your home IP — and you don’t want “oops, the VPN dropped” to become a silent data leak. This easy guide shows how to turn the Cudy WR3000 into a WireGuard VPN router using a ProtonVPN router setup, with a VPN router with killswitch and per-device routing.
My approach is simple: the attack machine routes through the tunnel, while the victim subnet stays local and isolated. That separation makes this a practical budget WireGuard router build for a home cybersecurity lab — not just a “cool screenshot router.”
“A VPN router is essential if you want both anonymity and control in a home cybersecurity lab.”
I didn’t test it in a glossy demo. I ran it on public networks, during drops, protocol switches, and long sessions. No hype — only what stayed standing when things got ugly.
Key Takeaways
- 🔐 Split your lab properly: route your attack machine through a ProtonVPN router setup on the WireGuard VPN router, while keeping the victim subnet local for realism.
- 🔒 VPN router with killswitch: enable router-level blocking so nothing leaks if the tunnel drops.
- 🌐 Stop DNS leaks: enforce DNS over VPN only so DNS doesn’t betray you even when everything “looks connected.”
- 🎯 Per-devi.ce control: use policy routing so only specific clients use the VPN tunnel.
- 🧪 Verify like a paranoid adult: run IP + DNS leak tests (e.g., ipleak.net) from the attack machine.
- ⚙️ Performance stability: try a closer ProtonVPN server and tune MTU (1420/1280) if speeds suffer.
- 📘 Next level: my full TP-Link victim router + Windows 10 victim walk-through will be in the free eBook for newsletter subscribers.
What You’ll Need (Quick Checklist) 🧰
- Cudy WR3000 (AX3000) – admin access
- ProtonVPN account with WireGuard support
- ProtonVPN WireGuard configuration (.conf) or keys/endpoints from ProtonVPN
- Ethernet cable (I use 5m modem → WR3000)
- Time to test: IP check + DNS leak test
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“The best way to learn cybersecurity is by building your own lab where mistakes don’t matter.”
Step 1 — First Login on the Cudy WR3000 🔑
- Connect ISP modem → WR3000 (WAN)
- Connect your laptop via LAN or Wi-Fi to the WR3000
- Open http://192.168.10.1
- Log in with admin/admin (then change the admin password immediately)
Step 2 — Add ProtonVPN WireGuard Profile ⚡
This is the core of the ProtonVPN WireGuard configuration: you’ll generate a WireGuard profile in ProtonVPN, then import it into the router.
- Log in to the ProtonVPN dashboard and generate/download your WireGuard config (.conf)
- On the WR3000: VPN → WireGuard → Add
- Import the .conf (or paste keys/endpoints manually)
- Click Save and Enable
What Your ProtonVPN WireGuard Configuration Actually Means 🧠
Most people import a WireGuard profile and treat it like a magic spell. It works… until it doesn’t. If you understand the basics of the config, troubleshooting becomes a 2-minute job instead of an all-night crime scene investigation.
Here are the lines that matter most in a typical Proton profile:
- Endpoint: the VPN server address + port your router connects to. If this is blocked by your network, the tunnel won’t come up.
- PublicKey (server) + PrivateKey (you): the cryptographic handshake. Wrong key = permanent silent failure.
- AllowedIPs: what gets routed through the tunnel. For “full tunnel” router setups, this is typically
0.0.0.0/0. If this is limited, you’ll get split routing you didn’t ask for. - DNS: sometimes included in the profile, but router DNS settings can override it. This is where DNS leaks happen while everything still “looks connected.”
- PersistentKeepalive: keeps NAT mappings alive. On some ISPs and cheap networks, this prevents random disconnects and idle tunnel drops.
Bottom line: a working tunnel doesn’t automatically mean a clean setup. A WireGuard VPN router is only as private as its routing and DNS behavior.
Step 3 — Enable Router-Level Killswitch 🔒
This is what turns it from “VPN router” into a VPN router with killswitch: if the tunnel drops, the router blocks traffic instead of quietly leaking it.
- Go to VPN Settings → Killswitch → Enable
- Test: disable the tunnel briefly — traffic should stop until VPN reconnects
Step 4 — Per-Device VPN Policy (Client Routing) 🎯
This is where the Cudy WR3000 VPN settings become useful for labs: you can force only your attack device through the tunnel, while keeping victims local and isolated.
- Identify devices (MAC/IP) inside the WR3000 client list
- Go to VPN Policy / Policy Routing and set:
- Attack machine: Force through VPN
- Victim sub.net / IoT: Bypass VPN (stay local)
- Bind rules by MAC address so routing survives DHCP changes
Policy Routing Gotchas on the WR3000 (Why Rules “Don’t Work”) 🧷
If policy routing fails, it usually fails in a boring way: the UI says “enabled,” but the device still escapes the tunnel. These are the most common reasons on a budget WireGuard router like the WR3000.
- DHCP changes: your device gets a new IP and your rule stops matching. Fix: bind by MAC or use DHCP reservations.
- Guest Wi-Fi: guest networks may bypass normal routing rules. If your attack box is on guest Wi-Fi, it might ignore your policy entirely.
- Dual interfaces: laptops with both Ethernet and Wi-Fi can “flip” routes mid-session. Test with one interface at a time when verifying.
- Cache.
- DNS: you think routing is wrong, but it’s DNS caching and old resolvers. Flush DNS caches on the client when testing.
- Reboots matter: after changing policy routing, reboot the affected device (and sometimes the router) so the new routes actually apply cleanly.
The sanity check is simple: run an IP test and a DNS leak test from each subnet separately. If the victim subnet shows a VPN exit IP, your isolation isn’t isolation — it’s cosplay.
Step 5 — DNS Over VPN Only (Prevent Leaks) 🌐
Even with a tunnel, DNS can still betray you. If you care about OPSEC, DNS needs to follow the VPN — not your ISP.
- Go to DNS Settings → enable Use VPN DNS only
- If conflicts appear, temporarily disable router-level DoH/DoT while testing
Common OPSEC Leaks with a VPN Router (Even When It Looks “Fine”) 🕳️
A WireGuard VPN router solves a lot — but it doesn’t solve everything by existing loudly in your network. These are the leaks that show up in real labs, when people assume “VPN = anonymous” and stop thinking.
- IPv6 leaks: if your ISP and router use IPv6 and your VPN tunnel doesn’t handle it cleanly, some traffic may bypass the tunnel. If you don’t need IPv6 in the lab, disable it on the router and/or client.
- DNS escaping the tunnel: the classic. Your IP shows ProtonVPN, but DNS resolvers still belong to your ISP. Fix: “VPN DNS only,” and verify with a DNS leak test.
- Client-side WebRTC leaks: a browser can reveal local/private IPs via WebRTC. Router VPN doesn’t automatically prevent that. If you’re using a browser on the attack machine, harden WebRTC on the client.
- Time sync issues: if the router clock is off, WireGuard handshakes can fail, reconnect loops happen, and you’ll chase ghosts. Enable NTP and keep it enabled.
- Captive portals / public networks: if you travel with the WR3000 and the upstream network requires a login page, routing can behave weirdly until authenticated. Test before you assume you’re protected.
Think of it this way: VPN on the router is a great baseline. OPSEC still lives on the endpoints — because that’s where mistakes have hands and keyboards.
Step 6 — Testing & Verification 🧭
Trust is cute. Verification is better.
- IP check: run ipleak.net on the attack machine → should show ProtonVPN location
- DNS leak test: confirm DNS resolvers belong to ProtonVPN (or your VPN DNS choice inside the tunnel)
- Victim subnet check: should remain local and not tunneled
Advanced WireGuard Tweaks for the Cudy WR3000 ⚙️
Once your WireGuard VPN router is stable, these tweaks can improve reliability and speed — especially on budget hardware and weird ISP paths.
- MTU tuning: try 1420 first, then 1280 if you see handshake weirdness or fragmentation.
- Persistent Keepalive: if your config supports it, set
PersistentKeepalive = 25to reduce idle disconnects. - Multiple profiles: add multiple ProtonVPN WireGuard profiles (e.g., “nearby” for latency, “USA” for geo testing) and switch by enabling one and disabling the other.
- Fallback idea: keep OpenVPN configured as a backup profile if you like having an emergency parachute.
Troubleshooting (Quick Fixes) 🛠️
- No internet after enabling VPN? → verify endpoint/keys, enable time sync (NTP), try MTU 1420/1280
- DNS leaks? → enforce “VPN DNS only”, clear caches, avoid external custom DNS outside the tunnel
- Slow speeds? → pick a closer ProtonVPN server, reduce MTU, avoid extra layers you don’t need
- Policy not applying? → re-check MAC binding and reboot the affected device
💡 Real-world facepalm: I once “debugged” a broken tunnel for hours… until I noticed the router clock was off. Enable NTP/time sync and WireGuard suddenly behaves like a civilized protocol.
Why Use a WireGuard VPN Router 🛡️
- Central killswitch: fewer leak paths when the tunnel drops
- Per-device control: choose who tunnels and who stays local
- Cleaner OPSEC: your attack traffic shows a ProtonVPN IP, not your home IP
- Less app-chaos: no VPN client on every device, no “forgot to turn it on” moments
“WireGuard is leaner and faster than traditional VPNs, making it a great fit for modern networks.”
Security Best Practices for Your VPN Router 🔐
A WireGuard VPN router gives you privacy — but only if you don’t leave the admin panel set to “Welcome, criminals.”
- Change admin credentials and store them in a password manager
- Update firmware regularly (VPN features and fixes move fast)
- Disable WAN management unless you absolutely need it
- Isolate IoT devices on the non-VPN subnet (they chat a lot)
- Check logs for drops and unexpected DNS behavior
“Security is not a product, but a process.”
Safety First ⚠️
⚠️ Only use this configuration on devices you own or have explicit permission to test. Attacking third-party systems without consent is illegal and unethical. This guide is for educational and lab purposes.
With the right Cudy WR3000 VPN settings, you can turn a cheap router into a stable budget WireGuard router and a solid ProtonVPN router setup — with a killswitch and per-device rules that actually match how labs work in real life.
Even with a solid VPN setup, the smallest assumptions can still undo everything. One of the most common examples is DNS behavior at router level, where traffic looks encrypted while queries quietly escape the tunnel. That kind of failure doesn’t break connections, it breaks trust. I dig deeper into this exact problem in DNS Leaks on VPN Routers Explained, where I show how DNS leaks happen, why they’re easy to miss, and how they quietly undermine VPN OPSEC long after everything appears “secure.”
Frequently Asked Questions ❓
❓ Do I need a specific ProtonVPN plan for WireGuard?
Yes. You need a ProtonVPN plan that supports generating a ProtonVPN WireGuard configuration (the downloadable .conf profile or equivalent keys/endpoints).
❓ Is a VPN router with killswitch enough for a lab?
For the attack subnet, a router killswitch is a huge win. For defense-in-depth, you can also add a local firewall/killswitch on the attack machine so it can’t leak even if routing rules change.
❓ Can I exclude my victim subnet from the VPN tunnel?
Yes. Use per-device VPN policy routing on the WR3000 (best for labs), or keep the victim router physically separate so it stays local by design.
❓ Why is my speed slower on a budget WireGuard router?
Try a closer ProtonVPN server, tune MTU (1420/1280), and avoid unnecessary “extra layers.” On smaller routers, CPU and MTU issues are the usual culprits.
❓ How do I test for DNS leaks on a WireGuard VPN router?
Run a DNS leak test and confirm resolvers match your VPN. Then enforce “VPN DNS only” in your Cudy WR3000 VPN settings so DNS can’t escape outside the tunnel.