Free calls with FRITZ!APP FON using VPN

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geohei
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Free calls with FRITZ!APP FON using VPN

Post by geohei »

FRITZ!Box allows to place "free" calls using VPN (virtual private network) and the FRITZ!ALL FON app. "Free" means as much as a local call from the FRITZ!Box location would cost using regular telephone network line.

Requirements:
  • FRITZ!Box with VPN and telephony capability (analog or digital)
  • DynDNS address pointing to your FRITZ!Box
  • iPhone with data connection (E/3G or WLAN)
My equipment is an "(old) FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7170 with firmware: 29.04.87.
The mobile is iPhone 4 version 4.3.5.
FRITZ!APP FON is Version 1.5.4 [811]

Basically, FRITZ!APP FON uses data connection to connect via VPN to FRITZ!Box. Fees on this data communication should be reduced using E/3G only with flat rate subscription and WLAN when free of charge. Data volume in home E/3G network is preferential while free WLAN hotspots should be used abroad in roaming area. On top, VPN offers encrypted data transfer to the FRITZ!Box. Also, VPN offers the possibility to use Internet via the FRITZ!Box ... meaning that the VPN tunnel to the FRITZ!Box is encrypted and hence secure, and Internet requests (traffic requests deistination outside LAN, usually forwarded to the gateway) are processed by the FRITZ!Box. This is not obvious since firmware 29.04.87 is the first one which offers this functionality. Previous firmware versions only allowed to connect to the LAN. Big improvement!

Next, FRITZ!Box converts this digitized voice signal to analog or digital (ISDN) signal and places the call on regular telephone network line. If the previous data communication was free (if chosen wisely), this regular phone call is subject to local fees only.

All this has nothing to do with VoIP (voice over IP).

The hairy part is to configure VPN properly for FRITZ!Box. Therefore you need to create a VPN configuration file, which will be imported into FRITZ!Box using the internal FRITZ!Box web interface. First, this VPN configuration file is created using an application (FRITZ!Fernzugang Version 01.02.03 ) provided by AVM (general VPN infomation). Then, it needs to be exported and slightly modified in order to match iPhone's idea what VPN is supposed to be.

Here the general VPN setup instructions for FRITZ!Box / iPhone: VPN-Verbindung mit Apple iOS (z.B. iPhone) bzw. Mac OS X zur FRITZ!Box (Client-LAN-Kopplung)
The required changes can be found after "VPN-Konfigurationsdatei anpassen und in die FRITZ!Box importieren" (12 items).

The raw VPN configuration file

The raw VPN configuration file looks like this:

Code: Select all

/*
 * C:\...
 * Sun Jul 31 17:50:05 2011
 */

vpncfg {
        connections {
                enabled = yes;
                conn_type = conntype_user;
                name = "toni_mobile@gmail.com";
                always_renew = no;
                reject_not_encrypted = no;
                dont_filter_netbios = yes;
                localip = 0.0.0.0;
                local_virtualip = 0.0.0.0;
                remoteip = 0.0.0.0;
                remote_virtualip = 192.168.178.200;
                remoteid {
                        user_fqdn = "toni_mobile@gmail.com";
                }
                mode = phase1_mode_aggressive;
                phase1ss = "all/all/all";
                keytype = connkeytype_pre_shared;
                key = "x3z4ur72";
                cert_do_server_auth = no;
                use_nat_t = yes;
                use_xauth = no;
                use_cfgmode = no;
                phase2localid {
                        ipnet {
                                ipaddr = 192.168.178.0;
                                mask = 255.255.255.0;
                        }
                }
                phase2remoteid {
                        ipaddr = 192.168.178.200;
                }
                phase2ss = "esp-all-all/ah-none/comp-all/pfs";
                accesslist = 
                             "permit ip 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.178.200 255.255.255.255";
        }
        ike_forward_rules = "udp 0.0.0.0:500 0.0.0.0:500", 
                            "udp 0.0.0.0:4500 0.0.0.0:4500";
}


// EOF
NB: "remote_virtualip = 192.168.178.200". This is the IP the iPhone receives inside the LAN. Make sure this IP address is free, meaning that it is not assigned yet (fix IP) and not part of the router's DHCP pool.

The modified VPN configuration file looks like that:

Code: Select all

/*
 * C:\...
 * Sun Jul 31 17:50:05 2011
 */

vpncfg {
        connections {
                enabled = yes;
                conn_type = conntype_user;
                name = "toni_mobile@gmail.com";
                always_renew = no;
                reject_not_encrypted = no;
                dont_filter_netbios = yes;
                localip = 0.0.0.0;
                local_virtualip = 0.0.0.0;
                remoteip = 0.0.0.0;
                remote_virtualip = 192.168.178.200;
                remoteid {
                        key_id = "toni_mobile@gmail.com";
                }
                mode = phase1_mode_aggressive;
                phase1ss = "all/all/all";
                keytype = connkeytype_pre_shared;
                key = "x3z4ur72";
                cert_do_server_auth = no;
                use_nat_t = yes;
                use_xauth = yes;
                use_cfgmode = no;
				xauth {
					valid = yes;
					username = "geohei";
					passwd = "geohei_pwd";
				}
                phase2localid {
                        ipnet {
                                ipaddr = 0.0.0.0;
                                mask = 0.0.0.0;
                        }
                }
                phase2remoteid {
                        ipaddr = 192.168.178.200;
                }
                phase2ss = "esp-all-all/ah-none/comp-all/no-pfs";
                accesslist = 
                             "permit ip 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.178.200 255.255.255.255";
        }
        ike_forward_rules = "udp 0.0.0.0:500 0.0.0.0:500", 
                            "udp 0.0.0.0:4500 0.0.0.0:4500";
}


// EOF
This .pdf makes the required changes:
FRITZBOX_iPhone.rar
(75 KiB) Downloaded 328 times
Screenshots of the iPhone VPN

Use IPSec
Description: anything you like (e.g. "My FRITZ!Box VPN")
Server: your DynDNS address (e.g. "home.dyndns.org")
Account: <VPN user> used in VPN configuration file previously created (e.g. "geohei")
Password: Needs to be entered. Textbox shows after first contact "Ask Every Time"
Use Certificate: OFF
Group Name: <e-mail address> used in VPN configuration file previously created (e.g. "toni_mobile@gmail.com")
Secret: <VPN password> used in VPN configuration file previously created (e.g. "x3z4ur72")
IMG_0873.png
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IMG_0874.png
IMG_0874.png (102.82 KiB) Viewed 2949 times
The <VPN user> is offered by FRITZ!Box as soon as a VPN connection is initialted. However the <VPN password> needs to be inserted upon every new login.
IMG_0884.png
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IMG_0883.png
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Screenshots of the FRITZ!APP FON VPN

FRITZ!APP FON > More > Settings > Address > [local LAN address of FRITZ!Box (e.g. 192.,168.178.1)]
FRITZ!APP FON > More > Settings > Telephony device > [select the right one if more were created in VPN configuration file]
IMG_0879.png
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IMG_0878.png
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For some reason (yet unknown, to me at least), FRITZ!APP FON sometimes doesn't connect properly to FRITZ!Box. This can be seen by turning wheel indicating connecting, and the yellow/green Telephony/FRITZ!Box icon right top of main FRITZ!APP FON screen. This icon should be green/green when properly connected.
IMG_0886.png
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IMG_0888.png
IMG_0888.png (179.56 KiB) Viewed 2949 times
IMG_0876.png
IMG_0876.png (179.51 KiB) Viewed 2949 times
Also, sometimes FRITZ!APP FON asks for the FRITZ!Box password. There is no scheme detectable when it is requested and when not.
IMG_0887.png
IMG_0887.png (271.04 KiB) Viewed 2949 times
Some general screenshots ...
IMG_0877.png
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IMG_0882.png
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IMG_0881.png
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IMG_0880.png
IMG_0880.png (56.62 KiB) Viewed 2949 times

Remark: I had to noise the screenshots quite a bit since this forum is public.

Please post if there are any questions, corrections, ...

Thanks,
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User avatar
jc
Posts even during sleep
Posts: 515
Joined: Friday, 28.05.2004 18:37

Re: Free calls with FRITZ!APP FON using VPN

Post by jc »

Hi,

Thanks for the info. This is a very interesting subject!
Not only your Fritzbox can be accessed from the outside via VPN but also all other Internal network devices.
This is in fact the most secure method to access your home intranet.

@geohei
It looks like the Fritzbox only allows one vpn setting. It that correct?
I want to be able to access my network via iPhone and Laptop from the internet.
(may be a bit off topic :))

TIA
JC
User avatar
geohei
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Posts: 3388
Joined: Tuesday, 19.11.2002 07:56
Location: Luxembourg
Contact:

Re: Free calls with FRITZ!APP FON using VPN

Post by geohei »

jc wrote:...
@geohei
It looks like the Fritzbox only allows one vpn setting. It that correct?
I want to be able to access my network via iPhone and Laptop from the internet.
(may be a bit off topic :))
You can connect with more than 1 device to the FB using VPN.
I have 4 Accounts configured on my FB and did simultaneous connects with all 4 already.

I recently connected via LAN with an iPhone and iPod touch to the VPN. I called the iPod touch from the iPhone using the FRITZ!APP FON. All on free WiFi connection and therefore free of charge. Both devices were +6000 km away from the FB! Delay was a little more than regular GSM transmission delays over that distance.

Important feature of new FB firmwares regarding VPN is, that IP traffic to the gateway (FB) is routed via VPN through the FB to the Internet. Previous FB firmware versions only allowed to access the LAN using VPN. != LAN traffic was not possible.
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