Proton VPN - possible to run on Kubuntu?

[tomcloyd]

I've recently switched from Pop!_OS, where Proton VPN runs well, to Kubuntu, where it refuses to run. The Proton people are directing me to get set up on OpenVPN, but after 2 hours I'm fried and fed up. It's a soup of acronyms and network and security garble that I don't grasp and have no time to mess with further. No user-friendly!

Two questions:

1. Can anyone tell me how to get Proton VPN running on Kubuntu, without having to spend 3 days studying the matter first? I am at the point in my own efforts to achieve this where I need to launch NetworkManager, but the only package I can find by that name is "network-manager" in Synaptic, which tells me it's already installed.

But:

tomc@tom-galagopro:~$ network-manager
network-manager: command not found
tomc@tom-galagopro:~$ which network-manager
tomc@tom-galagopro:~$ {empty line}


2. If getting Proton VPN to run in Kubuntu is not feasible, then what VPN can anyone recommend that does run on Kubuntu that is OpenVPN or WireGuard based?

Thanks!

[Virginio Miranda]

I have been using NordVPN.It uses NordLynx a technology built around the WireGuard® VPN protocol. I dont use NordVPN to run in the entire system so i cant say much about it.

[claydoh]

The actual name of the program is networkmanager - no space.

Otherwise installing Proton will be exactly the same as on Ubuntu.

[tomcloyd]

I have been using NordVPN.It uses NordLynx a technology built around the WireGuard® VPN protocol. I dont use NordVPN to run in the entire system so i cant say much about it.

Thanks. That's good to know. This would be my likely alternative, if I can't get Proton running.

[Virginio Miranda]

Thanks. That's good to know. This would be my likely alternative, if I can't get Proton running.

NordVPN dont have a GUI. You have to use the CLI from a terminal but its easy to setup.

You can use OpenVPN together with NordVPN:

https://support.nordvpn.com/hc/en-us...Linux-Terminal

[tomcloyd]

The actual name of the program is networkmanager - no space.

Otherwise installing Proton will be exactly the same as on Ubuntu.

1. Synaptic does not agree re: the name. In the packages, it's network-manager. But that leads to this confusion:

tomc@tom-galagopro:~$ sudo apt install network-manager
[sudo] password for tomc:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
network-manager is already the newest version (1.46.0-1ubuntu2).
network-manager set to manually installed.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 4 not upgraded.
tomc@tom-galagopro:~$ which network-manager
tomc@tom-galagopro:~$ network-manager
network-manager: command not found
tomc@tom-galagopro:~$

I don't understand what's happening here.

2. Proton SHOULD just install, I agree. It appears to be installed, and does launch, and then I get this:




The problem is that when I give it the Proton authentication string from my authenticator app, which always worked on Pop!_OS, it does not accept it. Desperate to get it to work, I then gave it my Proton password, Same result.

When I protested about this to Proton, this was their response:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us.

Please note that we only officially support Linux on Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora. We haven't officially tested the Linux application on Kubuntu, therefore it is not officially supported and we will be unable to guarantee that it will work as intended nor provide extensive troubleshooting steps.

Kindly note that you can find more information about the currently supported Linux distros in the following support article: https://protonvpn.com/support/linux-vpn-setup/

We apologize for the inconvenience that this may cause you.

For the time being, we suggest you check our alternative connection methods for Linux. We have dedicated guides which you can check through the following links:

• https://protonvpn.com/support/linux-openvpn/
• https://protonvpn.com/support/wireguard-manual-linux/

If you have any other inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards,
Stefan
Customer Support
Proton VPN

That was 3 weeks ago. I've been too busy to follow up, until now. I tried to go the OpenVPN manual configuration route, detailed at the link above, and got in over my head, and nothing I did changed the result when I again tried to get past that "secrets" signin modal window, just now.

Any suggestions?

t.

[claydoh]

The package name and the executable that is run do not always match.
https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages...Manager.8.html
Notice I actually missed the captialization.

As a command line tool it will work identically on Kubuntu as it is Ubuntu.

Have you tried entering the actual password for the connection? I don't see any mention for using authenticator apps for connecting to the VPN itself in the documentation.

https://protonvpn.com/support/vpn-login

https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonVPN/s/Vn1G9sw2Qo

My provider uses auth apps for account login on the website, not for actual VPN usage.

[tomcloyd]

The package name and the executable that is run do not always match.
https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages...Manager.8.html
Notice I actually missed the captialization.

As a command line tool it will work identically on Kubuntu as it is Ubuntu.

I don't think using camelcase is very clever, here. Following your suggestion, I do find that NetworkManager is installed on my laptop. I don't recall seeing it called that anywhere except on the webpage the link to which you provided - which I had not seen before. Thanks. (I should mention that so far I have done nothing with NetworkManager. It's just there if I need it.)

Have you tried entering the actual password for the connection? I don't see any mention for using authenticator apps for connecting to the VPN itself in the documentation.

https://protonvpn.com/support/vpn-login

https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonVPN/s/Vn1G9sw2Qo

My provider uses auth apps for account login on the website, not for actual VPN usage.

All I have to offer it is my Proton website password (which seems wrong, and was not accepted) or an authenticator string. When you say "the actual password for the connection" are you referring to something else? Please explain, because I can't think of what else to try...

Except I DID think of something else - my OpenVPN / IKEv2 username that the Proton website says is needed "...when connecting to Proton VPN servers without application". The crazy thing is that I AM using their application! Maybe the explanation is that I got part of the way through getting set up with OpenVPN (including installing a pile of software) and that's affecting how their application is working. I have NO idea.

In my system tray, my networks thingie (applet?) shows a regular connection to my wifi plus a ProtonVPN connection. Two connections. I've never seen this before. When I disconnect the wifi connection, the VPN connection drops, saying that the network connection it was using was no longer available. I'm just not sure that my Internet activity is using the VPN. Could it be bypassing that and using the wifi connect directly? I'm going to ask Proton, but if you have any thoughts about this please share them. And thanks for your help. This discussion well may have solved my problem.

[claydoh]

You can use an IP checking webpage to see what your external IP is before and after. There are tons, but this one isn't ad filled. And I'm not shilling Nord. Lol

https://nordvpn.com/what-is-my-ip/?s...8y4HFLyqoLY_Qc

Yes you would have a password to go with the username, I assume.

[tomcloyd]

You can use an IP checking webpage to see what your external IP is before and after. There are tons, but this one isn't ad filled. And I'm not shilling Nord. Lol

https://nordvpn.com/what-is-my-ip/?s...8y4HFLyqoLY_Qc

I was pretty sure Proton was working for me, and I just tested it with this handy link - thanks so much for the suggestion that I do this, and for the link. Proton clearly IS working for me. All's well. Am delighted...

[vanadiumboy]

The actual name of the program is networkmanager - no space.

Otherwise installing Proton will be exactly the same as on Ubuntu.

The installation is easy.
Running it is another story.

Proton VPN has probably never been tested on any KDE system.
After a lot of screwing, I was able to sort of come up with a process.
I emailed the process to the Proton VPN team months ago and they said they will review it but I guess they decided not to post it to their website.

Here is the process: (This is a video version)

How to install Proton VPN on Kubuntu 22.04 - VPN secrets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5VkksEKZbM