My question: pia SparkBox AI replied: PIA isn't on the WireGuard list, so pick OpenVPN and enter your PIA username and password. Use the login from your PIA account, not your email, and don't paste it here. Once the install finishes, PIA can forward a port for inbound seeding. That's optional, and you can set it up after the box is running. What I still need help with: (describe what didn't work or what's still broken) I have generate the WireGuard .conf file but there is no where to upload it as per the message when setting up media center "Other/custom can't be used with WireGuard here: SparkBox's VPN only supports WireGuard for AirVPN, FastestVPN, IVPN, Mullvad, NordVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark and Windscribe. Choose OpenVPN and enter your other/custom username and password, or, if other/custom gave you a WireGuard .conf file, choose Other / Custom and import that file."
8 replies
Chris wrote:
Sorry, the step I pointed you to was wrong. The message says to import a WireGuard .conf file, but the VPN form in the Media Center setup only has boxes for the private key and address, so there is no upload button there. For Private Internet Access you don't need the .conf at all: PIA can't use WireGuard in SparkBox, and it connects through OpenVPN instead. Next step: in that same VPN form, set Protocol to OpenVPN, choose Private Internet Access as the provider, enter the username and password from your PIA account (not the email you sign in with), then click Save & retry install. The .conf you generated contains a private key, so keep it off this forum. We've flagged the wording so the next person isn't sent to an upload button that isn't there.
Jahemoto wrote:
ffs, have to use V1 for this
Chris wrote:
Sorry, the upload step I gave you was wrong. It sent you looking for a button that isn't there, and I'm sorry for the time that cost. Here is what the message you pasted means: SparkBox doesn't run PIA over WireGuard, so the .conf file you generated isn't needed. PIA connects through OpenVPN, using the username and password from your PIA account, not the email you sign in with. One question so I can point you at the right step: which provider and protocol does the VPN form show right now? The message you pasted names Other/custom, so I want to be sure we're looking at the same form. I've logged the wording as a bug so the next person isn't sent to that upload step.
Jahemoto wrote:
the wording on the form should be "use dashboard V1 vpn page" to upload the .config file
Chris wrote:
You're right, and I'm sorry. The upload step I sent you to isn't on the install form, and I should have checked that before pointing you there. The wording that sent you looking has been reported. For Private Internet Access you don't need the .conf file. The message you pasted says WireGuard only works here with the providers on its list, and PIA isn't one of them, so PIA connects over OpenVPN with the username and password from your PIA account. Next step: set the protocol to OpenVPN, choose Private Internet Access if the provider list has it (otherwise Other / Custom, the choice that message names for OpenVPN), enter your PIA username and password, then click Save & retry install. If it still refuses, paste the exact message here, leaving out the password. What I know about this message has been corrected, so the next person who sees it gets the right step.
Chris wrote:
Thanks for reporting this: behavior. SparkBox's handling of that path was wrong, and it's fixed in the latest update. Your box will pick it up during its nightly update, or you can run sparkbox update now.
Jahemoto wrote:
can you give me the SparkBox 1.6.973 patch notes? For whatever reason they take a while to display within the sparkbox
Chris wrote:
Sorry, the update step I gave you earlier was wrong. I said the fix would arrive in your nightly update or with sparkbox update, but sparkbox update only refreshes your apps' images and does not install a new SparkBox release. The fix is in 1.6.974, so the command that installs it is sudo sparkbox upgrade. What the assistant knows about this has been corrected, so the next person gets the right command. Here are the notes you asked for: - 1.6.974 (the one for your problem): when a VPN setup refuses WireGuard for your provider, the message now says where to import a WireGuard .conf file: the classic dashboard, under Settings Network VPN Edit VPN settings, "Or import a WireGuard .conf file". For Private Internet Access, OpenVPN with your PIA username and password is still the simplest route. - 1.6.973: sudo sparkbox doctor now warns when Tailscale is running on the Windows PC as well as inside SparkBox, and tells you to disconnect it on Windows. That doesn't touch the VPN form. Next step: run sudo sparkbox upgrade, and tell me if it finishes with an error.