AltaConnect and Auto-VPN are WireGuard-based VPN deployment features available within Alta Control for Alta Labs routers. AltaConnect is designed for managed VPN groups, while Auto-VPN is intended for individual point-to-point VPN tunnels.

Requirements

• You must have administrator access to the sites containing the routers you want to use in a VPN group or Site-to-Site (S2S) Auto-VPN tunnel.
• A minimum of 2 routers is required to create a VPN group.

AltaConnect

AltaConnect allows administrators to quickly create secure site-to-site VPN groups between Alta Labs routers using either mesh or star topology. The setup process automatically generates and manages the required VPN configuration between selected routers using WireGuard. 

VPN connectivity between group members is maintained dynamically within the selected topology and is designed to recover following device reboots or temporary interruptions.

Accessing AltaConnect

1. Navigate to Alta Control.
2. Select the site menu near the top-right corner of the page.
3. Select Site Manager.
4. In the top-right corner, select AltaConnect.

Creating a VPN Group

1. In AltaConnect, select the New VPN Group button.
2. Enter a name for the VPN group.
3. Select the desired topology:
   • Mesh (default)
   • Star
4. Beside Routers, select Add.
5. Select the target site.
6. Select the router to add to the VPN group.
7. Choose which subnets should be shared with other members of the VPN group.
8. (Optional) Expand Advanced to view or modify VPN settings such as keys, tunnel IP, or port configuration. Default settings are recommended for most deployments.
9. Select Add to group.
10. Repeat as needed until 2 or more routers have been added.
11. Select Save.

The VPN group will automatically generate and configure the required VPN connections between the selected routers.

Viewing Existing VPN Groups

From the main AltaConnect page, selecting a VPN group displays the routers currently assigned to that group.

Each router entry displays the router hostname/DDNS address along with the number of shared subnets currently advertised through the VPN group.

Only routers from sites you have permission to access will be visible inside the VPN group.

Migrating from Existing Site-to-Site VPN Configurations

If routers already have existing site-to-site VPN tunnels configured, those tunnels should be removed or disabled before adding the routers to an AltaConnect VPN group.

Existing configurations can either:

• Be deleted entirely
• Be disabled temporarily

Existing site-to-site VPN tunnels must be removed or disabled before adding routers to an AltaConnect VPN group. Leaving existing tunnels active may result in routing conflicts between overlapping VPN configurations.

Disabling existing VPN tunnels is recommended during migration, as it allows the previous configuration to be re-enabled if needed.

Auto-VPN (Auto-Connect)

Auto-VPN simplifies the creation of individual site-to-site VPN tunnels between Alta Labs Route10 routers using WireGuard.

Unlike AltaConnect, which creates managed VPN groups using mesh or star topology, Auto-VPN is designed for creating individual point-to-point VPN tunnels between two routers.

Accessing Auto-VPN

1. Navigate to Alta Control.
2. Open the target site for one side of the site-to-site tunnel.
3. Navigate to the Network page.
4. Open the router configuration panel by either selecting the icon on the left, or tapping on the entry in the list. 
5. Select the VPN tab.
6. Beside Client/S2S, select the + button to create a new VPN tunnel profile.

Creating an Auto-VPN Tunnel

1. Under Auto-Connect, select the remote site.
2. Select the preferred Remote Router, if needed.
   1. Multiple Route10 routers may exist within a single site, allowing a different router to be selected specifically for VPN connectivity.

3. Adjust the selected subnets for both the local and remote sides. 
4. For most deployments, only the subnet selections need to be changed before saving, though additional options are available if needed.
5. Select Save Both Routers.

The generated VPN tunnel configuration will be applied to both routers automatically.

Video Tutorial:

Auto VPN & Alta Connect Tutorial | Alta Labs