nuVPN Home documentation

nuVPN Home turns a computer you already have at home into a secure gateway for your family. They can browse from anywhere through your home internet connection, using an encrypted connection. This guide explains how to enable nuVPN Home on your home computer, invite family members and manage access.

What is nuVPN Home?

Install the nuVPN app on a computer at home (Mac, Windows or Linux) and enable nuVPN Home. The computer then serves as a gateway for the family members you invite. When they connect from outside your home, their traffic is encrypted as far as your home and reaches the internet through your home connection.

A real home IP address — Websites see your home's IP address rather than a data center address. This means banking, government services and streaming services you use at home continue to work.
End-to-end encryption — Traffic is encrypted from the family member's device to your home.
No new hardware — The service uses your existing home computer and internet connection.
Family access under your control — You can invite family members, see who has connected a device and remove access at any time.

The home computer must stay on and connected to the internet while family members are connected through it.

nuVPN Home routes traffic through your home. It does not block websites, ads or trackers, and it works only on devices connected to it through the nuVPN app. The service is currently available in early access. Commercial plans will be available soon.

Enabling nuVPN Home on your home computer

1
Make sure nuVPN Home is enabled for your account
nuVPN Home must be enabled for your nuVPN account. If it is not yet enabled, contact us.
2
Install the app on a computer at home
Choose a computer that stays on at home (Mac, Windows or Linux). Install the nuVPN app on it and sign in with your account.
3
Enable it on Mac or Windows
In the app menu, open nuVPN Home and select Enable on this computer. You may be asked to approve the action as a computer administrator.
4
Enable it on Linux
In the client area, under My Products, generate a one-time pairing code valid for 15 minutes. Then run sudo nuvpn node enable <PAIRING-CODE> on the computer. The command pairs the computer and enables nuVPN Home on it. nuVPN Home remains enabled after the computer restarts.

nuVPN Home can be active on one computer at a time. To move it to another computer, turn it off on the current computer first.

Inviting family members

Invite family members through the client area, under My Products, in the nuVPN Home card.

1
Invite by email
In the Family members section, enter the family member's email address and select Invite. You can invite up to 2 family members. Each can connect one device.
2
The family member signs in to the app
The family member installs the nuVPN app on their computer (Mac, Windows or Linux) and signs in with the email address you invited.
3
Confirm the connection
The app displays the prompt Connect this computer?. Select Connect, and the home appears in the app's connection list.

You can also connect your own additional computers to the home. Sign in to the app with your account, and it will offer to connect the computer.

The desktop apps (Mac, Windows and Linux) automatically prompt you to connect your computer to your home. You can also connect a phone to your home: contact us, and we’ll send you a signed nuVPN file or a QR code to add to the app on your phone.

Browsing through your home

When a family member connects to the home in the app, their traffic is encrypted as far as the home computer and reaches the internet from there. Websites and services see the home IP address, as if the family member were browsing from home.

From any network — Wi-Fi at a hotel or airport, or an internet connection abroad.
No access to the home network by default — Connected devices use the home IP address but cannot access other devices on the home network. You can enable this access in the client area using the Allow access to my home network (LAN) option.

Managing access

Manage access through the client area, under My Products, in the nuVPN Home card.

Who has connected a device

In the family member list, Connected appears next to anyone who has connected a device.

Removing a family member

Select Remove member. Their access is revoked, and their device disconnects from the home shortly afterward.

The home computer has moved to another network

If the home computer connects to another network, for example through a different router, traffic is paused until you approve the change in the client area using the Approve change button. No approval is needed when your internet provider changes the IP address on the same router.

The home computer is lost or stolen

Select Disable node remotely. All devices disconnect immediately, and the server is disabled. You can then enable nuVPN Home on another computer.

nuVPN Home Pro is coming soon and will add a static, reserved IP address to your home box. The address will remain yours as long as your subscription is active.

Troubleshooting

The app does not offer to connect the computer to the home

Make sure you signed in to the app with the email address that was invited. Also check that the home computer is on and nuVPN Home is enabled on it. A family member who has already connected one device will not be offered the option to connect another.

Family members cannot browse through the home

Check that the home computer is on and connected to the internet. Make sure the client area does not show a network change awaiting approval.

A message says nuVPN Home is active on another computer

Turn off nuVPN Home on the previous computer and try again. If you cannot access the previous computer, select Disable node remotely in the client area. Then enable nuVPN Home on the new computer.

Enabling nuVPN Home on Mac or Windows fails

Enabling nuVPN Home requires approval from a computer administrator. Approve the request when it appears and try again.

Support

Need help? Contact us and include the home computer's operating system.