The Freedom Tunnel: Cloud Deployment Guide

This guide will walk you through deploying your own private, USA-based Virtual Private Server (VPS) to securely route your connection and bypass current geographic restrictions.

We will be using DigitalOcean (a reputable USA cloud provider) and their official OpenVPN application. Please follow these instructions exactly to ensure you select the correct, low-cost server.

Step 1: Deploy the Server (The Bare Minimum Setup)

1. Go to DigitalOcean.com using this exact link to create your account and add your payment method. (Tip: This is my personal referral link. If you use it, DigitalOcean will give you a large introductory free credit—meaning your Freedom Tunnel will likely cost you absolutely nothing for the first 60 days!)
   (Please note: Because DigitalOcean is a separate company, I cannot provide technical support for their account creation or billing. If you run into issues signing up, please contact DigitalOcean Support directly).
   
   
2. Once logged in, look near the top of your dashboard for a green "Create" button. Click it and select Droplets (this is their word for a cloud server).
3. Choose Region: This is the first section on the page. You MUST select a location inside the United States (e.g., New York, San Francisco, Chicago, or Atlanta).
4. Choose an Image: Click the Marketplace tab in this section. Search for OpenVPN Access Server and select it.
5. Choose Size: Scroll down to this section to select the absolute cheapest option allowed for this software:
   • Click the Shared CPU tab.
   • Click the Basic option.
   • For the CPU type, you must explicitly click either Premium AMD or Premium Intel (there is no default option selected).
   • Look at the pricing boxes and select the lowest tier available: $7.00/mo (AMD) or $8.00/mo (Intel) for 1GB RAM. (Note: I have personally tested this entire setup using the Intel option, and I can confirm it works perfectly. Either choice is completely fine). Do not select anything more expensive; this minimum tier is more than enough for our Freedom Tunnel.
6. Authentication: Scroll down and select Password. Click inside the password box and let your web browser (Safari, Edge, or Chrome) automatically suggest and save a strong password for you. Click the eyeball icon next to the password box to reveal the password your browser chose. Write this down exactly as shown; you will need to manually type it in a minute. (Note: If your browser asks you for a "username" to save with this password, type root).
7. Recommended Options: You will see a checkbox suggesting you "Add improved metrics monitoring and alerting (free)." Leave this box unchecked. You do not need this feature, and skipping it keeps your server running faster.
8. Finalize Details: Scroll to the bottom of the page to finalize your setup:
   • Quantity: Leave this at exactly 1 Droplet.
   • Hostname: Delete the long, confusing string of random text in this box. Type in a simple nickname so you can easily identify this server later, such as freedom-tunnel or your business name.
   • Tags: You can leave this completely blank.
9. Click the big Create Droplet button at the very bottom.

Step 2: The Initial Configuration (30 Seconds)

DigitalOcean takes about 2 minutes to build the server. Once the progress bar finishes, you will see a success screen listing your Droplet's name and its IP Address.

1. Click the More dropdown next to your server and select Access console. (Alternatively, click the name of your server, which will open a new page where the "Console" button is located in the top right).
2. A screen titled "Droplet Console" will appear asking who to "Log in as...". This box should already be pre-filled with the word root. Leave it exactly as is and click the Launch Droplet Console button.
3. A black terminal window will open and automatically log you into the server. Before the main setup starts, it will ask you to agree to the software license with the prompt: Please enter 'yes' to indicate your agreement [no]:. Type the word yes and press Enter.
4. The OpenVPN setup wizard will immediately begin asking you a series of configuration questions (such as "Will this be the primary Access Server node?"). Just press the ENTER key for every single question to accept the defaults.
5. At the very end of the questions, the screen will process for a moment and then print out an Admin UI URL and a Client UI URL (it will look like https://129.212.x.x:943/), along with an automatically generated password for the openvpn user. Keep this window open!

Step 3: Connect to the Tunnel

Now that the server is running, you just need to download your custom app.

1. Open a new tab in your web browser and type in the Client UI URL you got from the terminal.
2. Important Security Warning: Your browser will likely show a warning saying "Your connection is not private." This is completely normal because you just created this server and it doesn't have a registered domain name yet. Click Advanced and then Proceed to [Your IP Address] (unsafe).
3. Log in using the username openvpn and the password the terminal generated for you.
4. Click the icon for your operating system to download the OpenVPN Connect client. Windows users can simply click the Windows icon. Mac users will see two options: choose arm64 if you have a newer Mac with an Apple Silicon chip (M1, M2, M3, etc.), or choose x86 if you have an older Mac with an Intel processor. (Tip: Click the Apple Logo in the top left of your screen > "About This Mac" to see which chip you have).
5. Install the app by following the on-screen prompts. (Note: If your Mac asks if you want to move the "OpenVPN Connect" Installer to the Trash after it finishes, you can safely click Move to Trash).
6. Launch the App: The installer will close quietly, and the app will not open on its own. (Note: If you already had OpenVPN installed for work or another service, it will simply update your existing app. You will not have two versions).
   • Mac Users: You might see a notification about "App Background Activity"—you can safely dismiss or ignore this. To open the app, click the Finder icon (the smiling two-toned face in your Dock), click Applications in the left sidebar, scroll down to find OpenVPN Connect, and double-click it.
   • Windows Users: Click your Start button, search for OpenVPN Connect, and click it to open.
7. Connect to Your Tunnel: Because you downloaded the app directly from your own server, your new profile is already pre-configured. Agree to any terms, click through the short welcome tutorial if it appears, and look at your list of connection profiles.
   • Find the profile named after your new server's IP address (it will look like openvpn@129.212.x.x [bundled]).
   • The [bundled] tag simply means the app automatically imported your specific server settings. The IP address shown should perfectly match your server's IP.
   • Click the toggle switch next to it to connect.
   • Important: When it asks for a password, type in the auto-generated password that the black terminal window gave you at the very end of Step 2. (Do not type the root password you created in Step 1).

Step 4: Verify and Claim Your Reward

Now that your Freedom Tunnel is active, let's prove it works.

1. Open your web browser and go to https://whatismyipaddress.com/. Verify that your IP location now shows as being inside the United States (e.g., Atlanta, New York, etc.).
2. Next, go to findlotsize.com or davidgrossapps.com to verify the access block is lifted.
3. Take a screenshot showing your OpenVPN app is connected AND that you can see the website.
4. Email this screenshot to davidgrossapps@gmail.com along with a brief introduction.

I will manually verify your setup and drop 100 free Find Lot Size credits into your account to thank you for your effort and continued support.

Step 5: Your Daily Workflow

The hard part is officially over! You never have to log back into DigitalOcean or use the black terminal window again. From now on, everything is controlled directly from the OpenVPN Connect app on your computer.

• Starting Your Work Day: Open the OpenVPN Connect app, click the toggle switch to connect, and optionally check your IP on whatismyipaddress.com. Open your browser and get to work!
• Pausing for a Lunch Break: You can safely leave the VPN connected while you step away. If you need to access local sites (like a local bank), open the app and click the toggle to disconnect. When your break is over, click the toggle to reconnect.
• Logging Off for the Day: When finished, open the OpenVPN app and click the toggle to disconnect. You can safely close the app. Important: Do not go back to DigitalOcean to delete your Droplet. Leave the server running in the cloud so it is ready for you tomorrow.

Step 6: Disaster Recovery (New Computer or Deleted App)

If you buy a new computer, reformat your hard drive, or accidentally uninstall the OpenVPN Connect app, do not panic. Your Freedom Tunnel server is still running perfectly fine in the cloud. You do not need to rebuild the server or create a new Droplet.

1. Find the Client UI URL (https://[Your-IP-Address]:943/) and the auto-generated password you wrote down at the end of Step 2.
2. Open that URL in your web browser (remember to click Advanced -> Proceed past the security warning).
3. Log in using the username openvpn and your saved password.
4. Download the OpenVPN Connect app for your operating system and install it just like you did the first time. The app will automatically bundle your connection profile again.

(Note: If you completely lost your IP address or that auto-generated password, you will need to log back into your DigitalOcean.com account, click the Console button for your Droplet, and type passwd openvpn to generate a new password).

Step 7: How to Cancel and Stop Billing

If you finish your project and decide you no longer need the Freedom Tunnel, you must actively destroy the server to stop the $7.00/month charge. Simply deleting the OpenVPN app from your computer does NOT stop the billing.

1. Log back into your account at DigitalOcean.com.
2. On your main dashboard, click on the name of your server (e.g., freedom-tunnel).
3. On the left-hand menu, click Destroy.
4. Scroll down to the "Destroy Droplet" section and click the big red Destroy this Droplet button.
5. A confirmation window will pop up asking you to type the name of the Droplet to confirm. Type the name exactly as shown, and click Destroy.

Once the progress bar finishes, the server is permanently erased, the billing stops instantly, and your Freedom Tunnel is closed.

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