Access Olares services locally

Olares is designed to provide seamless access to your self-hosted services anytime, anywhere.

However, accessing your devices locally provides several advantages:

• Maximum performance: Transfer files at full speed without the latency and potential bottlenecks of the internet.
• Enhanced privacy: Keep your traffic contained within your home network for added security.
• Offline independence: Access your data and apps even when your internet service is unavailable.

Objectives

By the end of this tutorial, you will learn how to:

• Establish a secure, high-speed local connection using the LarePass VPN.
• Access Olares services using .local domains.
• Configure local DNS to allow standard URLs to resolve locally across your entire network.
• Manually map hosts files to ensure access on specific machines without internet.

Choose a connection method

There are four ways to establish a local connection:

• Method 1: Enable LarePass VPN
  Uses LarePass VPN to automatically detect your local network and optimize the connection speed without changing settings.
• Method 2: Use .local domain
  Access the device via a specific local URL format. No installation required.
• Method 3: Configure local DNS
  Updates your router or computer's DNS settings to map the standard Olares URL to the local IP address.
• Method 4: Modify hosts files
  Manually maps the standard Olares URL to the local IP on a single computer.

Method 1: Enable LarePass VPN

The LarePass VPN is designed to secure your connection while optimizing performance. When enabled, LarePass detects if you are on the same network as your device and switches to Intranet mode.

Always enable VPN for remote access

Keep LarePass VPN enabled. It automatically prioritizes the fastest available route to ensure you always get the best speed possible without manual switching.

iOS and macOS setup

On iOS or macOS, you may be prompted to add a VPN Configuration to your system settings the first time you enable the feature. Allow this to complete the setup.

Enable the LarePass VPN directly on the device you are currently using to access Olares.

Once enabled, check the status indicator in LarePass to verify the connection type:

Status	Description
Intranet	Direct connection via your local LAN IP. Fastest speeds.
P2P	Direct encrypted tunnel between devices. High speed.
DERP	Routed via a secure relay server. Used as a fallback.

Method 2: Use .local domain

If you prefer not to install additional apps, you can access services using the .local domain. There are two domain formats available depending on your operating system.

Use HTTP protocol

The .local domain does not support HTTPS. You must explicitly use http:// at the beginning of the URL.

Single-level domain (All operating systems)

Supported for community apps only

Olares system apps such as Desktop and Files do not support this URL format and will not load correctly.

This format uses a single-level domain by connecting the entrance ID and the username with hyphens (-).

• Default URL:

  https://<entrance_id>.<username>.olares.com

• Local-access URL:

  http://<entrance_id>-<username>-olares.local

Multi-level domain (macOS and iOS only)

Apple devices support local service discovery via Bonjour (zero‑configuration networking), which can resolve multi‑label domains under .local on macOS and iOS. This allows a local URL format that mirrors the remote address.

• Default URL:

  https://<entrance_id>.<username>.olares.com

• Local-access URL:

  http://<entrance_id>.<username>.olares.local

Method 3: Configure local DNS

For a seamless experience where standard URLs resolve to your local IP address automatically, you can configure your network DNS. This configuration ensures consistent access across all devices on the network without requiring individual client setup.

Find the internal IP for Olares device

To configure DNS, first you need to find the internal IP for your Olares device.

Configure DNS

With the internal IP address identified, you must now configure your DNS settings to route traffic correctly. You can apply this configuration to a single computer for individual access, or update your router to enable seamless local resolution for all devices on your network.

Once configured, you can access Olares using both your standard public address and your local address.

TIP

You can install AdGuard Home from the Olares Market to monitor traffic and manage DNS mappings graphically.

Method 4: Modify hosts files

If you cannot change router settings and need immediate offline access on a specific computer, you can manually map the domains in your hosts file.

1. Locate your hosts file:
   • Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
   • macOS/Linux: /etc/hosts
2. Open the file with a text editor, which requires Administrator privileges.
3. Add the mapping lines:

   # Replace with the actual internal IP and the username
   # Olares apps
   192.168.31.208  desktop.<username>.olares.com
   192.168.31.208  auth.<username>.olares.com
   192.168.31.208  files.<username>.olares.com
   192.168.31.208  market.<username>.olares.com
   192.168.31.208  settings.<username>.olares.com
   192.168.31.208  dashboard.<username>.olares.com
   192.168.31.208  control-hub.<username>.olares.com
   192.168.31.208  profile.<username>.olares.com
   192.168.31.208  vault.<username>.olares.com
   # Add other community apps as needed
   192.168.31.208  <entrance_id>.<username>.olares.com

4. Save the file to apply changes and ensure local access without an internet connection.

Verify the changes by checking the URL for quick loading or using the terminal:

ping desktop.<username>.olares.com

If the IP address starts with 192.168, it indicates successful configuration.

FAQs

Why doesn't LarePass VPN work on my Mac anymore?

If you successfully enabled the VPN previously, but it has stopped working, you might need to reset the system extension.

INFO

Depending on your macOS version, the UI might look slightly different.

1. Open System Settings, search for "Extension", and select Login Items & Extensions.
2. Scroll to the Network Extensions section and click the info icon (ⓘ) to view loaded extensions.
3. Find LarePass, click the three dots (...), and select Delete Extension.
4. Confirm the uninstallation.
5. Restart your Mac and re-enable the VPN in the LarePass desktop client.

Why can't I enable LarePass VPN on Windows?

Third-party antivirus software might mistakenly flag the LarePass desktop client as suspicious, preventing it from launching the VPN service.

If prompted by your antivirus when opening LarePass for the first time, allow the application to continue.

If the VPN still fails to enable:

1. Open your security software and check if LarePass was blocked.
2. Add the main LarePass executable to the allowlist or exclusions of your antivirus.
3. Restart LarePass and enable the VPN.

Why the .local domain does not work in Chrome (macOS)?

Chrome may fail to access local URLs if macOS blocks local network permissions. To enable access:

1. Open Apple menu and go to System Settings.

2. Go to Privacy & Security > Local Network.

3. Find Google Chrome and Google Chrome Helper in the list and enable the toggles.

4. Restart Chrome and try accessing the local URL again.

Why does the application fail to load in an iFrame when using a .local domain on Chrome (macOS)?

Chrome might default to HTTPS when using local domains, and you might see a "connection not secure" warning.

To address this, explicitly add the HTTP protocol (http://) to the beginning of the URL. This tells Chrome it's a local, non-encrypted connection, which is expected on your home network.