Set up VPN using a router.
Simply put, a virtual private network (VPN) is a private network that uses the Internet for communication to save companies money on their data needs. VPNs can be imagined as a tunnel between a computer's remote desktop and a company's network on the Internet. The tunnels are encrypted for private data transmission and can be accessed only through decryption of the encryption. In VPN, tunneling protocols must be used. The tunnel's end point is the remote desktop, and the virtual network literally acts as two network interface cards (NICs) wired together.
Instructions
Determine Specifics
1. Open your Internet browser. In the address bar type "http://192.168.1.1", which is the Linksys router's default IP address. Type the user name and password for the router. After the authentication process is complete, the router's Web page will appear.
2. Click "Status" on the setup page to access the router's status page. There are two tabs at the top of the page. The first one is the "Gateway" tab, and the second is the "Local Network" tab. From the Gateway tab, write down the Gateway IP address that shows next to Internet IP Address Lease. Click the "Local Network" tab, and write down the LAN IP address that shows next to IP Address.
3. Determine which tunnel name will be used: Authentication or Encryption method. For Authentication, there are three choices: Disabled, MD 5 and SHA. For Encryption, there are also three choices: Disabled, DES and 3 DES.
Set Up the Network
4. Click "Security" on the Linksys router Web page. Click "VPN." In the "VPN Pass-Through" section, enable both "IPSec Pass-Through" and "PPTP Pass-Through."
5. Go to the "VPN Tunnel" section. Set "Select Tunnel Entry" to "Tunnel 1," "VPN Tunnel" to "Enabled," and "Tunnel Name" to "Preferred tunnel name of choice." In the "Local Secure Group" section, select "subnet" from the drop-down list. In the "IP," type the IP address or range of IP addresses that will access the VPN. In the "Mask" number, type the mask that corresponds to the IP address entered. Set the "Remote Security Gateway" to "any" if access to VPN will be allowed for any user who has a pre-shared key, or select an IP address or a range of IP addresses for the "Remote Security Gateway" group.
6. Select "DES" or "3DES" from the Encryption drop-down list. It is not recommended to disable encryption. "DES" is not recommended either because it can't stand a brute force attack. From the Authentication drop-down list, select either "MD 5" or "SHA."
7. Select "Auto (IKE)" from the Key Management drop-down list. Enable "PFS." Set the Preshared Key to the password that will be used to access the "VPN." This is the most important security piece of information for the VPN. Enter the Key Lifetime, and set it to "3600" seconds.
8. Click "Save Settings" and then "Connect."
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