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I'm thinking I want to set up a basic VPN so that I can connect to "strange" WiFi networks without great fear (my school's WiFi, mainly, since cell reception sucks there). Has anyone done this before and can you give me any advice? What do I need to know to do this?

I use a VPN so that I can stream content to my tablet or phone using VLC. Not a whole lot of people know this, but windows will let you configure your own VPN, you'll just need to forward the port in the router (And of course, have an actual username and password as your windows login).

Windows 7:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/210562/how_set_up_vpn_in_windows_7.html

Windows XP:

http://www.techrepublic.com/article...ws-xp-professional-to-be-a-vpn-server/1056227

GasBandit said:

I use a VPN so that I can stream content to my tablet or phone using VLC. Not a whole lot of people know this, but windows will let you configure your own VPN, you'll just need to forward the port in the router (And of course, have an actual username and password as your windows login).

Windows 7:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/210562/how_set_up_vpn_in_windows_7.html

Click to expand...

Those instructions seem incomplete. I still need to know how to connect my phone to the VPN, and there aren't any details I can see for that.

figmentPez said:

Those instructions seem incomplete. I still need to know how to connect my phone to the VPN, and there aren't any details I can see for that.

Click to expand...

Android or iPhone?

If it's Android, go to your settings menu, Wireless/Networks, VPN settings, add VPN, call it "home", type is PPTP, vpn server is your home IP address (I recommend dyndns.org for a domain name if you have a dynamic IP). The other options you leave blank/unchecked.

GasBandit said:

Android or iPhone?

Click to expand...

Android. I know where to go in the menus to enable a VPN, but I have no idea how to find out what address to put in.

figmentPez said:

Android. I know where to go in the menus to enable a VPN, but I have no idea how to find out what address to put in.

Click to expand...

See my edit I made while you posted. Your home IP address. I recommend you sign up at dyndns and get yourself a free name, that way you can just put in "figmentpez.dyndns.org" or somesuch and have it always resolve to whatever your home IP address happens to be at the moment.

GasBandit said:

See my edit I made while you posted. Your home IP address. I recommend you sign up at dyndns and get yourself a free name, that way you can just put in "figmentpez.dyndns.org" or somesuch and have it always resolve to whatever your home IP address happens to be at the moment.

Click to expand...

Is there a free option? I'm not seeing one. And Google search seems to indicate that the only way to still get a free account with them is by jumping through hoops.

Ah, so it seems. Bummer that they decided to do what they've done.

In any case, try http://www.noip.com/

They still have a free option. So long as you load their ip updater app on one of the machines in your house, you shouldn't have to worry about the 30 day reactivation thing.

GasBandit said:

you'll just need to forward the port in the router

Click to expand...

What port would that be?

figmentPez said:

What port would that be?

Click to expand...

1723.

Ports are forwarded, and http://www.canyouseeme.org/ says port 1723 is working now, but all I'm getting are timeouts.

Name:
<Computer Name>

Type:
PPTP

Server Address
<blah>.no-ip.biz

PPP Encryption (MPPE) is checked

No advanced options used.

Username and password are my login and password for Windows, right? What am I doing wrong?[DOUBLEPOST=1367963776][/DOUBLEPOST]My netbook, running WinXP can't connect to the VPN either.

Uncheck PPP encryption, on your phone.

edit - hmm, I'm only personally familiar with setting it up on XP, so you might have to hunt a bit in 7, but make sure that under your incoming connection properties that your particular username is checked as being enabled for vpn.

GasBandit said:

Uncheck PPP encryption, on your phone.

Click to expand...

No dice.

edit - hmm, I'm only personally familiar with setting it up on XP, so you might have to hunt a bit in 7, but make sure that under your incoming connection properties that your particular username is checked as being enabled for vpn.

Click to expand...

Yes, my username is checked.

Here are the XP vpn server settings that work for me, you might have to find their equivalents in 7 under "incoming connection"

GasBandit said:

Here are the XP vpn server settings that work for me, you might have to find their equivalents in 7 under "incoming connection"

Click to expand...

All my settings match those, and I'm not having any luck.[DOUBLEPOST=1367966725][/DOUBLEPOST]Okay, it started working when I disabled WiFi on my phone. Apparently it wouldn't let me connect when I was on the same network, but worked just fine as soon as I was actually coming in from outside. DOH!

figmentPez said:

All my settings match those, and I'm not having any luck.[DOUBLEPOST=1367966725][/DOUBLEPOST]Okay, it started working when I disabled WiFi on my phone. Apparently it wouldn't let me connect when I was on the same network, but worked just fine as soon as I was actually coming in from outside. DOH!

Click to expand...

... I've never tried to VPN into a network from inside that network, but it just seems to me that it's something that's a bad idea.[DOUBLEPOST=1367967708][/DOUBLEPOST]Ok, now get an app called "VPN show" on your phone. All it does is make it so you can get into your VPN settings menu with one touch. This way you can quickly connect to and disconnect from your VPN.

Yes. You can't connect to your VPN from inside the perimeter. You should only be trying to do so from the outside. Otherwise the routing gets totally screwed up and won't connect.

I've done it before, but it took a bit of work to get set up. It really is as simple as getting the port opened up and then the authentication sorted, the trouble is that these two steps themselves often aren't very simple.

--Patrick

Now that I've got this sorted out, it's relatively safe to connect to my school's unencrypted WiFi, right?

Should be, but your download speed will be limited to whatever your household upload speed is.

GasBandit said:

Should be, but your download speed will be limited to whatever your household upload speed is.

Click to expand...

I'll probably be more limited by the shared WiFi, but I don't really care about speed. I'm just hoping it'll be a more reliable connection than sticking to cellular data.