Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) aren't just for corporate networks. You can setup your own VPN sever in your home or small office. Use it to securely connect to your network when away to get access to your network shares and computers. You might also find it useful when on public networks or Wi-Fi hotspots, to secure your traffic from local eavesdroppers.
One way to quickly setup a simple VPN server is to load DD-WRT onto your router, if it's compatible. DD-WRT is a firmware replacement. It replaces the factory brains of your router, giving it a new control panel with more features, such as a VPN server.
In this article, we'll go through the process of setting up the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) VPN feature of DD-WRT. It's no secret that PPTP has vulnerabilities like many other computing protocols, however sometimes taking some risks is acceptable. In addition to being easier to configure and manage, PPTP is already supported in Windows.
To get started, login to the Web-based control panel.
Type the default IP address of 192.168.1.1 into a web browser.
The first time accessing the router, you'll be prompted to create a username and password.
Click the Services tab and choose the PPTP sub-tab.
In the PPTP Server area, select Enable.
Then input the IP address of the router (192.168.1.1) for the Server IP.
For the Client IP(s), input a single address if you're the only user. If there's more than one user, you can specify a range. You should choose an address or range that doesn't conflict with the router's IP and client IPs (192.168.1.50 – 192.168.1.10). Make sure you specify ranges with the shorter format; don't include the whole address for the ending IP.
The CHAP-Secrets textbox is where you specify the usernames and passwords. Be sure to input them in the special format: username, space, asterisk, space, password, space, and asterisk.
Here's an example:
aviity * aviitypassword *
blogger * bloggerpassword *
If you're running a RADIUS/AAA server, you can optionally authenticate VPN users against it by enabling RADIUS and inputing your server details.
When you're all done, click Apply Settings, which will save and then apply the changes.
One way to quickly setup a simple VPN server is to load DD-WRT onto your router, if it's compatible. DD-WRT is a firmware replacement. It replaces the factory brains of your router, giving it a new control panel with more features, such as a VPN server.
In this article, we'll go through the process of setting up the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) VPN feature of DD-WRT. It's no secret that PPTP has vulnerabilities like many other computing protocols, however sometimes taking some risks is acceptable. In addition to being easier to configure and manage, PPTP is already supported in Windows.
To get started, login to the Web-based control panel.
Type the default IP address of 192.168.1.1 into a web browser.
The first time accessing the router, you'll be prompted to create a username and password.
Click the Services tab and choose the PPTP sub-tab.
In the PPTP Server area, select Enable.
Then input the IP address of the router (192.168.1.1) for the Server IP.
For the Client IP(s), input a single address if you're the only user. If there's more than one user, you can specify a range. You should choose an address or range that doesn't conflict with the router's IP and client IPs (192.168.1.50 – 192.168.1.10). Make sure you specify ranges with the shorter format; don't include the whole address for the ending IP.
The CHAP-Secrets textbox is where you specify the usernames and passwords. Be sure to input them in the special format: username, space, asterisk, space, password, space, and asterisk.
Here's an example:
aviity * aviitypassword *
blogger * bloggerpassword *
If you're running a RADIUS/AAA server, you can optionally authenticate VPN users against it by enabling RADIUS and inputing your server details.
When you're all done, click Apply Settings, which will save and then apply the changes.
