VPN from home router?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Victek
  • Start date Start date
V

Victek

Are there routers that make it possible to connect from a remote location
(e.g. open Wi-Fi somewhere) via VPN without my home PC being ON? TIA
 
Victek said:
Are there routers that make it possible to connect from a remote location
(e.g. open Wi-Fi somewhere) via VPN without my home PC being ON? TIA
Click to expand...


Now why would you want to connect just to the router in your home from a
remote location WITHOUT your home PC being on? Surely the whole point is to
connect to and work on your home PC....
 
Victek said:
Are there routers that make it possible to connect from a remote
location (e.g. open Wi-Fi somewhere) via VPN without my home PC
being ON? TIA
Click to expand...

Yes there are. I have used Cyberguard (formerly Snapgear) routers
that have this ability, I'm sure there are others. I know that 3rd
party firmware is available for some Linksys routers that gives them
this ability.

--
Zaphod

Arthur: All my life I've had this strange feeling that there's
something big and sinister going on in the world.
Slartibartfast: No, that's perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the
universe gets that.
 
Zaphod Beeblebrox said:
Yes there are. I have used Cyberguard (formerly Snapgear) routers that
have this ability, I'm sure there are others. I know that 3rd party
firmware is available for some Linksys routers that gives them this
ability.
Click to expand...

But why would anyone want to just connect to the ROUTER?
 
Gordon said:
But why would anyone want to just connect to the ROUTER?
Click to expand...
In my world, it was because we had non-PC ethernet devices that we
needed to be able to establish a connection to for monitoring and
configuration. The only things that came to my mind in the consumer
realm would be to be able to send a WOL packet to wake up a sleeping
PC so you could then access it (save electricity to not have it
running all the time), or maybe to connect to an IP-based security
camera on the other side of the router.
 
Victek said:
Now why would you want to connect just to the router in your home from a
remote location WITHOUT your home PC being on? Surely the whole point is
to connect to and work on your home PC....
Click to expand...
..
I'm not needing to connect to my home PC. When I use my laptop to connect
to the Internet at an Open Wi-Fi hotspot I'd like to be able to use a VPN.
If I can connect securely to my router/LAN then I would have access to the
NET via my home ISP. I guess the router would be acting as a server. Do
they make such a thing?
 
Victek said:
.
I'm not needing to connect to my home PC. When I use my laptop to
connect to the Internet at an Open Wi-Fi hotspot I'd like to be able to
use a VPN. If I can connect securely to my router/LAN then I would have
access to the NET via my home ISP. I guess the router would be acting
as a server. Do they make such a thing?
Click to expand...

Eh?
If you are ALREADY connected to the internet why on EARTH would you then
want to VPN to your Router to err connect to the Internet?
If it's because you can't send emails from outside your ISP just change
the smtp server settings....
 
Gordon said:
Eh?
If you are ALREADY connected to the internet why on EARTH would you
then want to VPN to your Router to err connect to the Internet?
If it's because you can't send emails from outside your ISP just
change the smtp server settings....
Click to expand...

Seems like the OP doesn't trust the security of the hotspot connection
and wants to be able to keep others from being able to listen in on
his internet traffic. Can't say I blame him.

--
Zaphod

Arthur: All my life I've had this strange feeling that there's
something big and sinister going on in the world.
Slartibartfast: No, that's perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the
universe gets that.
 
I'm not needing to connect to my home PC. When I use my laptop to
Eh?
If you are ALREADY connected to the internet why on EARTH would you then
want to VPN to your Router to err connect to the Internet?
If it's because you can't send emails from outside your ISP just change
the smtp server settings....
Click to expand...
..
Because connecting via Open Wi-Fi is insecure. Using a VPN over the
wireless link to a wired network is safer. I currently use Hotspot Shield
which is a free VPN service. It does exactly the same thing, however they
put ads in the browser plus there is the matter of trusting them. I would
prefer to go through my home router and use my own ISP (since I'm already
trusting them). I believe I could do this by using my home PC as a gateway,
but I don't want to leave my home PC running all the time.
 
Victek said:
.
Because connecting via Open Wi-Fi is insecure.
Click to expand...

Insecure for what? If you have proper security on your laptop and don't
run as admin and have a good password and don't have any shared folders
I can't see a problem...
 
Gordon said:
Insecure for what? If you have proper security on your laptop and
don't run as admin and have a good password and don't have any
shared folders I can't see a problem...
Click to expand...

So you don't consider it a problem that everything you send and
receive through an open WiFi connection can be intercepted by anyone
that wants to do so? Proper security on the laptop, admin vs. limited
user logins, and shared folders don't even enter into the mix at that
point. You send it or receive it, anyone can intecept and read it.
Encryption of the traffic via a VPN or similar is the only method
available to the user of such a connection.

On a somewhat related note, Gordon, why do you spend so much effort
trying to convince people in these newsgroups that they don't want or
need to do what they are asking for help to accomplish? Certainly
there are times to give a word of advice against doing something, but
do that and then move on. You don't add anything constructive to the
discussion with the argumentative approach you take in so many posts
here.
--
Zaphod

Arthur: All my life I've had this strange feeling that there's
something big and sinister going on in the world.
Slartibartfast: No, that's perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the
universe gets that.
 
I'm not needing to connect to my home PC. When I use my laptop to
Insecure for what? If you have proper security on your laptop and don't
run as admin and have a good password and don't have any shared folders I
can't see a problem...
Click to expand...
..
What do you mean by proper security on a laptop? I understand the value of
strong passwords and Limited User Accounts, but what does that have to do
with transmitting data over open Wi-Fi?
 
Frankster said:
No.
Click to expand...

Yes.

Note the use of the term "safer", that is, more safe. It is "more
safe" to use a VPN to communicate across an untrusted network segment
such as an open WiFi connection than it is to communicate across that
network without one.
The point is that in order to enjoy the benefits of encrypted
communications, you have to VPN into your final destination. Not
simply some mid-point like your router. The final destination must
have a VPN server to accept your VPN client connection. Again, not
just some mid-point like your router. You're on the wrong tangent
here.
Click to expand...


That's simply not true. The benefit here is that the traffic across
the WiFi section of the network is now encrypted, making it more
difficult to listen in on communications on that part of the
connection. Had you said "... to enjoy the *full* benefits of
encrypted communications..." I would agree, but in this case there is
some benefit to the OP's approach.

--
Zaphod

Arthur: All my life I've had this strange feeling that there's
something big and sinister going on in the world.
Slartibartfast: No, that's perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the
universe gets that.
 
Frankster said:
1) I don't care if you agree.
Click to expand...
Right, that's sorted then.
2) Obtaining "some" benefit is an utter waste of time.
Click to expand...

Receiving only incremental security benefit from an infrastructure
change is an utter waste of time. Right, that's sorted as well.

Ta.
 
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