PPTP VPN Server Set Up
How to Create Simple VPN in Windows 8! First we show you how to set up the server computer that will receive the PPTP VPN connection.
1. From the Windows 8 VPN server PC, press the <Windows Button> key and type in ncpa.cpl <Enter> to bring up the Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center window.
2. Then press the <Alt> key and click on “File” you will see a menu pop up. Click on “New Incoming Connection…”
3. You should see some user names for that computer. Put a check mark for the user you want to give VPN access to. It is this user/password combination that will be used to authenticate the VPN connection. Then click on “Next”.
4. You will see this window pop up. Make sure there is a check mark beside “Through the Internet”. Click “Next”
5. The next window that pops up confirms that you will use the Internet Protocol to make this connection. Set a check mark for “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)”. Click on “Next”.
6. Finally, Take note of the computer name that shows up in the next window. Write it down somewhere. You will need it later.
VPN Router Set Up
Now let’s set up the router for the VPN. You will need the user name and ID to log in to the router. Hopefully you have that written somewhere. The router needs to be configured because routers and firewalls don’t normally allow any traffic to come in from the Internet. We need to make an exception for the router to let the VPN connection come into your network. We also need to tell it to send that incoming connection to the VPN Windows server.
1. In the icon tray on the server PC, find network icon. It will either look like this if you are using a WiFi connection or it will look like a small computer and plug if you have a wired connection. Right click the network connection icon.
2. Click on “Open Network and Sharing Center” to see the next window.
.3. Click on the network icon.
4. The next window will pop up. Now click on “Details…” to find the server’s IP address.
5. The IP address of the server is shown in this window. Write it down. You will need it later. Close that window and all others.
6. Next we log in to the VPN router using a browser. Connect to it using its address (which usually ends with a “1”) and username/password. All routers are different. So yours may look a bit different than mine. Usually the first screen shows the “Internet IP address”. It will NOT start with 192, 172, or 10. Write it down. You will need it later.
7. There should be another screen in the router for “gaming”. Find that screen and look for “port range forwarding” or something like that. In that screen enter “1723” for both port numbers. Use “both” for protocols. And type in the IP address you gout in Server step 6. Make sure you save everything. You can now close your browser.
PPTP VPN Client Set Up
The client is the “away” Windows computer. The client PPTP VPN set up is very simple. You just need to tell it how to find to the server by giving it the Windows VPN server IP address.
1. First RIGHT click on the network icon in the icon tray.
2. The following menu will appear. Select “Open Network and Sharing Center” just like you did with the VPN server PC.
3. Now select “Setup a new connection or network”.
4. On the next screen click on “Connect to a workplace”.
5. Then select “No, create a new connection”.
6. Select “Use my Internet connection (VPN)”.
7. Now type in the IP address you got from the router in PPTP VPN Router in step 7. Then type in any name you want for the connection. And we are done.
VPN Connection
Now let’s see if the VPN connection works.
1. From the client PC, LEFT click on the network icon.
2. The following charms menu will show up. Now click on the VPN name you created under Client step 7. And click on “Connect”.
After a moment you will be prompted for the username and password you selected in VPN Server step 3. Once entered you will be connected to the remote network, and should be able to access PCs or a NAS on your home network, map network drives, connect to your Windows HomeGroup, or get music from your media server.
