Advice on VPN Clients

[ComputerQuestio]

Does anyone know of any good and reputable Virtual Private Networks (VPN) out there?

I'm looking for something that could connect all of my Internet connections, not just web browsers, but also email, Windows Live Messenger, Rhapsody subscription, automatic live updates for my Internet Security Suite. I'm looking for something that will also provide security, because I've heard that some services may have issues where hackers can get into your stuff.

Thanks for any advice you may have

[yawningdog]

I use the built in Microsoft VPN which I find works quite well, but youi need server software to run it. I also use a Cisco-based VPN at work, but again that requires vendor-specific hardware and software.

Perhaps if you describe your network in greater detail, better assistance will be forthcoming.

[ComputerQuestio]

My wireless connection is with a Broadcom 802.11g Network Adpater.

I'm looking into using a VPN for two places:

1. I've heard that when you're using a public Wi-Fi spot or other location where the connection is broadcast and not security-enabled, it may be a good idea to connect through a VPN so that nearby hackers can't steal your Internet data.

2. At my apartment, I'm on a non-broadcast security enabled WEP wireless connection. The company that they use as the ISP is MSN Quest. There is an individual router with it's own SSID for every 2 apartments. All of the individual routers are connected together through (all I can guess is a larger router for the apartment complex). A VPN could make it so I have more privacy, such as privacy from apartment managers who never made and shared a policy when I moved in. Just as long as one doesn't do anything illegal, one should be able to sleep knowing he has privacy from curious eyes.

I'm not as knowledgeable about networks, so let me know if there are any specifics that are needed.

[yawningdog]

OK, that's a start. If you want to access resources on your home pc from a remote location, there are many solutions available to you. But pretty much all of them require that you are able to configure the router at your place.

I found this link...
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Security-Related/Steganos-Secure-VPN.shtml
to a free vpn suite, but I've never used it and cannot speak to its effectiveness. There are many out there and softpedia.com is always a good place to look for free software.

Just as a heads up, there will be a learning curve. Setting up a vpn isn't exactly a point-and-click endeavor. When you decide what software you want to use, re-post whatever questions you come up with a we can go from there.

[Variable]

A VPN is not going to work. A vpn is a point to point connection or tunnel between two points. Since you cannot do this for the entire internet, your only choice is to make a point to point connection to something that will encrypt your outgoing traffic from that point on, to wherever you go on the web. The closest thing I can think of is anonymizer.com. You need a proxy not a vpn.

[ComputerQuestio]

I was reading an article on wireless security at CNet.com. It said:

"If you’re a telecommuter or business traveler connecting to the office LAN, use a virtual private network (VPN), which encrypts your data and routes it via a private tunnel over the public Internet."

I've heard from other places saying that if you use the Internet at a public hotspot or other risky place, use a VPN to connect to a certain server that you've subscribed to. Then have that server connect you to the Internet from there, to lessen the chances of some hacker reading your material before it makes it that far, since it'll be encrypted on it's way to the server through your VPN.

Does anyone know if you could get it to work if it's done that way? If so, are there various ways to set up a server outside of your apartment complex, or one that you could subscribe to online, that would would allow you to connect through a VPN to encrypt all of your incoming/outgoing Internet traffic from your PC?

[yawningdog]

You can set up a VPN to your home computer and route all of your IP traffic through an encrypted tunnel, but the server side software tends to be expensive. (Windows server suites have it, but the desktop OSs by Microsoft only have the client.) iPig is a free download VPN server, you might try that.

The link I previously posted is a VPN hosting service. I fyou have the service, then you establish your VPN with them and route all of your IP traffic through their server, not your own.

[Variable]

That is just a encrypted proxy service, look at http://www.anonymizer.com/
They have been around a long time. I used the service for several years.

[ComputerQuestio]

I downloaded Steganos Secure VPN, although with trouble because it was over ftp and apartment management has blocked that off. Aparently Steganos needs an activation number or it won't work, which costs $299.95. The trial version requires you to put in a company name and then they'll get back with you in a few days; since I'm at a private residence, I didn't think that was going to work, nor be a solution long term.

I downloaded iPig and signed up for their free server to route all of one's Internet activity through. I was wondering if there are any tests that you can do to verify that it's actually doing what the Internet site claims it does? I was wondering about ways of verification before the next time I catch a public Wi-Fi to my laptop.

I tried proxify.com and anonymouse.org as anonymizers, which work well (at least I think) for regular browsing but won't do email or video streaming.

[yawningdog]

Start a packet analyzer like wireshark and try to pull down your outgoing packets, preferrably on another computer. They should be encrypted.