Virtual Private Networking (VPN) is normally used for large corporate networks, but home routers manufactured by Linksys give home users a way to connect to their network remotely. Linksys routers come with a user interface that is accessible through a web browser navigating to the IP of the router. Configuring VPN on a Linksys takes only a few steps.
Step 1
Open your browser and type the IP of the Linksys router in the address bar. The software prompts you for a username and password.
Step 2
Click the "Security" tab and select "VPN."
Step 3
Select "IPSec VPN Tunnel" from the "Tunnel Entry" listbox.
Step 4
Enter the tunnel name in the textbox. This can be any name you wish that is recognizable to you.
Step 5
Select "Subnet" from the listbox in the "Local Secure Group" section. Enter the internal IP address. Typical internal, small home networks are 192.168.0.1 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.
Step 6
Select "Subnet" from the listbox in the "Remote Secure Group" section. Enter the IP address of the gateway. Typical internal, small home networks use192.168.2.0 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.
Step 7
Select "IP Address" in the section labeled "Remote Secure Gateway." This is the remote gateway of the host provider for your DSL.
Step 8
Select "Auto (IKE)" under the "Key Management" section.
Step 9
Select "3DES" in the section labeled "Encryption" and "SHA1" for "Authentication."
Step 10
Ensure that "PFS (Perfect Forward Secrecy)" is enabled and enter the pre-shared key password. This is any password you prefer to use. Enter a lifetime value in milliseconds.
Step 11
Click "Save Settings" and close the browser.