Windows Vista®: Home Networking

Create a Virtual Private Network

You can connect to a computer on your network by dialing into it or by connecting to it via the Internet. The latter is preferable for many reasons, mostly because dialing is "old school" (slow) and requires that both PCs have a phone line connected to it. When you connect to a remote PC using the Internet, you can connect to your host PC, without the need for a long-distance provider or telephone line, making access more widely available.

One way to connect through the Internet is to connect using a virtual private network (VPN). With a VPN, the host and remote computers can connect to the Internet however they want by using Wi-Fi, broadband, a cable modem, or even dial-up. The downside of VPNs, if there is one, ...