Networking help: Adding a wireless VPN router to my existing network

[Dreamerbydesign]

Greetings guys.

Looking to add a router loaded with my VPN client, to my existing network.

I currently have a wireless router that serves most of the house, as well as a wired network stemming from this router. This router handles the DHCP.

Want to add my new router with the VPN software setup. I connected a ethernet port from the existing main router, to the WAN port on the VPN router. It did not work.

I know it is probably something simple, I just have never tried to run multiple routers. I am NOT using the VPN router for wired connections. Only wireless.

Can someone help me out?

 

[Cmustang87]

What are you trying to do?

Have a router on your network that always connects to an offsite VPN connection through one of the various VPN providers?

If that's the case, a lot of home routers will get crippled because the encryption required for IPsec @ 128-bit or higher will usually cripple the CPU on these little boxes. Perhaps a little clarification so we can help - otherwise, this can get really messy with a limited skillset with routers.

 

[SamirD]

If I'm getting you right, you're trying to put your vpn router behind your main one. So I've had to do this a lot of times and the degree of success can vary wildly.

What's the model of your VPN router that you want to add?

Generally my approach will be to put the VPN router in the dmz of the main router, but a lot of times the main rouers won't allow full IPsec traffic for all the handshaking. Then you have to swap it around, making the VPN router the main router and your personal one hangs off of it (preferably in its own vlan). But if it's a company VPN box, you probalby won't be able to configure this.

 

[Dreamerbydesign]

I ended up figuring out the router with the vpn setup really could not handle the traffic. It was underpowered for the task and the speeds slowed once I had it all set up.

I am going to look into a Pfsense box at some point. Kind of roll my own router.

 

[Vengance_01]

If your just looking for vpn you deploy a low powered server and use an linux flavor and free open vpn server software and forward ports to expose this server to the public

 

[Dead Parrot]

Depending on the speed required, look at one of the used Juniper/Netscreen firewall appliances. Juniper SSG-5, Netscreen 5XP, 5XT. EOL for support from Juniper but the last time I looked the docs were available and they will do VPN. As others have said, getting a VPN tunnel to traverse the edge device can be tricky. Sometimes an undocumented feature will block part of the traffic.

 

[SamirD]

Depending on the speed required, look at one of the used Juniper/Netscreen firewall appliances. Juniper SSG-5, Netscreen 5XP, 5XT. EOL for support from Juniper but the last time I looked the docs were available and they will do VPN. As others have said, getting a VPN tunnel to traverse the edge device can be tricky. Sometimes an undocumented feature will block part of the traffic.

Wise words. The enterprise stuff is built for ipsec vpn tunnels, so they have the power needed for a home network, even if antiquated for the enterprise.