How to Setup a Windows 10 VPN Private Network on Your Windows 10 Computer

For those of you who use a Windows 10 computer at home and work, you may be aware that the operating system provides numerous features that make it a useful tool in both your personal and professional lives. One such feature is the VPN (Virtual Private Network) client. While the VPN client offers numerous features designed to make connecting to a VPN server more convenient, it also comes with some features that may surprise you.

In this article, we will discuss some of the features of the VPN client that you may not have known existed. We will also cover some basics, such as how to set up a VPN, which you may find useful in setting up your own personal or commercial VPN.

Useful Features In The VPN Client For Those Of You Who Use Windows 10

One of the useful features in the Windows 10 VPN client is the ability to create secure connections and PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) tunnels. Let’s discuss how you may make use of these features.

Secure Connections

The VPN client allows you to create secure connections to ensure that your data is encrypted and secure while being transmitted over the internet. You can do this using the IPSec (IKEv2) or SSA (Secure Socket Annealing) algorithms. You may select between them when you create a new connection.

PPTP Tunnels

As the name suggests, the PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) tunnel allows you to create point-to-point connections between your computer and a remote VPN server. What this means is that you can establish a private network within your own home or small business that only you can access. While the PPTP tunnel is very useful, it has one major limitation which you need to be aware of – the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) size. The VPN client only allows data of a certain size to be transmitted successfully over the PPTP tunnel. To find out what this size is, you need to refer to your router’s documentation. If you are not sure what MTU is or why it is important, you may want to research it before continuing with this article. For more information, you may contact your router’s technical support department. It is also advisable to consult the VPN provider’s documentation to find out the exact limits of the MTU size for their specific protocol.

L2TP/IPSec Rev 1 VPN

The IPSec (IKEv2) algorithm is often referred to as the successor of the classic IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) algorithm. The IPSec algorithm is still widely used and is supported by numerous VPN providers, such as Hotspot Shield, Mullvad, TorGuard, and others.

The biggest advantage of using the IPSec algorithm is that it offers better performance when compared to the older IPSec algorithm. This is mainly because the older version had to process all of the data in chunks of 256 bytes while the newer version can process data in large blocks of up to 8 kilobytes. This allows the IPSec v1 algorithm to work faster when compared to the previous version. Many VPN providers, including the ones listed above, continue to support the IPSec v2 algorithm as well and will work fine with Windows 10.

SOCKS

SOCKS is an acronym for the ‘Secure, Open, and Standardized Communication Network Protocol.’ What this means in plain English is that the SOCKS protocol is a means of communication that allows for better performance when compared to other VPN protocols due to its streamlined design. This protocol is also easier to install and use than some of the other protocols. For example, to install the SOCKS protocol on Windows 10, all you need to do is download and run the provided.exe file. To do this, click the Windows button, type in cmd, and then press enter. From here, you should see a message asking you to run the program “Secure Sockets Layer” or “SSL.” If you see this message, congratulations! You have successfully installed the SOCKS proxy. To prevent potential problems, you should make sure that your firewall is allowing traffic through to the SOCKS server. If you are using Windows Defender, make sure that its “firewall exceptions” setting is configured properly so that all traffic from the network is allowed through. If this is done correctly, you should see an SSL tab (in the Windows Defender overview window) that shows all of the exceptions configured for the system. You may also want to consult the SOCKS documentation to learn more about how this technology works.

HTTP/HTTPS Proxy

If you are using a public WiFi hotspot at the coffee shop or airport, you may have noticed that some websites will not open or function correctly. This is because a third-party, such as a WiFi hotspot provider, may use a proxy to prevent users from accessing certain content (e.g., pornography, or other inappropriate or harmful content).

However, you can use this exact same feature on your Windows 10 computer to allow specific websites or online services that you want to access through a VPN. In this case, you would need to configure your Windows 10 Internet settings to use a proxy server. To do this, click the Windows button, type in network settings, and then press enter. From here, click the Advanced Options button (located at the bottom of the window) and then select “Proxies” from the list of options. If you are using Windows 10 Enterprise, the “Proxies” setting will already be selected for you.

Split Tunneling And IPsec Policy Rules

Some of you may be familiar with the terms ‘split tunneling’ and ‘policy-based routing’ and how they work together. This is a popular feature in the BitTorrent application, used for downloading and sharing large files. What this means in plain English is that you can have different policies for different networks or computers you connect to. This gives you the ability to have a private network, or LAN (Local Area Network), within your own home or small business. For example, you may have one network for computer to computer communication and a private network for online gaming or other internet activities that may be prohibited by your school or workplace. To set this feature up on your Windows 10 computer, you need to go to network settings, then select the IPV4 settings, and finally click on the ‘Properties’ button (next to the IP address). From here, you can create a new group or sub-group, give it a name, and select the type of policy you would like to use – either “No Policy” or “Policy Based Routing” (which can be set as either “Authorized” or “Denied”).

As you may imagine, setting up a VPN on a Windows 10 computer can be fairly easy if you know where to look. The above features may seem useful to those of you who use a Windows 10 computer, especially since many of the features were made available with the operating system’s public launch. However, you should always use caution when using a publicly accessible network through a Wi-Fi hotspot. This is because, as mentioned above, some public hotspots may block certain content or services completely. Therefore, as a general rule, you should only use a VPN when you are connected to a private network or server otherwise you may face the consequences.