# Help : Connecting Office Computer via Internet using VPN



## gcbeldar (Jul 13, 2020)

I want to connecting office computer using wired internet connection, want to access Printer, Files on Drive from Laptop using mobile Internet (Jio Hotspot). 
Tried and connected ProtonVPN, but failed to access and configure lan with the laptop to print and access files on Office Computer.


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 15, 2020)

Unless you have access to your office network as admin it will not be possible.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 15, 2020)

Sir, After connecting Office and Laptop to VPN, getting to two different IP address, unable ping each other. Also, unable to find the "How to" with google.


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## rhitwick (Jul 15, 2020)

Until and Unless ur office expose them to Internet, you won't be able to.

Office network support team needs to create VPN and share the protocol/procedure with you.

You can't just connect by your own VPN as office network won't have information about this new VPN with it.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 15, 2020)

rhitwick said:


> Until and Unless ur office expose them to Internet, you won't be able to.
> 
> Office network support team needs to create VPN and share the protocol/procedure with you.
> 
> You can't just connect by your own VPN as office network won't have information about this new VPN with it.


Office consists of Only One Computers with BSNL internet connection


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 15, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> Office consists of Only One Computers with BSNL internet connection


Explain clearly. Where is office(in same city/other city), who manages office network, what pc you are using at home, what vpn protocol is being used on office pc & your pc etc.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 16, 2020)

Sir, 
In Office : 
1.  One Computer, with Win10 Pro, HP 1020 scanner etc connected with BSNL Wired BroadBand (I am using).
Home : Used by Assistant.
2.  Laptop with Win10 Home should be connected to Jio Wifi.

Requirement : both should be connected and should be in the "SAME LAN" to use application and Files from Office Computers.


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## rhitwick (Jul 16, 2020)

So, this is what I understood.

You want to access PC1 (that you personally use) from PC2(by ur assistant) via internet.

What sort of things this PC2 would access of PC1.

Is it only files or attached equipment too?


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 16, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> Sir,
> In Office :
> 1.  One Computer, with Win10 Pro, HP 1020 scanner etc connected with BSNL Wired BroadBand (I am using).
> Home : Used by Assistant.
> ...


For this to work you need static IPs or something like dyndns or no-ip. You can use google cloud print to print from anywhere to the printer in your office. I don't understand what do you mean by applications but you can't simply share applications over network unless they are shared by a server.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 16, 2020)

rhitwick said:


> So, this is what I understood.
> 
> You want to access PC1 (that you personally use) from PC2(by ur assistant) via internet.
> 
> ...


1. "Drive D:" of Office PC
2. Word, excel and access files stored on Drive D:
3. Tally Software and Data (installed and Data on Drive D)
4. Printer to Print

FYI : Made a setup with ProtonVPN, installed client app on both PC1 and PC2. Getting connected and IP address e.g. xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx and yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy


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## SaiyanGoku (Jul 16, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> 1. "Drive D:" of Office PC
> 2. Word, excel and access files stored on Drive D:
> 3. Tally Software and Data (installed and Data on Drive D)
> 4. Printer to Print
> ...


Remove those IP addresses from a public forum


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## gcbeldar (Jul 16, 2020)

SaiyanGoku said:


> Remove those IP addresses from a public forum


FYI : They are not static IP's


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 16, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> FYI : They are not static IP's


That is the whole problem. For remote connections over net you need static IPs or services like dyndns or noip. Have you checked my earlier suggestion?


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## khalil1210 (Jul 16, 2020)

Why not use TeamViewer or anydesk to connect remotely?


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 16, 2020)

Missed to incl above suggestion, for just sharing data you can either use remote control software like teamviewer or anydesk or you can use dropbox/box/google drive/one drive for sharing & editing files over the net.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 17, 2020)

whitestar_999 said:


> Missed to incl above suggestion, for just sharing data you can either use remote control software like teamviewer or anydesk or you can use dropbox/box/google drive/one drive for sharing & editing files over the net.


Using Any Desk only one person will be working.


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 17, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> Using Any Desk only one person will be working.


What about online drives for sharing & editing documents?


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## gcbeldar (Jul 17, 2020)

whitestar_999 said:


> What about online drives for sharing & editing documents?


You mean with VPN using internet "Cannot setup virtual Lan" ?


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 17, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> You mean with VPN using internet "Cannot setup virtual Lan" ?


No, I mean using dropbox/box/google drive/one drive to share a document(say text,word file,power point,excel sheet etc) which can then be accessed & edited by anyone over the net with permission given.

You can setup virtual lan over vpn using internet but it needs you to be somewhat of an expert in networking.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 18, 2020)

whitestar_999 said:


> No, I mean using dropbox/box/google drive/one drive to share a document(say text,word file,power point,excel sheet etc) which can then be accessed & edited by anyone over the net with permission given.
> 
> You can setup virtual lan over vpn using internet but it needs you to be somewhat of an expert in networking.


I am trying the same. To run many apps in LAN.


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 18, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> I am trying the same. To run many apps in LAN.


You can't run apps in lan without a server.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 19, 2020)

whitestar_999 said:


> You can't run apps in lan without a server.


Assume that Office CPU is server


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 19, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> Assume that Office CPU is server


No assuming, it either runs windows server version or it doesn't(in which case it can not be assumed as a server).


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## gcbeldar (Jul 20, 2020)

Office cpu is win 10 pro, all apps, data & printers connected. This cpu should be access by LAN with internet.


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 20, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> Office cpu is win 10 pro, all apps, data & printers connected. This cpu should be access by LAN with internet.


You mean office pc(cpu is technically processor). You can share drives on this pc over net using complicated network setup which requires you to have static ip(bsnl charges extra for it) or services like dyndns/noip but it is only for sharing data not apps. It won't be like person sitting in home will be able to use tally installed in office pc.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 20, 2020)

1. (Office CPU Config) Processor Core i5, 8GB, 256gb Samsung SSD 
2. regarding tally   Upgrading to the Latest Release in a Multi-User Environment

FYI : Tally allowed to use "single user edition" in on PC. I want to know how to connect office pc using VPN (for secure) and making laptop on the same subnet. So that, I can access files and devices.


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 20, 2020)

1. core i5 but which gen/model.
2. you want to run Tally multi-user for just 2 PCs?

What you want to do is very complicated & not worth the hassle in my opinion. Just use tally single user edition on laptop at home, use google cloud printer for sharing printer in office over net & use google drive/one drive to simultaneously access & edit shared docs/files in office pc.


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## patkim (Jul 20, 2020)

@*gcbeldar*



> I want to know how to connect office pc using VPN (for secure) and making laptop on the same subnet. So that, I can access files and devices.



I am not a networking expert but if above is what you want to achieve in principle, then I might have some specific inputs. I can’t ascertain if it will work but if you are interested, be prepared for some experiments, learning curve & also possible roadblocks.

Before that do clarify a few things as below.

Questions for you….


What is the Internet connection / setup at both ends? Do you have a router at one end (If so what end)/both ends or not at all? If so the brand/model of the router(s)?
Does BSNL offer you a public IP to the PC or to whatever (usually Router or that office PC) is at the WAN port in office? I guess BSNL does so, still checking. Public IP is important else it’s bit harder. If not, ask for it and you might have to pay additional charges per month if allowed by ISP. I guess BSNL also offers Static (Public) IP, do check on that front too.
Is the PC in office ON 24x7? Is it on UPS? Is its BIOS configured to always restart after power failure?
Can the Admin in office take direct or indirect orders from you?
I believe the OS on both PCs is Windows 10?
What have you tried so far if any that did not work?


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## gcbeldar (Jul 20, 2020)

1. Office BSNL BroadBand(TP Link-w8961), other mobile hopspot / jio dongle.
2. Will opt later, but now "Internet IP Address is shared by the Person how using Office CPU" to other 
3. No
4. Yes
5. Office : Win 10 pro, Other laptop is Win 10 home
6. When required, Laptop is allowed to use Remote Desktop


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## gcbeldar (Jul 20, 2020)

whitestar_999 said:


> 1. core i5 but which gen/model.
> 2. you want to run Tally multi-user for just 2 PCs?
> 
> What you want to do is very complicated & not worth the hassle in my opinion. Just use tally single user edition on laptop at home, use google cloud printer for sharing printer in office over net & use google drive/one drive to simultaneously access & edit shared docs/files in office pc.


Using same way, Trying for a betterment and assuming useful for others. Since, unable to find any article this type of setup "Connecting Two PC via Virtual LAN" details on the internet


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## patkim (Jul 20, 2020)

By Virtual LAN, do you mean to say that you want your office PC that is on BSNL Internet and Home laptop on Jio, to connect over VPN in such a way that they get Private IPs under same subnet and come under same LAN yet they are over different Internet connections?

Also if I understand, the Public IP of the TP LInk router connected to office PC will be shared by someone in office to you thru other means like SMS/WA/Phone etc?


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 20, 2020)

patkim said:


> By Virtual LAN, do you mean to say that you want your office PC that is on BSNL Internet and Home laptop on Jio, to connect over VPN in such a way that they get Private IPs under same subnet and come under same LAN yet they are over different Internet connections?
> 
> Also if I understand, the Public IP of the TP LInk router connected to office PC will be shared by someone in office to you thru other means like SMS/WA/Phone etc?


Jio does not give unique public IPs & no port forwarding either unlike bsnl where you get unique dynamic public IP(static public IP for ~1500 extra per year) as well as port forwarding. He wants to create a VPN between two networks.


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 20, 2020)

gcbeldar said:


> Using same way, Trying for a betterment and assuming useful for others. Since, unable to find any article this type of setup "Connecting Two PC via Virtual LAN" details on the internet


*www.howtogeek.com/135996/how-to-cr...ows-computer-without-installing-any-software/
*pureinfotech.com/setup-vpn-server-windows-10/
You need to start with at least something like above.


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## patkim (Jul 20, 2020)

@gcbeldar - Based on what you replied, it seems right now someone is going to share the Public IP to you from the office. This is not a fool-proof method but let’s start with it for now. Try the steps below. Note that I am not an expert on this. So there might be inadvertent errors in this procedure, if you are stuck somewhere you can try google or take help from other forum members here.

Router Setup at office


Define a range of DHCP IPs say 192.168.0.100 thru 192.168.0.150 (depending upon what IP gateway gets assigned i.e. 192.168.0.1 or say 192.168.1.1 etc )
Every device that connects to your router be it WiFi or LAN must be defined with IP Reservation and leave the last 2 IPs 192.168.0.149 & 192.168.0.150 unassigned. These 2 will be assigned in VPN Setup. This step is important!
Forward Port 1723 to Office PC LAN IP (To keep this simple if your router offers DMZ, put the Office PC on DMZ, however this exposes it to direct Internet despite behind router and should be only done during temporary testing)
Relax Firewall settings in router for the time being.


Office PC


Preferably have it wired to LAN port of the router. Avoid wireless for now.
Disable Windows Firewall or any third-party firewall including its service for the time being. Else it’s going to make it complicated in the beginning, if you can make a connection first, then setup firewall later for proper security.
Under Network Connections – File Menu -Create an incoming connection. Search google how to do it. Set IPv4 as 192.168.0.149 thru 192.168.0.150 (just 2 IPs that MUST be from within Routers DHCP Range to keep it simple) Incoming connection is available under File menu which is generally hidden on this screen. Search google how to make it visible; I simply do not remember!! Under Incoming IP Properties tick Allow Callers to Access my LAN
That userid to which you are granting incoming access must have a password on Windows 10 on Office PC.
In incoming connection disable IPv6
Most Imp – Under Networking settings for the Incoming connection, if there’s any firewall component, uncheck it for now
Refresh the view and you will see the incoming connection created
Enable the necessary services like Remote desktop, file sharing, shared folders etc upfront.
Remote Laptop that’s on another Internet connection like Jio hotspot.


Go to Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center
Click Setup a new connection
Connect to Workplace
Using my Internet
Specify the public IP address of the office router. Give a name to connection and this is done (every time you will have to check for this IP thru someone in office before making a connection)
Now to go Settings – Network and Internet – VPN. Select the VPN Connection – Advanced and Set PPTP (this is less secure but start with this, else leave it as Auto) and Sign in option Username/Password is selected
When VPN connection is selected, go to Advanced sharing options, (right pane) and enable network discovery and file and print sharing
Temporarily disable Firewall on home laptop
Now try connecting to the Office PC by using the Client VPN connection that you created on home Laptop. Use the same Userid to which you granted incoming VPN access on office PC. See if the LAN IPs that you specified are allocated to respective PCs. Then they shall be on the same LAN.

*Other considerations, difficulties, deadlocks*

Office PC Firewall – When Firewall is enabled on office PC, you must allow access to port 1723 and enable *GRE protocol* in the firewall at a minimum. Both could be required.

ISP Blocking 1723 inbound – If so, you will have to contact them and check if they can enable it for you. I am not too sure if VPN service can be moved to some other port. Or alternative is to send request it to some other port nnnn over Internet if allowed (I am not too sure) and if Router offers what’s called Virtual Server then reassign that port nnnn to internal 1723 in port forwarding.

Router in office received Private IP from BSNL. Well then nothing is going to work. You will have to use some third-party VPN services (generally Paid) to make a connection and that makes it further complex.

*If this succeeds then you can aim for*

Configuring Firewall on router and office PC for better security

Using Dynamic DNS thru NO-IP.com or TP Links any DDNS service if offered.

Remotely switching ON the office PC whenever you want and shutting it down remotely when work is done thru magic packets.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 23, 2020)

@patkim 

First Thanks a lot. Your suggestion / solution is inline of my requirement. 

In the meantime, I tried to a lot your solution but, failed. 
Then found my first step is not correct. 
i.e., using modem setting page and What Is My IP Address? IP Address Tools and More to get my "Internet IP address, assigned ISP" of my Office CPU.
And found I am unable to ping my Internet IP Address of Office CPU with my Laptop internet connection.

Waiting for your reply.


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## patkim (Jul 23, 2020)

I am not too sure what do you mean by Internet IP address of Office CPU. You should get Public IP (Routable IP) to your modem router from BSNL and you have to use that IP address and use port forwarding. However first step is to put your Office PC in DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) so that no port forwarding is needed. (This is only for testing to keep it simple) By default Ping is disabled by Firewall on most routers. Routers do not respond to Ping requests over WAN. Keep Firewall / SPI etc disabled in Router for the time being. Check the settings in your modem router. Then use www.Yougetsignal.com to check if port 1723 is open after creating incoming connection on Office PC.

Is the IP shown by What is my IP Address and what's seen inside modem router connection status same? If not the issue starts from there.

Such a setup of VPN between 2 PCs does take some time to make it work!! And as I mentioned there might be some deadlocks.

Do not count much on Ping, instead, if your router modem supports Remote Admin setup, enable that and check if you can access its admin page over the Internet using its public IP. Configure it to use port 8080 (or see if some other can be used) etc as 80 is mostly blocked by most ISPs. If you can succeed in this step, then it confirms that at least ISP is not blocking 8080 and your router is indeed routable on the Internet. First stage cleared if so.
Do update the outcome of these tryouts. All the best.


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## gcbeldar (Jul 24, 2020)

Thanks a lot, for your response.

Successfully connected. After configuring "Incoming connection's IPv4 set to 192.168.1.215 to 192.168.1.216".

Laptop connected and received IP address : 192.168.1.216 with subnet : 255.255.255.255

Will update regarding security, speed etc. so that complete information should be available for all new user.

Please suggest further if any.
Once again thanks a LOT


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 24, 2020)

Good to know.  For future reference you can see the pics for the configuration process in 2nd link I posted in post#33.


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## Nerevarine (Jul 24, 2020)

You should really frame your requirements properly instead of adding information post by post. It would help others who might be stuck on a similar problem.

IF you do not have a non nat blocked IP address, you can always use serveo or ngrok to ssh tunnel. Both are free services to port forward a single port. if you need multiple ports exposed, like say you need printer + other application, u may use a reverse proxy like HAProxy or nginx.

Lastly, if you are able to connect via VPN and want port exposed that way, you can use a free AWS server and setup openvpn. It allows 2 simultaneous connections for 1 year.

Instead of VPN on AWS, u can even SSH tunnel.

I haven't tried the above, the other two I'm using all the time.


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## whitestar_999 (Jul 24, 2020)

Nerevarine said:


> You should really frame your requirements properly instead of adding information post by post. It would help others who might be stuck on a similar problem.
> 
> IF you do not have a non nat blocked IP address, you can always use serveo or ngrok to ssh tunnel. Both are free services to port forward a single port. if you need multiple ports exposed, like say you need printer + other application, u may use a reverse proxy like HAProxy or nginx.
> 
> ...


For non NAT IPs given by broadband ISPs (bsnl,airtel,reliance) the inbuilt win 10 vpn server is good & simple enough. Anything more than this is not easily achievable by your typical pc user.  

That AWS server looks good but is it really free, I mean no data limit or data storage charges etc.


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## Nerevarine (Jul 25, 2020)

Well technically, you get 750 hours free per month, their usage is calculated per vm per hour. So if you run two vms then obviously it will exceed.
 You will only be charged for data transfer and storage of the vm, which is measly based on my usage. Never exceeded more than 2 usd per month.

this is for the first year. Second year onwards u have to pay in full.

gcloud also has 300 usd of free usage, so that is another option.


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