Today, you do not have to be in the office to work in Windows 10. You can remotely connect to any computer within the same network using the free Remote Desktop feature from Microsoft. Virtual Private Network software also allows you to access private networks from the internet securely.
Many firms offer VPN services to their employees to facilitate connection to the company’s networks whenever the need arises. With this service, you can leverage features provided by the Operating System to connect to the VPN service from Windows 10.
You can also connect through an exclusive VPN client app that your company offers. Before using any VPN software, I recommend testing trial VPN.
Leveraging Remote Desktop with a VPN to Control a PC Remotely on the Internet
A virtual private network encrypts user network traffic to ensure that should hackers access the data they would have no way of decrypting it. The Best VPN service comes with numerous advantages for internet users. In this article, we shall discuss how to configure a VPN with Remote Desktop on Windows 10.
While everything here is available for free, you will need a VPN router to complete your configuration. The first thing you should do is launch your router admin panel and search for a VPN server option.
Remember, a server PC is the computer that you want to access remotely, while the client PC is the computer that you use to access the server PC.
Configuring a VPN with Remote Desktop on Windows 10
First, you have to activate Remote Desktop connections on the server PC. Below are steps to help you do it.
- Right-click the Start button on Windows 10 and proceed to System
- Choose Remote Desktop
- Activate Enable Remote Desktop and click Confirm
- Write the name of the PC
Remember, Remote Desktop is only compatible with the Windows 10 Pro Edition.
How to Create a VPN Server with Your Router
- Log in to your router admin panel through a web browser
- Search the VPN area and analyze the available protocols (In case your router is compatible with OpenVPN then you can use it. If it does not you can activate PPTP)
- For the OpenVPN Option
- Create an OpenVPN certificate
- Export your OpenVPN setup file
- Upload the OpenVPN in a safe place
- Activate the VPN server
For the PPTP Option
- Create the Username and Password you need to connect to the server PC
- Activate the VPN server
- Find out your public IP address from Google and note it down
If you are using a dynamic IP address, register for a dynamic DNS server and use it for remote desktop and VPN connections. You may also need to acquire a static IP address from your internet service provider.
Still, you can configure a secondary IP address and convert it to static. Without a static IP address, your devices will not connect remotely to the PC when the IP address changes.
Configure VPN Connection on a Client PC
- For PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol)
- Click the Start Button on Windows 10 or press Win key
- Type VPN settings then press Enter on your keyboard
- Click Add a VPN connection and configure the following
VPN provider to Windows
Connection name to any display name.
Server address or name to the public IP address of your server PC.
VPN type to PPTP
Type of sign-in info to User name and password.
Username, and Password to the account info you included in the PPTP router panel.
- Check the Remember my sign-in info box
- Click save
- Choose the VPN connection and click connect
If your PPTP connection fails, try to troubleshoot the issue
For the OpenVPN Option
- Download OpenVPN GUI for Windows 10
- Install the tool using default settings
- Download the OpenVPN configuration file you made from the router panel
- Right-click on the OpenVPN GUI systray symbol and click Import file
- From your router, choose the OpenVPN configuration file
- Right-click on the OpenVPN GUI systray symbol and select Connect
- In case OpenVPN GUI fails on your computer. You can establish the problem and fix it with ease.
Connect to the Server PC with Remote Desktop
- Click the Start Button on Windows 10 or press Win key
- Key in Remote Desktop Connection and press Enter
- Configure your computer to the server PC name
- Click connect
- You will get a password alert. Type it down
- You are now remotely connected to another PC via VPN
Remember:
The Remote Desktop download is available for Android, Windows 10, and iOS. It facilitates remote connection to a server PC
You wrote your PC name when activating Remote Desktop Connections to the Server PC
Ensure the user account you use is the same one you granted permission to connect remotely via Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop, VPN, and a router that supports VPN connections allow you to connect to another computer from any part of the world.