PublicVPN.comSystem Requirements
Before setting up the VPN, be sure your installation is up–to–date by running Windows Update.
Open Network Connections
First, open the ‘Network Connections’ folder by going to the Start Menu and selecting Settings->Network Connections. It may also be located in Settings->Control Panel->Network Connections.
When your control panel opens, double–click on “Network and Dial–Up Connections ’.
Start the Wizard
When the Network Connections folder opens, double–click on ‘New Connection Wizard ’. You should see the “New Connection Wizard” screen. Click the ‘Next’ button to continue.
Select the connection type
Next, select ‘Connect to the network at my workplace ’ and click the ‘Next’ button.
Select the connection
Next, select ‘Virtual Private Network connection ’ and click the ‘Next’ button.
Enter the Company Name
On this screen, type ‘PublicVPN.com’ for the Company Name and click the ‘Next’ button.
Set auto-connect
On this screen, click “Do not dial the initial connection” and click the ‘Next’ button.
Enter the PublicVPN.com server name
On this screen, type ‘gateway.publicvpn.net’ and click the ‘Next’ button. ‘gateway.publicvpn.net’ is the host name of the PublicVPN.com server.
Set Username and Password
Next, we'll set up the connection settings.
In the yellow ‘User Name’ box, enter your PublicVPN.com username.In the green ‘Password’ box, enter your PublicVPN.com password. Optionally, click ‘Save Password’ to save your password as part of the connection. That's it!
When you want to connect
When you want to connect to PublicVPN.com, just double–click on the connection and click the ‘Connect’ button. Enter your username and password (if you didn't save it), and you'll connect!
Setting up an L2TP/IPsec connection
By default, Windows sets the VPN connection type to PPTP. For better security, you should continue and set your connection up to be an L2TP/IPsec connection. To do that, continue on.
Open the PublicVPN.com connection and click ‘Properties’
Click the ‘Security’ tab, then click the ‘IPsec Setttings...’ button.
In the next window, click the checkbox and type ‘publicvpn.net’ as the key and click ‘OK’.
Next click the ‘Networking’ tab.
Next click the popup menu and change the ‘Type of VPN’ from ‘Automatic’ to ‘L2TP IPsec VPN’ and click ‘OK’. That's it!
After this, the connection will use L2TP/IPsec instead of PPTP. Note that if the connection fails, try changing the connection back to PPTP or Automatic.
Setting up the VPN Domain Name Server (DNS)
Under certain circumstances Microsoft Windows will continue to use your primary connection's DNS server. What that means is that your DNS requests will be unencrypted, allowing hackers to see what websites you're looking for. While they can't see your actual data, they can know what you're doing. For Windows users, you should set a connection–specific DNS server using the instructions below.
First, open the VPN connection document, then click the 'Properties' button. Your PublicVPN.com username and password may or may not show up, depending on your settings.
Next, click on the 'Networking' tab.
Hilite the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" entry, and click the 'Properties' button.
You should see the following screen. Click on 'Use the following DNS server addresses:'
Once you click on 'Use the following DNS server addresses', type 172.31.0.1 as the DNS server address. Then click the 'OK' button.
Lastly, click the 'OK' button, and you're done!
