Configuring Microsoft Wireless G Base Station (MN-700) for VPN

I recently installed a Microsoft Wireless-G Base Station MN-700 for a
client who needs to access their office location using a VPN connection.
The corporate IT department provided the following documentation
explaining the router requirements:


Users with cable, ISDN or DSL access to the Internet with a small home
network connected with either a generic firewall or a home router/firewall
product sitting between the network and the Internet will have to ensure
the following settings are configured properly:
1) The home router/firewall product needs to support IPSec passthrough,
and that option needs to be manually enabled on the router in some cases.

2) The following protocols need to be opened on the generic firewall.
IP protocol 50(ESP) to/from any
UDP port 500(IKE ) to/from any
These ports/protocols are necessary in order for any IPSec compliant
client to work.


I would like to know if the MN-700 meets the requirements noted above and
specifically what needs to be done to modify the security settings. For
example, do I simply choose application triggered port forwarding and
specify outbound and inbound port 50 for TCP and the same for port 500
UDP?
If the MN-700 does not support the stated VPN requirements, please
identify other wireless routers that would meet the requirements.

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

While the MN-700 is supposed to pass IPSec transparently, there have
been reports of some issues with some VPN clients and VPN endpoint
configurations. I'm not sure anyone knows for sure which ones don't
work. Some folks with problems have had luck changing the base station
address to 192.168.1.1 and the range of IP's handed out by the base
station to 192.168.1.100 etc. If that doesn't work, check the forums
at dsl.reports.com for other vendors and see what hardware works with
your VPN solution before exchanging your base station.


On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 20:57:09 -0400, "BruceB" <any,(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>I recently installed a Microsoft Wireless-G Base Station MN-700 for a
>client who needs to access their office location using a VPN connection.
>The corporate IT department provided the following documentation
>explaining the router requirements:
>
>
> Users with cable, ISDN or DSL access to the Internet with a small home
>network connected with either a generic firewall or a home router/firewall
>product sitting between the network and the Internet will have to ensure
>the following settings are configured properly:
> 1) The home router/firewall product needs to support IPSec passthrough,
>and that option needs to be manually enabled on the router in some cases.
>
> 2) The following protocols need to be opened on the generic firewall.
>IP protocol 50(ESP) to/from any
>UDP port 500(IKE ) to/from any
>These ports/protocols are necessary in order for any IPSec compliant
>client to work.
>
>
>I would like to know if the MN-700 meets the requirements noted above and
>specifically what needs to be done to modify the security settings. For
>example, do I simply choose application triggered port forwarding and
>specify outbound and inbound port 50 for TCP and the same for port 500
>UDP?
>If the MN-700 does not support the stated VPN requirements, please
>identify other wireless routers that would meet the requirements.
>
>Thanks in advance for your assistance!
>

--
Barb Bowman
Expert Zone Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
MS-MVP (Windows)