Making a VPN connection to the IU network in Windows Mobile 2003

Note: IU's VPN is intended for individual computing accounts only. Group and departmental accounts cannot access the VPN. See Why can't I make a VPN connection through an IU group or departmental account?

Note: You need to register your wireless device before you make a wireless VPN connection. Registration will enhance the security and reliability of IU's wireless network. See the instructions in the "PocketPC 2002/Windows Mobile 2003" section of At IU, how do I register my wireless Pocket PC, Windows Mobile, or Palm device with DHCP?

To make a VPN connection in Windows Mobile 2003 at Indiana University, you will need to initialize the wireless connection, configure the VPN settings, and configure the Windows Mobile operating system.

Before starting, ensure that the proper drivers are installed for the wireless Ethernet adapter. PDAs with built-in adapters should already have the proper drivers installed. Also, these instructions assume you are in an area with a strong signal from an IU wireless access point.

Initialize the wireless connection

You must be in a location where you receive a wireless signal. Turn on your device. If your antenna has a separate power button or switch, turn that on as well.
Give your device some time to recognize the network; this may take one or two minutes. Toggle the antenna on and off if necessary. At some point, your PDA should display a dialog balloon reading "'IU Wireless' network connects me to:", and there will be two choices. Select The Internet, and then tap Connect.
From the Start menu, select Settings, and then the System tab. Tap the Wireless LAN Manager icon.

Note: You may see a different icon, depending on which brand of PocketPC you have; Dell Axim users, for example, will see Dell WLAN Utility.
Tap the IP Renew button and make sure you get a good IP address. The proper address for the IU Bloomington campus is 10.231.x.x; the correct address for IUPUI is 10.235.x.x. If you receive any IP address that does not begin with 10.231 or 10.235, then you probably are not seeing an IU access point and should not proceed. When you have an IU IP address, tap ok in the upper right corner of the screen.

Configure the VPN settings

Tap the Connections tab, and then the Connections icon.
For now, ignore the link that says Edit my VPN servers. Tap the Advanced tab instead.
Tap the Select Networks button.
Under "Programs that automatically connect to a private network should connect using:", make sure the drop-down menu says My Work Network. Then tap the Edit button.
Tap the VPN tab, and then the New button.
Enter a name for the VPN connection; it can be anything you want. In the "Host name/IP:" field, enter ipsec.indiana.edu or ipsec.iupui.edu, depending on which campus you are on. Then, underneath that, select IPSec/L2TP. Tap Next.
Under "Authenticate IPSec/L2TP connections using:", select A pre-shared key. Enter the following key into the field below exactly as it appears here, with no spaces or capitalizations: hermanbwells Tap Next.
Enter your IU username and password. In the "Domain:*" field, enter ads, and then tap Advanced.
Make sure that the top setting is Use server-assigned IP address. Then, uncheck any boxes that are checked here.
Tap ok, and then tap Finish.

Configure the Windows Mobile operating system

Select the Proxy Settings tab. Check the box next to "This network connects to the Internet", and then tap ok.
Tap the Exceptions button, and then tap the line that reads "Add new URL". In the dialog box that appears, under "Work URL:" enter *.* (asterisk, period, asterisk), and then tap ok.
Tap ok three times.
From the Start menu, select Settings, and then System. Tap the Wireless Networks icon.

Note: You may see a different icon depending on which brand of PocketPC you have; Dell Axim users, for example, will see a Connections tab.
Under "Wireless networks:", make sure there's an entry that reads "IU Wireless", and reads "Connected" to the right.
In the drop-down menu under "Networks to access:", select Only access points. Make sure the Automatically connect box is unchecked.
Tap the Network Adapters tab. At the top, under "My network card connects to:", select The Internet. Then select the entry in the list that corresponds to your wireless Ethernet adapter. This will vary depending on the brand of PDA and wireless adapter, but there should be some clue which one it is. Look for the terms "802.11b", "WLAN", or "wireless" to help you decide. Some examples of wireless adapters are:
- IEEE 802.11b WLAN Adapter (Toshiba e750)
- Dell X5, X3, or X3i WLAN Module (Dell Axim)
- De Pretec Compact Flash WLAN (external card)
- IPAQ USB Adapter (HP/Compaq's iPaq)
Select Use server-assigned IP address. Tap ok. You will get a dialog box explaining that the next time the adapter is used, it'll use the settings you just made. Tap ok twice.

Make the connection

Look for the icon at the top next to the speaker and clock that signifies your wireless connection. In almost every case, it will be a pair of arrows. Tap that icon.
You should get a "Connectivity" dialog balloon. Tap Connect VPN.
When the "Connecting" balloon disappears, the VPN connection will be established. Tap the icon near the speaker and clock again to be sure. If successful, you will see a timer.
Try surfing to test the connection. Launch Pocket IE and see if you can access web pages. If you can, you are finished.

Troubleshooting

Some users report that they do not get the Connect VPN link in the wireless connection icon at the top, although they see the VPN settings in the connection settings. When this happens, try to create another VPN connection by following these steps:

From the Start menu, select Settings, and then the Connections tab. Tap the Connections icon.
Tap Manage existing connection, and then the VPN tab.
Even though you see the VPN settings you previously set up in this window, you want to make a new VPN connection here. Tap New....
Tap the VPN tab, and then the New button.
Enter a name for the VPN connection; it can be anything you want. In the "Host name/IP:" field, enter ipsec.indiana.edu or ipsec.iupui.edu, depending on which campus you're on. Then, underneath that, select IPSec/L2TP. Tap Next.
Under "Authenticate IPSec/L2TP connections using:", select A pre-shared key. Enter the following key into the field below exactly as it appears here, with no spaces or capitalizations: hermanbwells Tap Next.
Enter your IU username and password. In the "Domain:*" field, enter ads, and then tap Advanced.
Make sure that the top setting is Use server-assigned IP address. Then, uncheck any boxes that are checked here. Tap ok.
Tap Finish. You'll see a list which will contain the name of the VPN connection you just created. You may also see the old connection here. Select the new one, and tap ok.
Try to establish the connection again. Look for the icon at the top next to the speaker and clock that signifies your wireless connection, and tap that icon.
You'll get a "Connectivity" dialog balloon, and you should finally see the Connect VPN link. Tap it to launch the connection. When the "Connecting" balloon disappears, the VPN connection will be established. Tap the icon near the speaker and clock again to be sure. If successful, you will see a timer.