Indiana University

Making a VPN connection to the IU network in Windows Mobile 2003 on an iPaq PDA

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Introduction

As with any other 802.11b-capable device, to connect an iPaq PDA to the Indiana University Bloomington or IUPUI wireless network, you must first configure your hardware to accept the signal from the IU wireless access points. After that, you must configure, and then initiate, a VPN connection. Only when the device is properly connected to both the wireless network and the VPN will it be able to access local network resources or the Internet.

You should be in a location receiving a wireless signal before following these instructions. While it won't hurt or damage anything to follow these steps in an uncovered area, you won't get feedback from the iPaq telling you that it's configured correctly, which increases the likelihood of mistakes.

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?

To connect your Compaq/HP iPaq Windows Mobile 2003 PDA to the IU wireless network, follow the steps below:

Initialize the wireless connection

  1. Turn on your device. From the Start menu (it will look like the Windows flag icon in the upper left corner), select iPAQ Wireless.

  2. Tap the WLAN icon. You will know the device is detecting a network when a pair of arrows pointing left and right appear on the toolbar near the speaker icon and the clock. If your iPaq does not see a wireless signal, the arrows will have an "X" attached. In an uncovered area, you will see the "X", even if you do this properly.

  3. Follow the instructions for PocketPC 2002/Windows Mobile in At IU, how do I register my wireless Pocket PC, Windows Mobile, or Palm device with DHCP?

  4. If you elected to install the vxIPConfig software mentioned at the link above, you can check the IP you're receiving from the wireless access point (this is another piece of feedback to ensure you're connected properly):

    1. From the Start menu, go to Programs. Tap the Communications folder, and then the vxIPConfig icon.
    2. At the top of the window, tap the down arrow (it looks like an upside-down triangle) to reveal all the adapters that vxIPConfig sees. It should see only one or two.
    3. Select the one that corresponds to the wireless adapter in your PDA. The name will vary depending on the wireless chipset installed by the manufacturer.

      If you see more than one adapter listed, you may not be able to tell which one corresponds to the wireless chipset. In that case, select the one that shows you an IP address other than 0.0.0.0 or one starting with 169.254.

      For a list of good and bad IP addresses, see What are some IP addresses that might indicate I have a network problem?

  5. If your IP address is good, you've successfully initialized the wireless connection. Proceed to the next section.

Configure the VPN connection settings

  1. From the Start menu, select Settings. Then tap the Connections tab.

  2. Tap the Connections icon and then the Advanced tab.

  3. Tap the Select Networks button. Under "Programs that automatically connect to a private network should connect using:" tap Edit. Then tap the VPN tab.

  4. Tap New. The Make New Connection dialog box will appear. In the "Name:" field, enter a name for your connection. You may enter what you like here.

  5. In the "Hostname" field, enter the hostname of your VPN server.

    Use the table below to find your VPN server for both remote (e.g., cable modem, DSL, or outside Internet service provider) and wireless VPN connections:

    Campus VPN server
    IU Bloomington pptp.indiana.edu
    IU East vpn.iue.edu
    IU Kokomo vpn.iuk.edu
    IU Northwest 149.162.8.2
    IUPUI pptp.iupui.edu
    IU South Bend vpn.iusb.edu
    IU Southeast vpn.ius.edu
  6. Select PPTP and tap Next.

    Note: You may see an option for IPSec/L2TP. Some iPaqs have that, while others do not. If you do see that option, choose it instead of PPTP. In that case, enter ipsec.indiana.edu (for IUB) or ipsec.iupui.edu (for IUPUI) in the "Hostname" field, rather than pptp.indiana.edu or pptp.iupui.edu.

    In the future UITS will retire the PPTP protocol for VPN connections on the IU network. At that point, iPaqs and any other device without the option to make IPsec VPN connections will not be able to connect. You will have to either obtain an update enabling IPsec VPN on your device, or obtain a third-party IPsec-capable VPN client.

  7. If you selected PPTP on the previous screen, skip ahead to the next step; you will not see the settings in this step. But if you chose IPSec/L2TP on the previous screen, you will see a screen labeled "Authenticate IPSec/L2TP connections using:". Select A pre-shared key, and then enter the following into the text box: hermanbwells

    Tap Next.

  8. Enter your username and password. In the "Domain:" field, enter ADS. Tap Next.

  9. Tap the Advanced tab.

  10. Make sure User server-assigned IP address is selected.

  11. Uncheck all other boxes, and then select the Servers tab.

  12. Select User server-assigned addresses. Tap OK and then Finish.

  13. You are now back at the My Work Network window. Tap OK.

  14. Under "Programs that automatically connect to the Internet should connect using:", select anything other than My Work Network.

  15. Under "Programs that automatically connect to a private network should connect using:", select My Work Network.

  16. Tap Exceptions.

  17. In "URL exceptions:", tap Add New URL....

  18. Enter *.*/* (asterisk, a dot, another asterisk, a slash, and another asterisk) into the open field.

  19. Tap OK, and then OK again.

  20. Under "Select what your network card connects to", tap the Network Card button.

  21. Select the Network Adapters tab.

  22. In the drop-down list under "My network card connects to:", select The Internet.

  23. Tap OK.

Make the connection

  1. Tap the wireless icon (the icon you looked for in the Initialization steps; it's the pair of arrows pointing left and right located near the speaker and clock icons). You should see a Connectivity dialog balloon open.

  2. Tap Connect VPN.

If everything is configured properly, you should see a balloon appear while the iPaq is connecting. When the balloon disappears, if you don't immediately see an error message, you should be connected. You can verify connectivity by tapping the wireless icon again; it should open a dialog balloon giving you signal strength and the length of time you've been connected, as well as Disconnect and Hide buttons. If you see that information, you are properly connected.

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