Connecting to VPN on Cingular 8125

[AJE]

What settings do I need so I can connect to my VPN at work so I can use teminal services to connect to my workstation? I can succesfully do it with no problem on a Treo 700w. But my Cingular just gives me the following message: VPN server problems. Verify your username and password, and try again. If the problem continues, turn the device off and try again.

Any ideas?

[vic1977]

Hi AJE,

May be this helps you. Originally taken from here:
http://www.howardforums.com/archive/topic/887030-1.html

If you are using Media Net as your data plan, you can not do PPTP (windows XP type) VPN.
The wap.cingular gateway uses a NAPT (Network Address and Port Translation) server that doesn't support passing of the GRE packets that PPTP VPN uses. It isn't intentionally blocked, it just doesn't support it.
If you want to use PPTP VPN on cingular, you must have the PDA plan or data connect plan AND configure your 8125 to use the isp.cingular gateway configuration (the $40 PDA/$60 Data connect plans give you the ability to use isp.cingular in addition to wap.cingular, unlike Media Net which only lets you use wap.cingular and not isp.cingular.)
isp.cingular gives you a real IP addres, doesn't uses a NAPT server. It is still a firewalled connection but intentionally supports all VPN types.

IPSec (eg. Cisco VPN client) VPN, however, DOES work on wap.cingular using "IPSec over NAT" configuration. But not PPTP VPN.

Settings for isp.cingular:
APN: isp.cigular
user name: ISP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
Password: CINGULAR1


Regards,
Victor

Cingular 8125 Software:
www.Handster.com

.

[lmorel]

I have a 8125 as well. I use Cisco VPN Client on my laptop. With IP SEC over NAT.

I set up an new GPRS connection called ISP Cingular, used the settings I found on many different sites (consistently the same ones for isp.cingular APN). On the 8125, under Modem Link, I activated the USB modem feature. THere is one problem though: the only Access point name available in the drop down menu is wap.cingular. Why can't I use the isp.cingular APN I set up under the new connection I created or it doesn't matter?

Also, am I supposed to set up proxy settings for that isp.cingular connection?

I connect to the Web ok, I just can't get any VPN traffic. Doesn't work either with wap.cingular.

[lmorel]

Sorry, I got it to work. Weird... I tried again with same settings and waited longer this time. I noticed that my Outlook 2003 was updating the mailbox with my Exchange server after 2 minutes of being connected. I started to ping servers on my network and got replies this time (couldn't get any traffic before). Huge latency (~1 second). I started a terminal services session (remote desktop) and tried to connect to one of my servers. Used lowest settings (256 colors, 640x480 resoution, etc) and managed to connect. It's slow but possible to manage a server if you absolutely have to and if you are on the road for instance.
This type of connection reminds me of an ISDN connection with 2 channels back in Europe years ago. Except that latency was better because I was using a wired ISDN modem. By the way, that speed of ~230Kbps showing for the connection in XP is BS, isn't it? It feels a lot slower than that. A test at DSLReports.com reported a UP of 49K and Down of 49K as well. I'm assuming this would be the actual speed.

Would the connection be a lot of faster with EVDO instead of EDGE? I read the EVDO can go up to 2Mbps max. Probably impossible to reach that speed nowadays but EDGE isn't going to be able to compete. I think the 8125 is not a real 3G phone too... I love this 8125 though! Never had a real PDA phone before. This is great stuff.

[AJE]

Thanks Victor, I was able to get this to work, however if I set this as my default connection I can not recieve e-mail on the device. So isp.cingular works for vpn but not regular data? Does this mean I would have to switch to the isp.cingular connection only when I wanted to use a VPN? It doesn't sound like much, but when setting things like this up for sales people you got to keep it as simple as possible. They don't like a lot of hoops to jump through to get something working.

[AJE]

After flashing my 8125 with the new MSFP update, I can successfully set up a connection using isp.cingular as my default and still receive e-mail. This update just made this device so much better!