What is VPN (Virtual Private Networking)?

VPN gives extremely secure connections between private networks linked through the Internet. It allows remote computers to act as though they were on the same secure, local network.

Advantages

• Allows you to be at home and access your company's computers in the same way as if you were sitting at work.
• Almost impossible for someone to tap or interfer with data in the VPN tunnel.
• If you have VPN client software on a laptop, you can connect to your company from anywhere in the world.

Disadvantages

• Setup is more complicated than less secure methods. VPN works across different manufacturers' equipment, but connecting to a non-NETGEAR product will add to difficulty, since there may not documentation specific to your situation.
• The company whose network you connect to may require you to follow the company's own policies on your home computers ( ! )

VPN goes between a computer and a network (client-to-server), or a LAN and a network using two routers (server-to-server). Each end of the connection is an VPN "endpoint", the connection between them is a "VPN tunnel". When one end is a client, it means that computer is running VPN client software such as NETGEAR's ProSafe VPN Client. The two types of VPN:

VPN Client-to-Server (Client-to-Box)

VPN Server-to-Server (Box-to-Box)

From : http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/n100858.asp