Routing all Internet traffic through home network

I'm looking to establish a connection between my computer at school and my computer at home for the purpose of routing all Internet traffic across this connection. My school monitors my Internet usage, and I would like the freedom to surf without having to worry about big brother watching me. My only requirement is that this connection be encrypted. I would prefer to use a free or open source solution if one is available. I'm looking to route all traffic over this connection, including file sharing, web surfing, instant messaging, etc. What would you suggest I use, and where can I find resources to instruct me on how to set it up? Thank you!

alpha guy

Posted 2009-10-18T19:42:12.027

Reputation:

Just curious: school, as in university? – hyperslug – 2009-10-18T19:46:33.577

Yes, school as in university – None – 2009-10-18T19:49:25.927

1In my experience, most schools log by forcing you to use their proxy server (which is sometimes transparent). They normally block all outbound connections, so you might not be able to VPN/SSH out. CGI (web based) proxies are often your only real option. – Dentrasi – 2009-10-18T19:50:17.407

@alpha, can I ask which one? (my money's on a bible college) – hyperslug – 2009-10-18T19:53:36.803

@hyperslug, it's actually a state university, but good guess! – None – 2009-10-18T19:54:58.113

1And just to answer, I think you're on the right track. VPN let's you use his connection. The only thing the network admins will see is your connection to him. I'm thinking a router flashed w/ DD-WRT + OpenVPN might do it, but I haven't gotten this working yet. – hyperslug – 2009-10-18T19:56:27.547

OpenVPN would do exactly what you want, assuming port 1194 is open. That'd be the first thing to check. – emgee – 2009-10-18T20:25:32.407

Answers

VPN is the way to go, and you have many options there. The choice boils down to how restrictive is your current access.

My advice would be to have a look to the openvpn-als project, this is to VPNs what webmail is to e-mail. The nice people at Hak5 made a presentation of this technology recently. You might need to learn a little about VPNs to set it up and running, but it's worth the effort.

However, a VPN can still be filtered (using L7 for example), but if your connection allows access to https (online banking for example) this solution should work (L7 might still be able to classify this traffic, as ssl certificates are sent unencrypted, a self-signed certificate might be filtered out).

You may also do some ssh tunneling, but isn't it considered old-school these days ...

avelldiroll

Posted 2009-10-18T19:42:12.027

Reputation: 1 998

Have you tried Easy VPN from Comodo? http://easy-vpn.comodo.com/ I know that it is extremely secure, however I am not sure if it meets all of your requirements. Give it a try!

thegreyspot

Posted 2009-10-18T19:42:12.027

Reputation: 1 162

Do you have rights to install programmes on these pc's.

Very simple to use is Windows Live Mesh beta easy to set up and just use your Windows Live I.D. Will give simple and easy access to your home pc, I use this at work.

Scott Belton

Posted 2009-10-18T19:42:12.027

Reputation: 71

If it's an option on your residence (usually as long as it's housing, and not apartment style) you could just get consumer grade internet installed and not use the school's network. That's what I did at both of the post-secondary institutions I attended. It costs money, but you're not going to end up with the added overhead of any vpn/proxy you use.

Additionally, I haven't seen a school that could compare with (at peak usage times) the throughput that a dedicated ISP connection offers.

Steven Evers

Posted 2009-10-18T19:42:12.027

Reputation: 659

Thanks, but that's not an option – None – 2009-10-19T00:53:47.260

If it's not blocked, windows remote desktop is encrypted and fairly ubiquitous. Also, it does not require you to open up port 80 on your home router.

moioci

Posted 2009-10-18T19:42:12.027

Reputation: 444