How to Setup a VPN on the Samsung Galaxy Tab
By Paul Liu
Monday, October 7th, 2013
Samsung Galaxy Tab is an extremely popular Android based tablet. The first model of the series (Galaxy 7.0) was released by Samsung in September’ 2010. Due to the extremely positive response from the customers, several models of Galaxy Tab have been released including some with much larger (up to 10.1 inch) displays. The third generation of Galaxy tablet (Galaxy Tab 3) is available in three different sizes (7, 8 and 10.1 inch) and boasts of several cutting-edge features designed to win the hearts of its customers.
Need For A VPN On Samsung Galaxy Tab
The advanced networking and Wi-Fi connectivity features that come with Samsung Galaxy Tab allow you to remain mobile and connected at all times. Be it a mall, a coffee shop, a hotel or an airport; the Galaxy Tab picks the wireless signals from hotspot locations and allow you to carry on with your work without facing any kind of disruption. However, the free Wi-Fi service available at most commercial establishments is not really secure since the providers use a minimal level of security. This allows hackers and snoopers to steal passwords, bank data, credit card details and even identity from unsuspecting users.
To protect your privacy and data while using the Galaxy Tab, you must use a secure networking solution like a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs use extremely high levels of encryption so your personal details and private data remains protected from ISP and network based surveillance as well as unscrupulous elements. VPNs can also help you to access the services that are usually not available in your country or organization (for instance, Netflix, Hulu) by providing an IP address from a different country and even allow you to bypass the restrictions set by your ISP or network administrator (unlock Facebook, Skype, YouTube from anywhere).
Setting Up A VPN On Samsung Galaxy Tab
For setting up a VPN on Samsung Galaxy Tab, there are usually two options available – PPTP VPN and L2TP/IPSec VPN. The PPTP protocol is an old VPN protocol that is easy to setup and provides bare minimum level of security (maximum 128 bit encryption). On the other hand, the L2TP/IPSec protocol is an advanced VPN protocol that provides much better level of security (128+ bit encryption) but is somewhat difficult to configure. There is also a third VPN protocol, known as OpenVPN protocol, which provides very high level of security but it is not yet compatible with mobile operating systems like Android. However, it is possible to configure OpenVPN on an Android device, such as Samsung Galaxy Tab, by using apps like OpenConnect.
In this article, we will explain how to setup a PPTP and L2TP/IPSec VPN on Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Step 1: Close all apps and go to Galaxy Tab’s home screen.
Step 2: Next, tap on the Settings icon located on the home screen. [Refer to imageshack.us/a/img90/5456/qc9.jpg]
Step 3: In the Settings screen, tap on the “Wireless and Network” option to open the network configuration options available to you. [Refer to imageshack.us/a/img845/7682/yfw0.jpg]
Step 4: Next, tap the VPN Settings option that allows you to create and manage VPN connections. [Refer to imageshack.us/a/img844/2923/pj5q.jpg]
Step 5: To add a new VPN connection, tap on “Add VPN” option. [Refer to imageshack.us/a/img39/4089/ul03.jpg]
Step 6: Next, you need to specify the protocol for your VPN connection. Choose “Add PPTP VPN” to add a PPTP based connection or “Add L2TP/IPSec PSK VPN” for adding a L2TP/IPSec based VPN connection. [Refer to imageshack.us/a/img266/5761/09h1.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img690/4150/i6oq.jpg]
Step 7: Next, you need to specify the connection details. Specify an easy to remember connection name for your VPN connection in the VPN Name box. It is advisable to use a combination of VPN vendor name along with the city where the VPN server is located so that you can instantly locate the connection.
In the next screen, type the IP address or URL of the VPN server. This information is readily available at the official websites of most VPN providers and is also conveyed through the welcome email. If your VPN vendor offers servers at multiple locations, then you must create separate connections for each sever that you wish to connect (or modify the server URL before connecting to the service).
a). For PPTP connections, ensure that “Enable Encryption” is set to On. If your VPN provider supplies DNS information then you would also need to input the DNS Domain information by tapping on “DNS search domains” option and typing the DNS details.
b). For L2TP/IPSec connections, input the secret key provided by your vendor in the “Set IPSec pre-shared key” box. Tap on the checkbox located next to “Enable L2TP Secret” option and input the DNS information if it is available.
Finally, tap on the Save button located at the bottom of the screen. You should now see a new connection in the “VPN Settings” screen.
[PPTP screenshots – Refer to imageshack.us/a/img707/6306/5mh0.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img4/2329/unu0.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img809/6114/bng3.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img594/2503/1k8f.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img547/8817/vpat.jpg]
[L2TP/IPSec screenshots – Refer to imageshack.us/a/img402/815/h9eq.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img197/9836/yton.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img825/7348/4lly.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img585/7599/a8wy.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img198/5886/u5yr.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img27/4706/6rfg.jpg]
Step 8: Test the new connection by tapping on the new connection name. Enter the username and password provided by your VPN company and then tap on Connect option. When the connection is established, you will see a key icon at the top of the screen and “Connected” message beneath the VPN Connection name. When you want to disconnect, simply tap on connection name and choose the Disconnect option. [Refer to imageshack.us/a/img9/3125/7on7.jpg, imageshack.us/a/img341/2664/b1uf.jpg]
You also might like:
Facebook to Notify Users of Account Theft
Facebook has hit upon a novel idea to keep user accounts safe from hacking and theft. …
“Ghost” Flaw Leaves Web Servers Vulnerable To Attack
Security firm Qualys has discovered a previously unknown vulnerability in Linux operating system that could leave …
USB Ethernet Adapter Can Steal OS Passwords
The security researcher Rob Fuller has uncovered a straightforward but highly dangerous method which allows attackers …
Watch Supergirl Online
Supergirl is an exciting new TV series which currently airs on the CBS TV channel. The …
President Obama Signs Executive Order To Improve Credit Card Security
In order to fight the growing menace of identity theft and credit card fraud, U.S. President …
Torrent Giants Kickass Torrents And Torrentz.eu Shut Down
The bittorrenting community has suffered two huge setbacks in late July and early August. Kickass Torrents …
October 7, 2013