So, I needed a basic VPN solution and went and bought a TrendNet TW100-BVR304 which I thought would solve my problems, but wasn't completely sure. I've also tried the 204 variety, with identical results. To be clear, it's for deploying in an office where I don't want to have to maintain a linux computer.

Configuring the "microsoft vpn" section for PPTP connections is as easy as could be. Turn it on, add an account, and that's about it. So I try connecting from my powerbook, and no dice at all. I assume the cheap router is at fault, but try it from the XP Pro computer, and it works perfectly.

The "Internet Connect" program is used for configuring VPNs, and its log is full of the following error messages:
Code:

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Tue Jan 24 00:52:47 2006 : PPTP connecting to server '192.168.1.102' (192.168.1.102)...
Tue Jan 24 00:52:47 2006 : PPTP start_connection_control request failed, got result = 0, error = 0

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The text of which shows up in a few foreign language forums, and in the source code to Darwin's pptp.c.

The error message reads:
"The connection to the remote server has failed. Please verify the server address and try again."

I can't seem to get it to tell me why it's unhappy. If I point it at another address, it'll time out in a minute or two as expected.

Anyone have any sugestions? I assumed the OSX PPTP vpn client would be compatible with microsofts, but that doesn't seem to be the case. This is keeping me from playing with my two new empegs that joined the family today, so I'd really like to get it figured out.

I really like these little boxes, they're cheap and the vpn endpoint functionality would be a welcome addition to any NATed network.

Matthew