VPN for businesses and homes: secure remote access

A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your phone or computer and your network. It's the secure way to reach the office, a home or several sites from outside.

Guide · 8 min read · Updated 2026-10-10

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What it's for

Remote work: access files, the server or internal applications as if you were in the office.
Multiple sites: join offices, shops or a hotel and its apartments into one private network (site-to-site VPN).
Second homes: reach the NAS, the camera recorder or the home automation without exposing them to the internet.
Technical support: let the installer connect to fix issues without leaving access open.

Why not just open ports?

Exposing remote desktop, the camera recorder or the NAS directly to the internet puts them in view of automated scans looking for vulnerable devices. With a VPN, the only thing visible from outside is the VPN entry point, protected by cryptographic keys.

WireGuard and OpenVPN

WireGuard: modern, lightweight and fast, with simple configuration. Well suited to phones and site-to-site links.
OpenVPN: widespread and highly compatible, useful when integrating with existing equipment or networks.

Both are open source. Many professional routers and firewalls include them out of the box, and they can also run on a dedicated server.

Good practice

One access per person and per device, which can be revoked.
Access only to what each person needs, not the whole network.
Router and VPN server firmware always up to date.
A connection log to know who connected and when.

Three ways to set up a VPN

Remote access: each person connects their phone or computer to the office or home network.
Site-to-site: two or more networks are permanently joined, as if they were one.
Overlay (mesh) network: devices connect directly to each other rather than all going through a central point. There are open source solutions based on WireGuard for this model.

Where it runs

Usually the VPN server is on the office's professional router or firewall, which already includes WireGuard, OpenVPN or IPsec. It can also run on a small server or a NAS.

Full or split tunnel

Full tunnel: all the device's traffic goes through the VPN. More control, but more load on the office connection.
Split tunnel: only traffic for the office network goes through the VPN; the rest goes out directly. This is the most common set-up for remote work.

Dynamic IP and CGNAT

To connect from outside, the office or home has to be reachable. If the public IP address changes, a dynamic DNS name solves it. If the operator doesn't assign your own public IP (CGNAT), inbound connections aren't possible: the options are then an overlay network, a relay server, or asking the operator for a public IP.

Not to be confused with commercial VPNs

Services advertised for "private browsing" hide your location or encrypt traffic on public WiFi. They don't give you access to your office. Here we mean your own VPN, into your own network.

What set-up involves

Check the router and connection.
Define who needs access, and to what.
Create one key per person and device.
Install the app and test from outside.
Document it and set the process for joiners and leavers.

Frequently asked questions

Does a VPN slow down the connection?

Slightly, because traffic is encrypted, but with WireGuard and a good fibre line the difference is barely noticeable in daily use. Speed mostly depends on the upload of the office or home connection.

Is it complicated to use day to day?

No. Once set up, it's an app with a switch: turn it on and the phone or laptop is "inside" the network.

What happens when an employee leaves?

Their key is revoked and they can no longer connect, without affecting anyone else. That's why each person and device gets its own access.

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