Using a RV016, RV042, or RV082 VPN router, can I set up a VPN tunnel where one of the locations has a dynamic IP address type connection?

Yes, this scenario is possible.  At least one (1) of the routers of the tunnel must have a connection where a static IP address is used.  Also, make sure that the router that has been assigned a dynamic IP address also has an account and a registered domain name with a dynamic DNS (DDNS) service with a provider like www.dyndns.org or www.tzo.com.

NOTE: These settings have been tested using RV0xx firmware versions 1.2.3 and above.

Router A:  Using a dynamic IP address Internet connection with an active DDNS domain name.

Router B:  Using a static IP address Internet connection.

Router A Configuration (Dynamic IP Address using a Dynamic DNS Service):

  1. The default setting for Local Security Gateway Type is “IP Only”.  Change it to the “Dynamic IP + Domain Name(FQDN) Authentication” option as shown in the example above. 
  2. Local Group Setup settings: Enter the full domain name address as registered with your DDNS service provider in the Domain Name field.  The Local Security Group Type is configured to “Subnet” in the example above, but it can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
  3. Remote Group Setup settings:  The Remote Security Gateway Type and Remote Security Group Type options are set to the typical settings.  Enter the static IP address of the Remote Gateway (i.e., Router B’s assigned static Internet IP address) in the IP Address section.  For the Remote Security Group, you can enter the IP address of a single computer, an entire subnet, or an IP range of computers on the remote end of the tunnel that will be participating in the VPN tunnel.  Use the settings above as a reference.  In the example, Subnet is used as the Remote Security Group Type.

  1. The Aggressive Mode option will need to be manually checked on in the Advanced section on Router A (the router using a dynamic IP address).  This router will be the only router of the tunnel that will show the “Connect” button on the Summary page.

Router B Configuration (Static IP Address):

  1. On this side of the VPN tunnel, the settings are simply the reverse of Router A’s settings.

  1. When Remote Security Gateway Type is configured to the “Dynamic IP + Domain Name(FQDN) Authentication” option, the Aggressive Mode option is automatically checked and grayed out to prevent changes.  This router will NOT show a “Connect” button on the Summary page.

Router A: Summary Page (Connect button):

  1. The router that is using the dynamic IP address Internet connection (in this scenario, Router A) will be the only router of the tunnel that will show the Connect button since it is the only side that knows the Remote Gateway’s IP address to initiate a connection.

  1. To connect the tunnel, you can go to a command prompt and ping a remote private IP address and check for replies.  In this example, a ping is sent from a computer behind Router A to an address behind Router B (C:\>ping 192.168.1.1). A ping test like this can also be used to test the tunnel link and check for connectivity. 
    NOTE: You can also use the Connect button to initiate the connection and create the VPN.