When you are traveling or at home with your city provided laptop, here is how you connect to our VPN which will allow you to access our internal network for shared drives and more.
A printable PDF version is attached at the end of this document
Step 1
First, log into your computer and then connect to a wireless network.
Step 2
Once the laptop is connected to wireless, open a browser to verify you can load any non-city website such as GMail or Wikipedia.
Step 3
Now to connect to our FortiClient VPN. Next to your computer clock, typically in the lower-right corner, there should be small icons. There you can find the FortiClient icon that looks like this:
*** If you cannot find the FortiClient icon, it may be hidden. To find it, click on the ^ icon and it should appear in a group of icons similar to the following images:
Step 4
Right-click on the FortiClient icon, and a menu will appear. On the small menu, select [Connect to "IPsec Tunnel"]
Step 5
When you click [Connect to "IPsec Tunnel"] a window will open asking for your current Username and your current Windows password.
Simply fill out those fields, then click the blue [Connect] button below.
Once you click the [Connect] button, if the username and password are filled out correctly, the window will disappear.
Step 6
The FortiClient icon will now have a small orange padlock indicating it is now connected. If you do not see the orange padlock, you will need to retry the steps above.
Done! You should now have access to all your city network resources, drives, and intranet websites such as OPNet.
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Notes and Tips
• VPN connections require a stable internet connection to maintain a solid connection. The following notes and tips may help you improve the connection or understand why it may be failing.
• The VPN will disconnect automatically after 60 minutes of inactivity and you will need to reconnect once again.
• If using a city provided hotspot, or a personal hotspot, to get the strongest internet connection, place the hotspot device on the window sill, or the wall closest to the outside.
• While using a hotspot as your wireless connection, your signal strength only indicates your connection quality to the hotspot, but does not indicate the connection quality to the internet. Placing your hotspot closest to the outside will greatly improve the connection quality, even if your computer wireless indicates a slightly weaker connection to the hotspot.
• Hotel wireless is frequently not stable enough for a VPN connection and may also be blocked by the hotel network. Using a city provided wireless hotspot or your personal cell phone hotspot may provide a much smoother connection. You may contact the help desk prior to leaving to schedule a hotspot for you to use!
• If traveling and using VPN while on moving transportation, such as buses, trains, aircraft, cruises, cars and more, the VPN will frequently disconnect. It may be best to wait until you arrive to continue your work if it is too unstable.
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For any issues with the VPN not noted here, please call the IT Help Desk at:
913-895-5050