Windows Remote - Windows VPN - what's the difference?

I have one user in our office who works from home, and they use Windows Remote succesfully.

I want to change to use Windows VPN, and have set up client and server-side computers, as far as I know correctly, but cannot get the connection.

Is there a different port on the firewall I should open for VPN than for Remote?

What would be the advantages of using VPN, compared to Remote, will it be faster? more secure?

The idea is that the out-of-office user can access out office network files, change them update them etc, and all users in the office can see the changes.

 

Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a system that allows you to open a private secure connection to a remote network (or sometimes to a specific PC). This only provides the connection. It does not provide another service in itself. However, once that connection is open, you can then run other service through the connection.

Remote desktop is a service that provides a connection to your windows system that remotely displays and allows you the control of the desktop on another PC.

Therefore, the two do different things.

However, modern remote desktop systems such as RDP provide a secure encrypted connection similar to VPN, but a connection that is dedicated to the RDP service. However, VPN is a system dedicated to providing a secure connection. That's what it does best. It is therefore much more likely to give you a more secure connection than that built into RDP.

Therefore, I would recommend that you use a VPN to connect to the network remotely. Then run your RDP software over that VPN tunnel.

Yes - VPN uses different ports to RDP. The ports being used depend on the system being used (preferable IPSec) and the system being used (dependant on which hardware or software you are using to provide the VPN connection).