VPNs

Hi Geeks. This is what I would like to do--Please tell me if it is possible and how is it possible (i Know its Possible)
I would like to establish a VPN connection to my home. I am using XP Pro on both machines. My home (server) machine is using a Netgear MR814 router(cable connected) for the internet gateway. PPTP forwarding for my machine's ip address is configured on the router. I set up the home machine to accept the vpn connection--with the proper user account allowed-- and on the laptop I create the vpn connection using the ip address of the router's internet port. And the error 800 states that "unable to establish connection to the VPN server--may be unreachable or security parameters not configured. I am using the proper user name and password when I try to establish the connection through the laptop. Please help me. Is there something else I should do--like register the ip address of the router or something on the internet before establishing the vpn?

 

shot in the dark: is a firewall on? that may stop it.

 

No firewall--Let me clarify the situation here. I can create a vpn on my lan in the workgroup because hey, The lan knows my computer name when I configure the vpn with that host name. But when I am on the road--how do I configure the vpn for the same host name since the WAN would have many of the same host names? What I mean here is that I can connect indside, but how do I connect outside? Given that I have a gateway router and it is configured to forward the PPTP for the computer accepting the VPN connection.