So I've got this new netgear FVS318 vpn router here at the office, and i want to test it out. so i set it up, but it seems that I can't get my XP Pro box at a remote site to connect to it. I call netgear tech support, who tells me that you have to purchase a client software to get it to work, since this vpn router uses IPSec and IKE technology, not the L2TP that the XP client uses.

I hesitate to trust them, when it means i would have to purchase a $150 client software. (btw, why would a software cost $150 when the entire vpn firewall router itself costs only $180?)

i'm not real familiar with vpn and its internal technologies.