Finally got this working on my Synology (PPTP), phone can connect to it just fine.

Now, should I leave the phone connected to it all the time?

Assume it just uses my Wifi to connect to the server and accesses the internet the usual way, but remotely I’m connecting to my server using my mobile, then the VPN handles the traffic to and from my phone over my mobile data…the advantage being a more secure connection?

No. Complete waste of battery and network overhead. If you are accessing the server all the time and no internet traffic then fine, but tunnelling all your internet traffic through the mobile network through to your fixed line into your VPN concentrator, then back out to your phone.

All it adds is latency at best, excessive delays at worst.

And your connection is only as secure as the weakest link, so if you are accessing the internet it’s still as dangerous. It’s like putting the most secure lock in the world on your front door but leaving the key under the mat.

If you need to access the server remotely, use VPN. If using phone on the internet to browse, do it directly and save battery and reduce delay. If in the network at home using wifi, completely and utterly no point, you are already in the correct network.

If you are trying to do something else other than the scenarios above there might be a need.

Oh and PPTP is about as secure as asking a stranger to break into your house and give you a call after reading all your docs after he’s read them. So don’t think using pptp will add anything to security, more the opposite so avoid unless really needed

Cool ta, occasional access is probably all that’s needed – using office Wifi to access my music library back at home, but wondering if there’s any other uses for it.

I doubt I really have much call for use over mobile data and don’t have a massive allowance anyway.

Will try L2TP, I just used PPTP as it was the first one I got working. There’s also the Synology Quick Connect thing which works nicely but wondered if VPN may be more secure.