Abstract: A system identifies a user, even a user behind a wireless router, and provides a virtual tunnel over the internet for communication with the user. A data center at an Internet Service Provider may work in concert with a central data center to authenticate the user and to provide access, for example using a layer 2 tunneling protocol and a point-to-point data (PPP) link protocol. A layer 2 tunneling protocol network server (LNS) may provide public IP address translation services.

Abstract: A system and method and provided for receiving, by a wireless gateway device from a user computing device, a request for network access and is received via a first communication protocol. The request is formatted to comply with a second communication protocol that is different than the first communication protocol, and transmitted to at least one authentication computing device. The wireless gateway device receives a reply formatted to comply with the second communication protocol from the at least one authentication computing device that grants the request. The device formats the reply to comply with the first communication protocol, and transmits by the wireless gateway device, the formatted reply to the user computing device. A first communication pathway is established between the authentication computing device and the user computing device, and a request for access to at least one other computing device is received by the authentication device.