Please help - trying to use remote desk top

Question

Hi!
Let's see if I can explain this correctly...
I am on a PowerBook G4 in California and my mom is on her brand new MacBookPro in Ohio.
I bought the Apple Remote Desktop and installed it on my computer so I could log on and control hers in Ohio so I can teach her to use her new computer.
I followed all directions, all her preferences and and authorizations are checked on her computer, and spoke with Apple tech support, etc. and here is the problem:
Her husband's son (who THINKS he is some kind of computer wiz) hacked together an internet connection at her house that goes like this - Speedstream motem to Netgear FVS318 to another Netgear FVS318 to an Airport. Why he did it this way??? Your guess is as good as mine...
From what I understand, I need to Port Map (?) and the Netgear routers are blocking me from remotly connecting with her computer (?). I have her public IP address and her private IP address...How do I get around these Netgear things????
Thanks so much for your help!
Oh, and plugging the Airport directly into the motem is not an option. I believe this is because The Wiz Kid has somehow enabled her husband to connect wirlessly to his printer with an IMac (that would be one of those blue ones from a million years ago that won't even burn a disk..you know the one? That is if you can remember back that far)...

Answer 1

How do I get around these Netgear things????
Well, you can't "get around them", per se. In each of them, the ports used for ARD will have to be open, and then eventually forwarded to the internal IP address for your mom's MacBook Pro. Given the (probably unnecessary) complexity of the setup at her house, that's going to be a bit difficult, and very probably not something you can do remotely.
The ports that ARD uses must be open in each of the routers between the modem and her computer (as well as in any router on your end). ARD uses ports 3293 and 5900 so those must be open. The ports also need to be forwarded in the Airport (if she's using the MBP wirelessly) to the MBP's internal IP address. Someone will have to connect into each router's admininstration function to set up those ports; I'm guessing that you won't be able gain such access remotely, though it's possible.
It's a complex situation, so it may take some tinkering to get it work, something that's probably going to be difficult from your end. With luck, her husband's son knows enough about what he's doing to be able to help. Anything he can do to simplify the network configuration will be of benefit.
Good luck.