VPN getting throttled

[#1]

I use a cisco Vpn client to work from home 2 days a week,  despite having the pro add on,  PN are throttling my connection,  this is also happening to a colleague who is also with PN using the same software etc.  All PN say is we need to install wireshark,  which I cannot do as it is a secure work laptop.  My other colleagues who are with BT and sky don't have this problem.
So looks like I'll have to leave PN,  as it's a catch 22 situation,  as I can't install wireshark.  The VPN uses port 80.

[#2]

There are no rate limits on our side for the product you're on, even without the Pro add-on there wouldn't be rate limits on VPN.
Have you tested an alternate router at all to make sure that's not the point of contention?
What times of day are you seeing the problem and what speeds are you seeing through the VPN?

[#3]

Quote from: nibor

I use a cisco Vpn client to work from home 2 days a week,  despite having the pro add on,  PN are throttling my connection,  this is also happening to a colleague who is also with PN using the same software etc.  All PN say is we need to install wireshark,  which I cannot do as it is a secure work laptop.

I had something similar with my wifes work laptop, VPN & a Netgear router.
I managed to force a PlusNet supplied TG585 router to mirror its ethernet port traffic to another ethernet port and wireshared the mirrored traffic.
I will try & find a link.... In the end all the traffic was being correctly prioritized by PN!
Then I noticed that the PN supplied TG585 did not slow the VPN traffic but the Netgear did!
The Netgear, by default, was set not to respond to pings on the WAN interface enabling the WAN ping response permitted the VPN to operate at full speed.
I can only guess that the cisco VPN uses a ping to check the status of the VPN tunnel?
Richard

[#4]

Both myself and my colleague have used different routers,  his is the supplied plus net netgear and mine is the n600. Both our connection were fine for a couple of weeks and then at the same time our speeds dropped,  he even took his work computer round to a colleague within 20 min and it worked fine on a different isp.
So for two of us to have the same problem kick in at the same time on different routers, it has to be traffic being shaped in correctly.  And strange how it worked for a day with pro add on and then went very slow again as if traffic shaping has kicked in.

[#5]

How do you set the netgear router to respond to ping on the wan?

[#6]

Hi
Use the browser to access IP address 192.168.0.1
login with user name = "admin" and password = "password" (remove quotes) unless password has been changed.
Select the WAN setup page via the left menu pane. Then enusre that "Respond to Ping on Internet WAN Port" has a tick in the box. If not click in the box to enable.
Finally click on the apply button at the bottom of the page.
Richard

[#7]

I'm nibor's colleague and just in case this helps we are connecting via Cisco Anyconnect VPN client version 2.5.1025 which states something about SSL. I am using a  Technicolor TG582n and nibor is using a netgear router, which would imply that there is not a router problem.
Looking through some old posts I found the following from Bpullen (plusnet staff) in which he mentions about VPN traffic and a previous problem, (I'm wondering if something like this has arisen again)
Quote" We are also aware that there are customers who have had issues with the performance of their VPN traffic. VPN traffic is treated as gold to ensure that it gets the right level of service across the platform. Before 6.4 there was a signature enabled to identify SSL based VPN traffic, but this changed following the upgrade. There is a feature offered by Ellacoya to prevent Skype logins from occurring which is closely tied to the SSL signature. We do not use this feature so it was not active in the config, which meant that the SSL signature wasn't either. Once that was enabled customers SSL based VPN was detected again and given the right level of priority."
He also stated that as part of the process of working though some issues following an upgrade it was  discovered that there were 760 customers who had been assigned  incorrect profiles. The profile that they had been assigned had the same effect as giving them the PAYG experience. The result of this was that there was a lot more traffic being prioritised than should have been.
I've only been with Plusnet for about 2 months but I am very much regretting the move from my old ISP and it is looking likely that I will be forced to terminate this contract...
any help would be greatly appreciated

[#8]

I see your logic but both of you are using Netgear routers.
Why not check whether selecting responding to WAN ping has an effect?
It worked for me....
Richard

[#9]

Hi Richard, I've just enabled ping on wan on my router (disabled by default) on my router, I'm using a technicolour TG582n not a netgear, hopefully this may do something as it's useless whilst working from home

[#10]

Hi
I hope it helps.
If not here is a guide to copying all the traffic including the VPN traffic from one ethernet port to another ethernet port on an older Thomson (now Technicolour) router:
http://deckardt.nl/blog/2008/06/27/speedtouch-fun-the-port-mirror/
A second PC can then be used to wireshark the traffic from the VPN PC.
Some links to wireshark guides:
http://community.plus.net/library/windows/how-to-use-wireshark-windows-video/
http://community.plus.net/library/faults/using-wireshark-for-data-capture/
Richard

[#11]

Quote from: RichardB

I see your logic but both of you are using Netgear routers. Why not check whether selecting responding to WAN ping has an effect? It worked for me.... Richard

We are not, I got it wrong I'm on a netgear and he has the technicolour.

[#12]

Have you both checked if the setting of the PN Broadband firewall has any effect? I use VPN and have it set to off. Note if you change it's settings you need to then disconnect then reconnect the router for it to take effect.

[#13]

Jelv we have tried everything,  the main reason we are sure it is traffic shaping,  is that all was fine for a couple of weeks and then it slowed down for both of us. Adding the pro add on fixed things for a couple of day's and then things ground to a halt again. All our other colleagues using the same equipment but with different isp have not had any problems.

[#14]

Something very odd happening here.  We really need to see some wiresharks to work out what's happening.
If you aren't able to get them yourselves we can arrange for some captures done on our side.  Can you guys make sure you are on a PCL gateway (but NOT PCL-AG07 or PCL-AG08) and let us know?

[#15]

asked work about the gateway and capture, they are getting back to me. I've also disconnected the tg582n and replaced it with a new netgear and so far everything is working ok, could it possibly have been a router issue. Hope it was but not convinced as it worked fine on Friday after purchasing the "pro add on" but yesterday and today were atrocious.