Work VPN occasionally dropping

[#1]

“the remote connection was not made because the name of the remote access server did not resolve.”

That has hints of intermittent DNS resolution issues...

... ask you IT department if their remote server has a fixed IP address.  If it does, adding it to the computer's host file might avoid DNS look up failures if that is what is happening here.

This is not ideal, but it is pragmatic, your IT department should be able to assist you.

However, do note that WFH is not aligned to Plusnet's T&CS for use of their services.  If WFH is what your employer expects of you, then your employer ought to be providing a business grade internet connection.

[#2]

It's all too common these days to hear of IT Depts deal with remote IT problems by saying "It's not our problem".

If an employee cannot do their work because of IT issues then it is the IT Dept's problem. If a fix cannot be found then an alternative solution must be provided. If a Company allows remote workers to connect any old, unknown, equipment to their systems then they really are asking for serious problems which could result in the Company folding.     Early Sunday morning rant over...................

[#3]

@Champnet 

Totally agree with that sentiment.  If a company expects WFH then it should provide a full end to end solution which it owns, including the internet connection.

[#4]

Hi,

It's an Always On VPN on my work computer.

I can't seem to find an ethernet cable at home to test whether it's the connection or WiFi, but yes, I mean the connection really.

I've got a Full Fibre connection.

The lights on my router remain blue when the VPN goes down.

I can't seem to log on to the router from my work computer, it looks like it might have a restriction on it. Please see the error message below.

I don't know if this will affect anything, but a family member works in IT and they advised me to "flush the DNS". I did this immediately after the VPN dropped, restarted my computer and then retrieved this events log.

Error

The requested URL could not be retrieved

---

Error: Access to the web site failed

Why you are seeing this:
The web filter could not display the requested site.

Possible reasons could be:

• The web site denied you access, or the web filter received no reply from the site.
• Internet connectivity issues might be preventing the website from sending or receiving traffic.

If this problem persists, please ask your administrator to:

• Check access to the specific site - the HTTP error code is 504: Gateway Timeout.

[#5]

Typically a device running. VPN will not be able to access LAN services.  Such is part of a highly secure VPN connection.

[#6]

Thank you, I'll speak to the IT department about this.

I work between home and the office so I'm not sure if there would be an expectation to pay for business-grade broadband. They would probably argue that I could just work from the office.

It seems unusual that this doesn't align with the T&Cs as surely I'm just asking for a stable internet connection? I never had any issue with Sky at all. I'm just using one device.

I've noticed that even BBC iPlayer will pause and swirl during a programme, which we never had with Sky either. I'm regretting the shift now to be honest.

[#7]

It's a pity you didn't find time to upload the event log. You would need to VPN closed to be able be to connect to the Hub.

The event log details many things including line drops and wireless issues, buffering during iPlayer streams could be a symptom of weak wireless connection between the device and Hub. Weak/Poor WiFi connection reduces the speed between the devices, in some cases I've seen a connection speed down to 2Mbps.

If the VPN connection does not close gracefully due to an unexpected disconnect the VPN server thinks the connection is still active and will not allow a second VPN session from the same client IP Address.

Your IT department should be able to check this. 

Maybe try creating a hotspot on your smart phone and use that when you can not connect.

[#8]

I didnt find the time? I was on my work computer until 10pm trying to figure this out! I don’t know if you saw my earlier post that said it wouldn’t let me log on to my router on my work laptop.

I did copy and paste the event log from my phone, but it doesn’t appear to have posted for some reason. I’ll try again.

[#9]

Can you define "Work Computer" ? Is this your computer which you also use for work or is it a work supplied computer ? Also is this the "Work Laptop" or another ?

[#10]

Hi, it’s a laptop supplied by my employer on both counts.

[#11]

Did they setup and configured the laptop ?

When not connecting to your work place does the laptop work as normal ? I.E. emails, web browsing.. 

[#12]

They did, yes.

Now they’ve switched to Always Open VPN, I can’t disconnect it so I wouldn’t be able to check that unfortunately.

[#13]

When you first switch it on does the VPN automatically start, if not can it be used as normal ?

Never used Always Open VPN but  I’ll look into it tomorrow to see how it works.

I’m beginning to think this box is locked into the works system.

Anyone on the forum familiar with this software and setup ?

[#14]

Hi, yeah it does automatically connect.

[#15]

Looks like the software is Microsoft’s “Always On VPN” connection for remote users’ computers. Quite a setup requiring 3 Active Domain servers. Now to find a manual….