Help with VPN connection please.

MrJubbly · 12 Jan 2008 at 20:51

Hi,

I bought a router at the end of last year and I'm having troble setting it up to allow my wifes' work laptop to establish a VPN session to her works network.

We have BT broadband and VPN connectivity works fine when we connect the USB connected modem. If I replace the modem with the router (Linksys WAG200G) VPN no longer works. I have two other PC's connected to the router for Internet access - one directly connected, the other wireless. The laptop also gets Internet access through the modem. Its just that the VPN connection doesn't work.

The router has the latest firmware installed and is set up to allow VPN passthrough. I've also looked at the logs when the VPN is being established and all I can see is the outgoing request. I don't think I ever see a response. The VPN software eventually reports the login failed owing to the remote host not responding.

I'll confess to being pretty dumb when it comes to IP networking and I'm not sure if my problem is with the Laptop config, the router or both.

I could really do with some help on this and I'm happy to provide any further detail that may be required.

TIA

MrJubbly

m_cozzy · 13 Jan 2008 at 00:59

I am assuming cisco vpn software on the laptop or similar. If vpn passthru is enabled then it should work. Ideally you need to get her IT dept to check the logs on the concentrator sp they can troubleshoot. Ensure the vpn client is set to use nat. Make sure that your home ip range is different to the work ip range.

MrJubbly · 13 Jan 2008 at 11:10

m_cozzy said:
Ensure the vpn client is set to use nat.

How do I check this. Will this be within the VPN software itself, or is asetting under network connections?

m_cozzy said:
Make sure that your home ip range is different to the work ip range.

Not sure whether the IP range clashes or not. I have set the router up to use DHCP, so I assume if there was a clash I would need to alter the range for this?

Cheers,

MrJubbly

quackers · 13 Jan 2008 at 11:54

MrJubbly, so the vpn will work with the usb modem and not the router?

Do you connect to the work network and get stuck from there? If your home ip range is the same as the work range, the vpn will connect but not connect to any shared drives etc

MrJubbly · 13 Jan 2008 at 15:38

quackers said:
MrJubbly, so the vpn will work with the usb modem and not the router?

Yes, that's correct.

quackers said:
Do you connect to the work network and get stuck from there?

No, it just won't connect. Get 'Remote Host not responding' from VPN client (Contivity) when attempting to connect.

Cheers,

MrJUbbly

oddjob62 · 13 Jan 2008 at 15:42

Make sure that VPN passthrough is set on the router (some need to have the option enabled)

MrJubbly · 13 Jan 2008 at 21:34

oddjob62 said:
Make sure that VPN passthrough is set on the router (some need to have the option enabled)

I do have it enabled for IPSec, PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP.

oddjob62 · 13 Jan 2008 at 22:13

MrJubbly said:
I do have it enabled for IPSec, PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP.

Latest firmware?

MrJubbly · 13 Jan 2008 at 23:14

oddjob62 said:
Latest firmware?

Yep, done that.

decto · 14 Jan 2008 at 00:39

We have a similar setup on ours works laptops.

Two applications, one is the VPN client and the other is something like IPsec.

Have to use the IPsec application to tell it to connect via wireless or lan or usb.
Wireless on mine only works with the works supplied netgear card configured through the IPsec software. The internal toshiba wifi refuses to connect even though I can get on the internet with it though my linksys router.

watching the sequence it seems the pc drops the internet connection then reconnects through the IPsec software as it give me some output eg... connecting ... associating..connected.

I'll have another look when it's powered up tomorrow.

AD