18-01-2021 19:31
I need to access my work vpn as I am currently working from home. Work cannot see a problem at their end, so I am working through the router options.
I HAVE TRIED - 1) adding work webpages to allowed sites in broadband buddy 2) disabling broadband buddy 3) turning off the Ipv6 firewall on the router. I still cannot access work vpn and would like to know if there is anything left to try.
If I cannot get access then I will leave nowtv for another provider.
Solved! Go to Solution.
19-01-2021 21:57
OK, reporting back.
My manager opened up several different vpn protocols for my account and sent the IP addresses for the servers as well.
I turned broadband buddy back on and set it to 18+. I went back into the security>firewall rules section of the hub 2 and turned all the firewall options back on.
I then added Inbound service rules for all the available IPv4 vpn protocols so that the action is always allow and the Lan user was set the the prefered vpn server's ip address. (Log is still set to 'never').
Of the 3 protocols available (IPSec, L2TP and TTPT), I found the only protocol that worked was the PPTP, but I am now able to connect to my work's VPN.
Thank you all for your help and suggestions. I hope this info helps someone else in the future.
18-01-2021 19:40 - edited 18-01-2021 19:43
Hi @Anonymous User
See if the information in this linked NowTV article helps ?
https://help.nowtv.com/article/broadband-buddy-troubleshooting
Edit - missed the bit where you have already allowed the works website in the custom Buddy Settings 😠.
Maybe contact the NowTV Broadband Team for assistance.
Do you have their telephone number ?
18-01-2021 19:40
Done those steps, did not work
19-01-2021 24:37 - edited 19-01-2021 24:42
@Anonymous User searched the internet for you and if you have a my work colleagues can they help you
Firstly, it’s crucial that you don’t allow VPN connections from any old machine as it could quite easily bring your entire company network down if it’s not properly checked and managed. Providing you are setting up the VPN on a company computer, then the steps in principle are as follows...
1. Download your firewall’s VPN client software - usually available for free from the vendors website (SonicWall, Checkpoint, WatchGuard, Meraki, etc).
2. Install the software
3. Enter your organisation's public IP address
4. Enter your username and password and connect
Once you’re connected, shared network drives and other systems you might use should become available.
Option 2: Remote Desktop Connection
If your organisation has a Remote Desktop Server, then this is a great option. Using almost any computer, you can open a connection back to your Remote Desktop Server and access a personalised desktop based at your office.
Pros:
- Easy to setup on each computer
- Workload uses server resources (memory, processor, etc) rather than your PC’s
- Very low bandwidth requirement – connect on a slow connection without issues
Cons:
- Requires the server, software and licensing infrastructure to set up
- Higher maintenance
An alternative is to allow remote desktop connections directly to your computer at work, which doesn’t require the server infrastructure but relies on the computer being switched on!
How does it work?
1. Open Remote Desktop Connection on your computer
2. Type in your organisation’s public IP address and click connect
3. Enter your organisation’s username and password
In order to access your computer using the same method, it needs some work on the router – specifically, port forwarding. Ask your IT team about this! Once ports have been forwarded, you can simply connect in the same way as above.
Option 3: Third Party Software
Team Viewer and LogMeIn are just two of many popular options for this. They provide secure remote access into a remote computer from anywhere, with very little maintenance, here are the pros and cons.
Pros:
- Easy to setup
- Very reliable once setup
- Secure "out of the box" i.e. doesn’t require much tweaking to ensure safe access
Cons:
- Can be expensive, especially if your whole organisation is working remotely!
How does it work?
This is a bit general as all software is slightly different!
1. Visit the vendor’s webpage, create an account and purchase your licenses
2. Download and install the software on the computer that you wish to connect to, set it up for unattended access
3. Download and install the software on the remote computer, and enter the remote access ID and credentials
19-01-2021 8:28
Thanks for replying, unfortunately you have not added anything new to the info I already have.
The pc is one from work, brought home specially. The vpn software is already installed and set up, and was working fine with my previous IP provider. I click the button to make the connection, the log shows all the outgoing requests go through but then the authentication fails coming back into the pc.
I will be contacting NowTV tech support today, as well as confirming IP addresses with work.
19-01-2021 9:25
@Anonymous User so NowTV is essentially Sky so I had a mooch around their community and it seems this is an ongoing problem for lots of people.
Access to work VPN's was fine and then all of a sudden last summer everyone started having problems. The linked thread is probably the longest with some suggestions but reading all the comments it doesn't look like good news for a lot of people.
https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Broadband/Working-from-home-VPN-blocked/td-p/3027911
Incidentally, I'd be interested to know if the suggestion in that thread of flushing your DNS and resetting TCP/IP would help. Something to run by your IT department. If you've used the system on another provider before, you may have old connection data stored and a reset of the registry may clear it.
19-01-2021 9:27
@Anonymous User
My apologies I didn't read it properly so my apologies for stating the wrong Info .
I hope you get it sorted soon
19-01-2021 9:51
Hi
@Anonymous User
I had a quick look though the net and not sure if this helps or you have already tried ,
Anyway just trying to help link is attached https://openvpn.net/vpn-server-resources/troubleshooting-authentication-related-problems/#common-authentication-errors-and-suggested-solutions
19-01-2021 12:48
@Saint1976 @Anonymous User @Anonymous User @schnapps
Going back over a number of years now, access to an employer VPN via Sky Broadband (including NOW Broadband) has always been hit & miss. Some work, some don’t. Think it depends on the underlying VPN software being used. A few years ago, I did WFH for a couple of weeks using an employer provided laptop which required login over a Cisco VPN connection and it worked fine. But, as a former SuperUser on the Sky Community, I came across many folk who unfortunately never managed to get their work VPN connection operational. Nobody ever see ed to know why this was. 😟
19-01-2021 12:57
Thank you all for your replies, you have been helpful & informative. I will be having one last go at getting the vpn to connect tonight, as I now have all the IP addresses etc and work have enabled more vpn connection types. I will report back with the results.