Work From Home VPN - Can't Connect To BT Broadband

[LANGJAMO]

Hi everyone

My wife is a fully remote worker, and since returning from maternity leave cannot connect her work VPN to our home BT Broadband smart hub for internet. I'm also trying to work from home, and getting to the point of madness of hearing about this issue, hence resorting to this forum for some expert help! I'm no expert in this, so have drafted below what I know about our home set up. If anyone is kind enough to reply, please do so in layman's terms as i'm not a Tech wiz 😉

• Wife work laptop will not connect to work (Cisco) VPN if connected to BT Broadband, sometimes will connect to BT Broadband but will get no internet, secured. Continually then would get unable to connect to vpn due to IPV4 issues. 
• Wife work laptop can connect to phone hotspot for wifi, and VPN.
• Husband work laptop can connect to BT Broadband wifi - has never had issue.
• All other home devices can connect to BT Broadband wifi.

In summary, we just need the BT Broadband smart hub to allow the connection to my wife's work VPN and internet.

Thanks in advance!

[FIZZYLP]

Hello @LANGJAMO 

Let’s do some checks.

Can your Wife’s Laptop connect to the broadband either wireless or wired with no VPN connected? If so at least we know the issue isn’t with devices.

If it won’t connect could mean maximum number of IP Addresses are currently in use meaning too many devices connected.

Let’s try factory reset the Hub, guidance can be found HERE.

If all that is fine… Let’s check the VPN.

Does the VPN have a contingency option? Does the IT Team need to grant VPN Keys?

Now let’s jump over to Cisco Help to see if setup and configured correctly.

Article 1.

Article 2. 

Technical Support.

If configured and setup correctly.

Does it connect and randomly keeps disconnecting?

[LANGJAMO]

Hi there @FIZZYLP 

Thanks for helping!

Yes, laptop can connect to Broadband wireless with no VPN connected.

Yes, VPN is managed offshore by IT Team - therefore is challenging to make any software changes. The articles you shared look helpful, but I don't believe (unless mistaken) I would be able to make those alterations or upgrades myself?

So, strangely the VPN did connect for a number of hours today. However, still at random disconnects or doesn't connect. Why is this? And why for most times it doesn't establish a VPN connection? 

[countrypaul]

Since your wife is using a Cisco vpn, once connected it is most likely intentional that she cannot use the Internet at the same time. Allowing use of the vpn connection at the same time as direct internet use raises the possibility of routing traffic from the host network via the vpn and onto the internet (and vice versa) which would allow bypassing of various security option on the host network. Allowing use of the internet directly at the same time as a vpn is known as split tunnelling and in corporate environments is often (usually?) disabled.

Do you see any error message when disconnected of failing to connect - and if so what exactly does it say (word for word)?

[FIZZYLP]

Hello Again @LANGJAMO 

thanks for the extra Information.

would be worth reaching out to them to make sure the configuration is correct or to see if it’s anything they can support with.

could also be useful to connect the VPN provider themselves also.

I would also give a go of what @countrypaul recommended.

VPN’s that are used for corporate purposes work differently from public VPN’s essentially do the samething.

[gg30340]

Assuming your wife's laptop is a Windows laptop try the following. 

With the VPN turned off, click on the wireless signal icon at the bottom right then go to the wireless connection to your Smarthub and click on "Properties".

Scroll down "Random hardware addresses" to see if it is turned off.

If it is already turned off try turning it on then try connecting to the VPN and conversely if it is turned on try turning off. 

I don't have an Apple device so I am unable to say if there is a similar way of doing that with them.