VPN Issue using FortiClient

[#1]

I have had a support ticket open with Plusnet for (I think) over a month. Am hoping someone here may be able to help. 

My wife and I both work from home and I have no problems with anything I connect with. My wife has however recently had issues with her VPN - it just refuses to connect. It has worked perfectly for a couple of years to this point and works if she connects from another location.

We have tried all of the usual. 

Router Reboot,

Router Reboot with 30 mins of thumb twiddling,

Router Reset,

Check Firewall settings are low (Changed to high then back to low  - just in case something had got "stuck"),

Connect over WiFi and Wired,

Turning off firewalls (albeit very briefly and with a certain amount of trepidation). 

VPN setting in the firewall (for older firewalls)

All to no avail it looks as if something is interfering outside of our connection.

Disabling Safe Browsing

Support have suggested changing Static IP address - which I am loathe to do as it impacts things from my work point of view. From other threads it looks like this is an oft seen problem with plusnet - it looks like you, @MatthewWheeler  are the go to person to resolve issues of this ilk? I have seen posts where you have "tweaked" something and the issue has gone away. Is this something you are able to look at for me? 

Many Thanks to anyone that can help.

Matt

[#2]

When you talk about firewall high/low etc. are you referring to Plusnet's server-side firewall? If so, it may also be worth trying with it completely disabled too.

The missing part of the puzzle here is what the VPN administrator can see from their side. Have they been approached for support? Can they see your wife's connection attempts in their logs and if so is there anything telling to be found?

Do you know what the server address of the VPN is and is it possible to trace to it from the Plusnet connection i.e. from a Windows command line: -

> tracert <ip address or web address of the VPN>

If the traffic leaves our network, then it's very difficult to discern what is happening beyond that without co-operation from the other side.

Are you in a position whereby you can try a different model of router?

[#3]

Thank you for your prompt response.

I have tried switching off all firewalls yes both server side and (I think) on the router.

I did try a tracert when we initially logged it with my wife's employer help desk. I'll see if I can dig that out or run it again. The employer said that they often see issues with plusnet broadband.

I probably have an old router somewhere. So will also try that.

The fact that my issue seems comparable to ones that others have raised within these forums and it relating to routing within plusnet makes me think that is where the issue lies.
But again, thanks for taking the time to look and for responding.

[#4]

I've seen few issues reported here that are conclusively the fault of routing within our network. More commonly it is an issue that is likely being exercised by the VPN endpoint/how it is configured. Unfortunately, in many cases, the inability to get conclusive information/diagnostics from the VPN supplier results in us trying the few things that are within our control. If a routing change fixes things, then that doesn't necessarily mean it is the cause of the problem. It often involves a change of IP address, and it's equally, if not more likely, that it's down to how the VPN endpoint treats traffic from certain IP ranges.

[#5 · Accepted solution]

So, funny story. Despite having been asked to check settings at the employers end - it was only when prompted again that it turned out that the IT team had blocked our IP address! 

The solution appears to be that when told something by your wife's large employer you don't believe them and ask them to check again. 

Thanks Bob for taking the time to respond and apologies for wasting your time - although to be fair I have had a significant amount of my time wasted on this issue as well! 

[#6]

@frowde - glad to hear it's sorted

And no time wasted; I can appreciate the frustration with problems like this.