As others have indicated, there are a variety of ways to do what you want, but the technicalities of it are unlikely to be the problem.

Your girlfriend's company pays for the connection and are clearly sensitive about what it is used for, hence the firewall. Should they discover that it is being used for unauthorised purposes, especially in support of another business (ie yours), it's quite likely that they would get more than a little annoyed.

And it would be your girlfriend who would be the target of any action they might take, not you.

The safest course is the one suggested by MrSaffron- get a second line installed for your own account.

Hi Billford, thanks for that, think your right, I'll get in touch with BT and sort a second line out.

Cheers

Who pays for the actual phone line it is installed on? If they don't and have effectively stopped you using it for broadband, then they should also pay the line rental!

You could always call them (or get g/f to) and ask if there is a way you could use the line too.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Who pays for the actual phone line it is installed on? If they don't and have effectively stopped you using it for broadband, then they should also pay the line rental!

Best of luck with that one!

BT have no obligation to provide a broadband service, I doubt it prevents the use of a dial-up service which (I think) they do have to cater for, and the voice side is unaffected.

IOW, the line is still perfectly capable of providing the services it is required to provide.

You could always call them (or get g/f to) and ask if there is a way you could use the line too.

That could be worth a try. Tho' if they went to the trouble and expense of supplying a custom firewall, I wouldn't be optimistic about it.

Edited by billford (Mon 02-Jul-12 11:47:47)

Not suggesting that BT have stopped it ... but the employer. If the employer wants to use that Broadband capability of the line for their use and theirs alone, then it is reasonable to expect them to pay line rental too.

I had a similar issue a few years back - them employer wanted to move us to a new supplier which would have restricted personal use and effectively barred any other business use. As they had taken over my existing Broadband contract - and it included an agreement for personal/wife's business, they then had a choice, leave as it or a new line. They chose the, former.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Not suggesting that BT have stopped it ... but the employer. If the employer wants to use that Broadband capability of the line for their use and theirs alone, then it is reasonable to expect them to pay line rental too.

Debatable... part of it maybe.

But it's simply not worth the hassle. A second line isn't particularly expensive, if the OP has his wits about him he can claim some of it against his business expenses, it provides much more flexibility (as well as possibly a back-up connection) and isn't dependent on the whims of another company's policy changes.

For a purely personal account it might have attractions, but if there is significant business use (as would appear to be the case here) a second line would be a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned.

Your own example is hardly comparable... imho.

Using IPStream and WBC not that expensive that companies don't do it.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Swapping routers if the service is a direct link to the company intranet will achieve nothing

As he says, it's a BT internet connection. Not a leased line direct to the office intranet.

In reply to a post by thinkpaul10:

We have a Belkin modem and a similar looking box that says Firewall on it they are linked in a chain, then via cable to the laptop. My thoughts are that if i unplug the cable from the wall socket and disconnect the current set-up, can I then purchase a new modem and set this one up?

I would be almost certain that the firewall just provides a VPN link to her office over a normal internet connection. If you plug your laptop via a cable directly into the Belkin modem, do you get a working internet connection? If so then that's your solution

In reply to a post by billford:

Your girlfriend's company pays for the connection and are clearly sensitive about what it is used for, hence the firewall. Should they discover that it is being used for unauthorised purposes, especially in support of another business (ie yours), it's quite likely that they would get more than a little annoyed.

Which is why if that is the way they want to control access to their systems then they are the ones who should bear all the expenses for installing and renting a second line for their exclusive use. It is a no-brainer really.