vpn

Does anybody know how to configure sky LLU to allow VPN?

sky don't support VPN but I believe some people have got it to work

Incoming or outgoing?

i.e. are you trying to host a VPN server, or are you looking to connect to remote systems?

Looking to connect to the office

I have set up 5 home workers so far and only the Sky LLU is giving problems. it allows email access but as soon as you try to connect to the actual server to access files it dumps you off..

sky connect has been fine as have BT

Email access over the VPN, or are the email services direct IP/Domain name?

There are many different protocols VPN's can use, and a wiki article suggests the actual router in use may be important:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Broadband

During 2006, Netgear were the only manufacturer of Sky Broadband routers, which were made in white. From 2008, Netgear and Sagem were the manufacturers of the Sky Broadband routers, made in black and shaped to match the Sky+ HD box. Both routers are also distributed in smaller boxes (The boxes are now the size of the routers) as part of BSkyB’s low carbon scheme in turn reducing postage costs. The Sagem router unlike the Netgear router has added restrictions to features such as the built in inbound firewall settings and outbound/inbound VPN connections. However a firmware upgrade is available upon request, for users wishing to connect to an outbound VPN connection using Sky Broadband, while maintaining restrictions on the inbound firewall and inbound VPN connection.

Towards the end of 2010, D-Link starting producing routers for sky. The D-Link router is the DSL-2640S.

thanks for that

it is a sagem router

Which Sagem router do you have?

There are actually more routers that Sky have used over the years that first indicated.

Sagem 2504 - Dull grey cover, has pimples like a golf ball
Sagem 2304n - Dark grey top, shiny black underside, smooth cover
Sagem 2504N - Silver top, shiny black underside, smooth cover

The Sagem 2504N is Sky's latest router.

I seem to recall that there is a fix available for the Sagem 2504, but you need to speak to someone in Sky to get it delivered to your router.

The alternative would be to use your own router. There are a few possible choices here. You could disable the WiFi on the Sky router and connect it to a cable router (via the Ethernet WAN port) or you could extract the log in details from the router.

Technically the 2nd option is outside Sky's T&Cs, but instructions do appear elsewhere on the Internet to help you with this. However it has been confirmed on various occasions that Sky don't give their customers too many problems if they use their own routers, however they don't support non-Sky routers.

P.S. For the record, another router is the D-Link 2640S

Thanks all for your assistance

it's not me this is a work situation where I have been sent out to set up home workers.

and despite asking lots of questions before my visit's and trying to cover all eventualities you only find out when you get there.

I did one sky setup last monday so wasn't expecting any issues with my 2nd sky this week but it was a total failure. As it is nearly a 200 mile round trip I am trying not to have another wasted journey.

does anybody have detailed instructions/info bearing mind I am dealing with people with no technical/computer/BB knowledge at all.

if it something we can get sky to push what info do we need to provide and who do we contact to get this going?

If I can get sky to upgrade the router then I can schedule another visit

Since I haven't heard of any custom firmware for the Sagems 2304n & 250N, and you haven't stated which of the Sagem routers is involved, I think the best solution might be to use a Cable router.

Take a look at this thread linked to below for who to link it to the Sky router. The Cable router would then be used to control the persons LAN and by placing it in the Sky router's DMZ, all the checks performed by the Sky router, and its firewall are bypassed:

http://www.skyuser.co.uk/forum/asking-help/42110-usi...

A WiFi n 300Mb/s cable router can cost as little as £30.

For reference the specs of the Sky routers are as follows:

* all support 10/100Mb Ethernet LAN
* Sagem 2504 is WiFi g (56Mb/s)
* Sagem 2304n is WiFi n Lite (72Mb/s)
* Sagem 2504N is WiFi n (144Mb/s)

Any Cable router which is known to be fine with your company's VPN set up should be absolutely fine.

Why are the Sky router's like this? (i.e. don't work well with VPN)

I suspect it is because the Sky broadband network is designed primarily for the domestic market. However many people have been successful in using their own routers to work with VPNs, so it isn't a case that th traffic is blocked, just the router cannot support some forms of VPN.

Well, it just works for me, but this is on the latest Sky Dlink. No setup required.

Note though that Sky is a residential service, not business.

I would not push Sky, as they exclude business use, now while someone doing a little one day a week stuff at home is probably ok, dealing with an IT support dept will set their bells ringing, and possibly bring T&C's into play.

http://www.skyuser.co.uk/forum/ may have people with info on routers, and taking a pre-configured router with you may be best option. Leaving workers existing modem, and instructions to plug that back in before calling Sky with any faults

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

Well, it just works for me, but this is on the latest Sky Dlink. No setup required.

Too many types of VPN - for example:

1) PPTP
2) Native IPsec
3) IPsec encapsulated in UDP
4) SSL

The first two generally need the router to assist, in many cases "VPN passthru" or similar options need to be enabled. My clients use 2 only, which is the hardest to get working. Older Cisco VPN uses 2 only, but newer and "AnyConnect" can use 4.

Both 1) and 2) work for me. I haven't tried OpenVPN or 4).
But we are talking about the client being behind the Sky router, not the server.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

Both 1) and 2) work for me. I haven't tried OpenVPN or 4).

Does OpenVPN do 3 then? I know Cisco Anyconnect does 4.

But we are talking about the client being behind the Sky router, not the server.

Correct, a VPN server needs to be on a real static routed IP Hosting a VPN server (or concentrator in cisco speak) behind a NAT is a labour of love

I have a VPN server behind a NAT on a dynamic IP, but I suspect you mean something else.

I doubt they do.

VPN servers behind NAT while feasible can be difficult to setup, hence the preference by many for a VPN server hosted in the router itself.

Now I do expect you to have a suitably obtuse response, that reveals nothing of the technical way in which you operate this VPN behind NAT.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

I doubt they do.

VPN servers behind NAT while feasible can be difficult to setup, hence the preference by many for a VPN server hosted in the router itself.

That's a good point, I'll bet the router manages to host a VPN server on a dynamic IP.

Setup info here: http://www.isaserver.org/tutorials/Configuring-PPTP-...

PPTP is doable (heck it was half designed by Microsoft who think about end/home users)

Original IPsec is a big problem; I'm told, but then there were modifications to the IPsec protocol design, but the problem is not all vendors implemented these optional parts. Original IPsec was intended for data centre to data centre (fw to fw) type links.