Sagem router and VPN

[markkus]

Just switched from Virgin to Sky and received a sagem router which installed fine but I cannot get VPN (using Nortel Contivity client) to work. After noticing similar comments on other posts I called Sky and they acknowledged that the Router would not allow VPN but said that is not their problem because "we only support domestic internet browsing and VPN access is classed as a business use"!! They also refused to send a Netgear router ("we do not supply them anymore")

Has anyone found a solution to this?

[James67]

I don't use Nortel VPN and I don't have a Sagem router, so it's probably not a good idea to take this post as a definitive answer, but I did look at the Nortel VPN documentation and I reckon there might be a way to do this.

Basically to get VPN working through an ADSL router, either the router has to support "VPN pass-through" or the VPN system has to support "NAT traversal". The Sagem router, unlike the Netgear ones, does not support VPN pass-through, so NAT traversal needs to be enabled. In the case of the Nortel VPN system, this has to be done at the server end, so you need to speak to the IT people at work about enabling NAT traversal.

[IWasNotTheEnemy]

and there is a netgear V2, but there's no option to chose which one gets sent out unfortunately...

and they're right about not supporting it - it is usually business use and Sky BB is a consumer service...

[markkus]

I am told that our VPN does support "NAT Traversal", but still does not work - although I think the person I asked was not exactly sure - so will need to ask again.

As to Sky being 'right' not to support me accessing my email from home - I don't see the Post Office refusing to deliver letters from my company to me at home just because I have not paid for a 'business service" and BT (or Sky for that matter) do not stop me telephoning my office because I have a consumer service!

[richone54]

I don't see the Post Office refusing to deliver letters from my company to me at home just because I have not paid for a 'business service"

post is the same charge for business or home (thats not totaly true, business can get a reduced cost due to volume and mailsort)

and i'm pretty sure BT do Business packages for bb (which are more expensive, but do get better support)

[James67]

Originally Posted by markkus

I am told that our VPN does support "NAT Traversal", but still does not work - although I think the person I asked was not exactly sure - so will need to ask again.

Ah yes, it's definitely supported, but is it switched on? It's switched off by default.

Originally Posted by markkus

As to Sky being 'right' not to support me accessing my email from home - I don't see the Post Office refusing to deliver letters from my company to me at home just because I have not paid for a 'business service" and BT (or Sky for that matter) do not stop me telephoning my office because I have a consumer service!

Well, there is a clause in the Sky Broadband Terms and Conditions that indicates that Sky Broadband is for domestic use only.

What's not clear though is whether working from home is business or domestic use. The point about BT is a good one. If I were running a business from home, I'm sure BT would be a bit miffed about me having a residential connection, but just phoning into my fixed place of work would be regarded as residential use.

Car insurance is the same. If I were a travelling salesman, a plumber or a builder, my insurance company would require me to take out commercial cover. If I used my car to commute to and from work, and occasionally use the car to visit customers, they would insist on me taking out business cover. But if I use my car just for commuting to and from a fixed place of work, then domestic cover is sufficient - and they state that point explicitly.

My personal feeling is that working from home, VPN'ing into your fixed place of work is domestic use, and so that's allowed. But running a business from your home using Sky Broadband for your Internet connectivity wouldn't be allowed. Although I'm not in any particular hurry to seek clarification on this point in case they disagree with me.

[markkus]

Thanks James - I will check.

I also agree with your position - that is my point.

Alternative solution - any chance of getting username & password from Sky so I can use an alternative router of my own?

[Undecided Adrian]

A clear set of definitions need to be made about what constitues domestic use.

James's anaolgy of car insurance is interesting as we are on Pay-as-you drive insurance and my god they have not just got a couple of terms such as business and domestic, they have very strict and well defined clauses on what you can and can't do.

This week my wife started a new job and she had to phone up and say that she would be driving the 3 miles to work and parking in the works car park, a quick check showed that the present cover wasn't enough and a new status code of driving to work - under 5 miles, has been added and bunged up the premium £6/month.

Now considering that even the government itself is trying to get more and more civil servants to be based at home, isn't it time for ISP's to start charging accordingly and rather than just having domestic and commercial start having Working from home packages?

[James67]

^^^ Shhhh! If Sky were to clarify things then I'm pretty sure I'd end up having to pay more, so please, no rocking of the boat, I'm happy with the vague status quo.

Originally Posted by markkus

Alternative solution - any chance of getting username & password from Sky so I can use an alternative router of my own?

Sky won't give out that information, and as yet, no-one has cracked the Sagem router to get the username and password out.

[audioslim]

Some of the analgies and excuses used here are odd to me.

It's a very clear situation. The vast vast majority of routers support IPSEC/LLTP tunneling etc (what VPN requires).
The old Sky V1 router did, as well as the new Netgear router.
The Sagem router doesnt.

This has nothing to do with the network supporting this protocol or not and everything to do with a piece of hardware not performing in the same way as other , available , and supposedly identifical hardware from Sky.

What's next that's not going to be supported. Port Forwarding perhaps.
If this lame excuse is readilly accepted by the people who do want to use VPN, then Sky will continue to throw lame excuses at us for anything that doesnt work.

I for one will be ringing cancellations (only been connected a few weeks) and telling them to cancel , give me my user + pass for a router that does support VPN or a Netgear router.

I suggest everybody else does the same.

Slim