VPN Problems

[sailracer_98]

I'm having trouble connecting to my company intranet through the Cisco VPN client.  The client seems to start communicating OK but then I get an authentication failure.  I have three different connection options on the VPN- IPSEC/TCP, IPSEC and IPSEC/UDP and they all have the same problem.

I turned on the logging in the Actiontec router firewall settings and see a few blocked inbound connections every time I try to connect to the VPN.  The reports look like this:

TCP 192.168.1.5:1907->96.6.64.29:443 on br0 [repeated 2 times, last time on Apr 1 20:52:02 2010]

but sometimes have different ports.  I have tried changing the firewall to allow incoming connections, but these still show up as blocked when I do that.  Do I need to set up some sort of port forwarding rule?

Thanks for any help!

[prisaz]

Please read previous posts. This post right below yours gets into more detail.

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-Internet/Cisco-VPN-won-t-connect-via-FiOS/m-p/177091#U177091

[sailracer_98]

I've been through the previous post several times and don't understand what switching from COAX to Ethernet involves.  Is there an ethernet port somewhere inside the FIOS box on my wall?  How do I test it to see if it works?  Based on the firewall log, it seems there ought to be some way to set up port forwarding or allow incoming traffic through the router.

Thanks.

[prisaz]

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@sailracer_98 wrote:

I've been through the previous post several times and don't understand what switching from COAX to Ethernet involves.  Is there an ethernet port somewhere inside the FIOS box on my wall?  How do I test it to see if it works?  Based on the firewall log, it seems there ought to be some way to set up port forwarding or allow incoming traffic through the router.

Thanks.

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Inside the ONT there is an Ethernet jack. Yes inside the box on the wall. It involves running an Ethernet cable from the box on the wall to your router, in addition to the coax that connects to your router. Verizon would need to turn on the Ethernet port inside the ONT, so the Internet would go to your router through the Ethernet and not the coax. The router would bridge the Ethernet to your coax for the STBs hooked to your TV. This has fixed some issues that people have had. I am not sure why the Ethernet reacts differently than the coax for Internet access and VPN, but it has solve many peoples VPN issues.

[viafax999]

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@sailracer_98 wrote:

I've been through the previous post several times and don't understand what switching from COAX to Ethernet involves.  Is there an ethernet port somewhere inside the FIOS box on my wall?  How do I test it to see if it works?  Based on the firewall log, it seems there ought to be some way to set up port forwarding or allow incoming traffic through the router.

Thanks.

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Wouldn't waste any time researching it as the previous VPN issue was resolved and VZ appears to admit it is an Actiontech issue

• Talked to an escalation technician (level 2 support) and explained the problem to him.  He was not aware of it
• He agreed that my problem likely had to be either FiOS or the Actiontec.  He also suspected the Actiontec.
• Sure enough, he found a memo: VPN users are advised not to use MOCA and to instead use Ethernet.
• We discussed the poor tech support and customer service I recv'd.  He said that he agreed that tech support on this issue s/be better, and that he would forward specifics to his superiors for action.  I hope he wasn't just being nice.  The good news is that Googling <cisco vpn fios> already brings up this thread as #3.  So, people in my shoes should still get the word.

As Prisaz states, get VZ to active the ethernet port on the ONT and point them to the above statements as to why you want it done.  Connect the router via ethernet rather than coax and you should be OK

You alternatively could ask to exchange for a Westell router.  I have one of those connected MOCA and use a Cisco VP all the time with no problems

[sailracer_98 · Accepted solution]

UPDATE:

I got my IT department to look into the problem.  They were able to solve it by changing the MTU settings on my computer to 576.  Others having this problem may want to try that first before going through the hassle of switching to the ethernet port on the ONT.