VPN passthrough broken on Voyager 2110 (also possibly other Voyager products)

Hi,

A couple of days ago I post a question here asking whether anyone had
any issues with the VPN passthrough on their BT Voyager routers.
However, I can now confirm that with IPSEC VPN clients (i.e, the
Nortel VPN client), the VPN passthrough function is broken on the
router. I have examined the packets going out fine, but with the
local IP of the machine, then nothing is returned from the VPN
gateway. On a D-link DSL-604T, with no changes on the client (same BT
wireless card etc), everything works perfectly.

Using latest firmware.

This is a Voyager 2110, the same problem may exist on the Voyager 2100
and other older products.

Be warned.
Andrew.
--
Andrew Hodgson in Bromyard, Herefordshire, UK.
My Email: use <andrew at hodgsonfamily dot org>.

> A couple of days ago I post a question here asking whether anyone had
> any issues with the VPN passthrough on their BT Voyager routers.
> However, I can now confirm that with IPSEC VPN clients (i.e, the
> Nortel VPN client), the VPN passthrough function is broken on the
> router. I have examined the packets going out fine, but with the
> local IP of the machine, then nothing is returned from the VPN
> gateway. On a D-link DSL-604T, with no changes on the client (same BT
> wireless card etc), everything works perfectly.
>
> Using latest firmware.
>
> This is a Voyager 2110, the same problem may exist on the Voyager 2100
> and other older products.

I did actually see a memo from out IT dept the other day on this. We use the
Nortel VPN client and the memo stated simply that the Voyager routers were
known not to work and that if you had one, don't bother calling support
(don't you just love the attitude here).

The posted solution was "buy a different router" :-)

Seems to back up your post.

On Mon, 26 Dec 2005 22:33:58 GMT, "Networkguy" <2005@networkguy##you
know what to do##.co .uk> wrote:

>> A couple of days ago I post a question here asking whether anyone had
>> any issues with the VPN passthrough on their BT Voyager routers.
>> However, I can now confirm that with IPSEC VPN clients (i.e, the
>> Nortel VPN client), the VPN passthrough function is broken on the
>> router. I have examined the packets going out fine, but with the
>> local IP of the machine, then nothing is returned from the VPN
>> gateway. On a D-link DSL-604T, with no changes on the client (same BT
>> wireless card etc), everything works perfectly.
>>
>> Using latest firmware.
>>
>> This is a Voyager 2110, the same problem may exist on the Voyager 2100
>> and other older products.
>
>I did actually see a memo from out IT dept the other day on this. We use the
>Nortel VPN client and the memo stated simply that the Voyager routers were
>known not to work and that if you had one, don't bother calling support
>(don't you just love the attitude here).
>
>The posted solution was "buy a different router" :-)

You don't happen to work for the NHS do you?

Andrew.
--
Andrew Hodgson in Bromyard, Herefordshire, UK.
My Email: use <andrew at hodgsonfamily dot org>.

Andrew Hodgson wrote:
> Hi,
>
> A couple of days ago I post a question here asking whether anyone had
> any issues with the VPN passthrough on their BT Voyager routers.
> However, I can now confirm that with IPSEC VPN clients (i.e, the
> Nortel VPN client), the VPN passthrough function is broken on the
> router. I have examined the packets going out fine, but with the
> local IP of the machine, then nothing is returned from the VPN
> gateway. On a D-link DSL-604T, with no changes on the client (same BT
> wireless card etc), everything works perfectly.
>
> Using latest firmware.
>
> This is a Voyager 2110, the same problem may exist on the Voyager 2100
> and other older products.
>
> Be warned.
> Andrew.

Hi there,

I've encountered some oddities with the 2110 that didn't exist with the
2100. Namely the fact that if you configure it via Ethernet first it
seems almost impossible to connect to it wirelessly without a factory
reset, which then requires you to configure the unit over wireless
before connecting over ethernet (if that makes sense?!).

Only an abservation but one that that stresses differences between the
two (apparently very similar) units.

Regards,

--
|Bob Pullen...................Broadband Solutions for
|Training...........................Home & Business @
|PlusNet plc.............................www.plus.net
+ ----- PlusNet - The smarter way to broadband ------

On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 00:12:05 +0000, Plusnet Support Team
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Andrew Hodgson wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> A couple of days ago I post a question here asking whether anyone had
>> any issues with the VPN passthrough on their BT Voyager routers.
>> However, I can now confirm that with IPSEC VPN clients (i.e, the
>> Nortel VPN client), the VPN passthrough function is broken on the
>> router. I have examined the packets going out fine, but with the
>> local IP of the machine, then nothing is returned from the VPN
>> gateway. On a D-link DSL-604T, with no changes on the client (same BT
>> wireless card etc), everything works perfectly.
>>
>> Using latest firmware.
>>
>> This is a Voyager 2110, the same problem may exist on the Voyager 2100
>> and other older products.
>>
>> Be warned.
>> Andrew.
>
>Hi there,
>
>I've encountered some oddities with the 2110 that didn't exist with the
>2100. Namely the fact that if you configure it via Ethernet first it
>seems almost impossible to connect to it wirelessly without a factory
>reset, which then requires you to configure the unit over wireless
>before connecting over ethernet (if that makes sense?!).

It makes sense, but wasn't an issue in our case, though I did update
the firmware over ethernet before starting wireless. It was a Plusnet
supplied unit, btw. I did try and get them to take the unit back, but
they weren't having any of it, not that I am asking you to get
involved in this, as the user is happy with the situation, and will
probably sell the router to someone else now.

Andrew.
--
Andrew Hodgson in Bromyard, Herefordshire, UK.
My Email: use <andrew at hodgsonfamily dot org>.

Andrew Hodgson Wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 00:12:05 +0000, Plusnet Support Team
> (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> -
> Andrew Hodgson wrote:-
> Hi,
>
> A couple of days ago I post a question here asking whether anyone had
> any issues with the VPN passthrough on their BT Voyager routers.
> However, I can now confirm that with IPSEC VPN clients (i.e, the
> Nortel VPN client), the VPN passthrough function is broken on the
> router. I have examined the packets going out fine, but with the
> local IP of the machine, then nothing is returned from the VPN
> gateway. On a D-link DSL-604T, with no changes on the client (sam
> BT
> wireless card etc), everything works perfectly.
>
> Using latest firmware.
>
> This is a Voyager 2110, the same problem may exist on the Voyage
> 2100
> and other older products.
>
> Be warned.
> Andrew.-
>
> Hi there,
>
> I've encountered some oddities with the 2110 that didn't exist with th
>
> 2100. Namely the fact that if you configure it via Ethernet first it
> seems almost impossible to connect to it wirelessly without a factory
> reset, which then requires you to configure the unit over wireless
> before connecting over ethernet (if that makes sense?!).-
>
> It makes sense, but wasn't an issue in our case, though I did update
> the firmware over ethernet before starting wireless. It was a Plusnet
> supplied unit, btw. I did try and get them to take the unit back, but
> they weren't having any of it, not that I am asking you to get
> involved in this, as the user is happy with the situation, and will
> probably sell the router to someone else now.
>
> Andrew.
> --
> Andrew Hodgson in Bromyard, Herefordshire, UK.
> My Email: use andrew at hodgsonfamily dot org.

Andrew,
BT seem to think that IPSEC VPN can be enabled on the Voyager 2110 b
using Port Forwarding.

Take a look at www.shop.bt.com/stry/questionipsectraffic

Have you tried this

--
David26

On Wed, 26 Apr 2006 13:59:39 +0100, David26
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Andrew Hodgson Wrote:
>> On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 00:12:05 +0000, Plusnet Support Team
>> (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

This is going back a bit so nothing else was tried, but just wanting
to post a comment:

[...]

>Andrew,
>BT seem to think that IPSEC VPN can be enabled on the Voyager 2110 by
>using Port Forwarding.

I saw that article on the support website after contacting BT and
laughed, I implemented it (as well as putting the machine in the DMZ
host setup - I think, but still no good.

The issue is not the VPN server needing to contact the remote client
through the router, which usually works anyway without port
forwarding, because the connection is initiated from within the
router, so replies are allowed through. The problem is with the
actual packet that is sent out from the client to the VPN gateway,
which contains the internal IP of the machine, which the VPN gateway
tries to contact. Obviously, without VPN passthrough (which is where
the router modifies the packet to change the IP address from the
client private address to the router's public IP address), the gateway
won't be able to reach that machine through that IP address, so the
connection fails.

I saw sometime in February that there is an updated firmware for this
model, who knows whether it will sort out the problem! Anyway, it is
on the banned list now for the forseeable future.

Andrew.
--
Andrew Hodgson in Bromyard, Herefordshire, UK.
My Email: use <andrew at hodgsonfamily dot org>.