2degrees VPN reprise

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donnz

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#124675 15-Jul-2013 20:55

So I've been happily following the advice in this post to use the "direct" APN to get PPTP working through 2degrees. It worked happily.

Until last night, that is, when I noticed that any access to the Internet began telling me that I was "not subscribed to any cellular data service".

Setting the APN back to "internet" (or removing it entirely) restored Internet functionality to my phone, but only the broken "you're just going to do web browsing and mail, aren't you" functionality. PPTP is still broken on the "internet" APN.

Two things: first, has the "direct" APN been turned off? Or has a recent plan changed removed access to it? If it has, can it be turned back on?

Secondly, the reason PPTP doesn't work (for me) is that the control TCP connection comes in on a different IP address to that attached to the (GREv2) data packets, so PPTP the server, which isn't expecting that, doesn't know what to do with the packets. Sorry, 2degrees, but that's the most busted-arse NAT behaviour I've seen for a while. PPTP works fine thought NATs (with certain caveats), as long as you don't do braindead things like that.

If you could just use the same public IP address for all traffic coming from the current incarnation of each phone's connection, that would make it work much better. I should imagine that IPSEC/IKE traffic would suffer the same problem, before anyone recommends using a protocol that's only marginally less crap than PPTP.

-- don

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2degrees

#856259 16-Jul-2013 09:34

Hi Don,

Please can you PM your number to me so I can look into this for you.

Cheers
^POB

jmosen

551 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#856265 16-Jul-2013 09:40

I'd be interested in hearing the outcome of this, as it happened to me too, starting Friday evening. I've not tried switching back from internet to direct to see if it's resolved now, but it certainly was present on Saturday evening when I last attempted to use the direct APN. I share data with my iPad and it was an issue with that and the iPhone.

Jonathan

jamesrt

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#856280 16-Jul-2013 10:08

Hi,

For what it's worth, I'm using a "direct" APN, and I can get a PPTP based VPN working fine.

@Donnz, suggest you PM @2DegreesCare and take it from there...

jasonbrice

100 posts

Master Geek

#856283 16-Jul-2013 10:13

jamesrt:
For what it's worth, I'm using a "direct" APN, and I can get a PPTP based VPN working fine.

I have several GSM modems in the field connected to GPS ground monitoring equipment in the Taupo region, and they're using the "direct" APN so I can get a proper IP address on the connection, and not a proxied service as per other APNs.

Luckily, they're still up and running, but I am VERY concerned that there may be plans to dis-establish it.

Thanks,
Jason

2degreesCare

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#856335 16-Jul-2013 11:52

Hi guys
Thanks for your feedback, we're looking into this. In the meantime please PM me your numbers, including your main number and any numbers that are sharing your data using the Direct APN.

Please include your name and acct # for authentication.

Cheers
^POB

Zeon

3916 posts

Uber Geek

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#856372 16-Jul-2013 12:31

IPv6 ready soon?

Speedtest 2019-10-14

awojtas

52 posts

Master Geek

#858139 17-Jul-2013 16:28

Just a +1 for needing direct APN access to connect to work PPTP VPN.

Equinox IT

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donnz

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#858533 18-Jul-2013 11:32

Just had a PM from POB - the "direct" APN is working again. Thanks for getting that going again.

I'm curious to know why this broke. I have to say that needing to use the "direct" APN bothers me, as such "minority use" features are the kind of thing that can get broken without causing a flood of helldesk calls ... which doesn't provide much incentive to make sure the damn thing is working properly. Hence my earlier comment that it would be preferable that the NAT on the more widely used "internet" APN be VPN-protocol-aware, rather than relying on the "direct" APN.

Dear 2degrees, VPN access is important to our company. We don't use it very much, but if the brown hits the fan and engineers are not near good Internet access, we'll need it to work. It's not a "nice to have", it's an essential part of the justification for using the service. A further failure of this magnitude (it's was down since at least Saturday), will mean we'll be regarding 2degrees mobile service as not meeting our needs and reacting accordingly.

This stuff does actually matter. Please don't take several days to detect and fix the problem next time - i.e. next time it breaks, there should be a big red flashing light somewhere saying, "Fix it! Fix it now!"

-- don

2degreesCare

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#860610 18-Jul-2013 14:23

Appreciate the feedback, just to clarify for everyone we have no plans to dis-establish the Direct APN.

In your case Don, from time-time we do perform upgrades in our network and always do our best to make this seamless for our customers.
We are able to see who has used the Direct APN in the last little while and did pro-actively check these customers to make sure everything worked ok.
Now that we know that you’re using it we’ve double checked everything is setup correctly at our end you shouldn’t have any issues.
Going forward please call Care at the first instance if you have any issue with your 2degrees service.

awojtas

52 posts

Master Geek

#861637 18-Jul-2013 14:46

A technical rep from 2degrees called my primary voice phone and asked me to check that the direct APN was now working in my laptop (separate number with shared data).

I wasn't able to talk as was busy at work and he called back exactly at 1pm when I had asked him to.

In the meantime I tested the data sim and the VPN was now working on the direct APN so was able to give him confirmation when he called back.

Impressed with the service 2degrees. Agree with others it would probably be best if this didn't happen in the first place, but good resolution. Cheers!

donnz

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#861677 18-Jul-2013 15:31

We are able to see who has used the Direct APN in the last little while and did pro-actively check these customers to make sure everything worked ok.

I don't understand. I have the "direct" APN configured into my phone, both for normal and tethered use. I use the Internet moderately often when not near wifi coverage. On Sunday, that broke - I assumed a transient problem (access wasn't terribly important at the time) and only later determined that the "direct" APN was to blame. So I certainly did use "direct" in "the last little while", unless that while was very little.

-- don

carrots98

17 posts

Geek

#863151 21-Jul-2013 18:36

I came across this forum while troubleshooting VPN over 2degrees prepaid 3G (direct rather than roaming over Vodafone). Can you confirm if the direct APN is working and what exactly it is? I tried entering just the word direct into the APN field but that doesn't give an internet connection even after restarting my iPad

jamesrt

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#863155 21-Jul-2013 18:49

carrots98: I came across this forum while troubleshooting VPN over 2degrees prepaid 3G (direct rather than roaming over Vodafone). Can you confirm if the direct APN is working and what exactly it is? I tried entering just the word direct into the APN field but that doesn't give an internet connection even after restarting my iPad

On my phone (Android, not an "i" device, but the settings should translate fairly well), I setup a "direct" APN with these settings:

Name: Direct
APN: direct
Proxy: Not Set
Port: Not Set
Username: Not Set
Password: Not Set
Server: Not Set
MMSC: Not Set
MMS proxy: Not Set
MMS Port: Not Set
MCC: 530
MNC: 24
Authentication Type: Not Set
APN Type: Not Set
APN Protocol: IPv4

2degreesCare

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#863397 22-Jul-2013 10:25

carrots98: I came across this forum while troubleshooting VPN over 2degrees prepaid 3G (direct rather than roaming over Vodafone). Can you confirm if the direct APN is working and what exactly it is? I tried entering just the word direct into the APN field but that doesn't give an internet connection even after restarting my iPad

Is 'Data roaming' turned on? Try that and if it still doesn't work please PM me you number.

Thanks

^POB

carrots98

17 posts

Geek

#863467 22-Jul-2013 12:06

Quick update - my issue sorted and will try VPN again tonight.

Have to say the 2degrees really provide a great service for one of the big players!

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