VPN isn’t working and it’s driving you crazy?
Here are some possible reasons for what could be wrong with your VPN.
VPNs have rapidly gained vast, sweeping popularity in the past few years as a ubiquitous access fashion among internet users high and low, especially companies. The reason behind this widespread, universally accepted trend is that VPNs peerlessly secure your internet connection to ensure that all of your data sent or received is completely encrypted and secured from prying eyes; such as: hackers, phishers, data sniffers, etc. Not only do VPNs fortify your internet connection, but they also give you unrestricted access to any blocked web content regardless to your location by cloaking your real IP address so it would appear that you are navigation from an entirely different location chosen from a gigantic global network of servers.
Almost everybody nowadays uses a VPN service to feel safe and free online. Companies prefer subscribing to VPN services because they are reliable and relieve them from heavy expenses on network connections with dedicated lease lines. Students or workers need VPN services provided by their institutions or companies to have complete access to their resources whether they are at home, using public Wi-Fi/Hotspots or travelling. Download addicts also benefit greatly from VPNs when they are downloading legal or illegal material and don’t want to be traced or intercepted by any third party. Globetrotters and business travelers rely heavily on VPN providers to be able to access any blocked web content wherever they are and carry out online business transactions in maximum security and complete privacy.
Despite their immaculate and unmatched performances, VPN connections occasionally face some problems. In this article we explain some common reasons for “VPN isn’t working” problems and troubleshoot techniques to deal with those malfunctions.
1- VPN isn’t working No. 1 error (Connection Is Rejected (Error 800):
This is probably the most common VPN problem faced by many users. If your VPN server rejects client connections, first you need to make sure that Routing And Remote Access service is running. Open the server’s Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
Once verified, ping the VPN server by IP address from the VPN client to confirm that basic TCP/IP connectivity is established. If the ping is successful, then ping again, this time by the server’s FQDN (fully qualified domain name).If this ping fails, but the IP address ping succeeded, you have a DNS problem.
Another reason for this problem is your firewall. Check if your firewall isn’t blocking the VPN connection. You can do that by disabling it and re-connect. If you are allowed to connect to the VPN, you will need to make an exception to use the VPN while it’s running. This largely depends on your firewall software, but in general you will need to allow outgoing connections to port 1723 and the GRE protocol (47). You could also set an exception for all traffic to the VPN server address.
2- Router
Second most common reason for “VPN isn’t working” is that either your router doesn’t support PPTP VPN Passthrough or isn’t configured for it. You can find out by connecting to the Internet without the router by directly plugging your computer into your modem and see if it works. On the other hand, your router could be performing IP packet filtering could prevent IP tunnel traffic. You can test this by clicking the Advanced button on TCP/IP Properties sheet > Advanced TCP/IP Settings > Options > TCP/IP Filtering, then click on “Properties”.
3- Computer Time
This might be a weird reason why your VPN isn’t working. But in fact if the date or year on your Computer is off or incorrect, this causes a few problems. Please make sure your date and time are adjusted accurately.
4- Location
Yes, location. Even though VPNs are designed mainly to bypass all geo-restrictions and give you access to any online content from anywhere on the planet, you could be located in a country or have an ISP that blocks PPTP VPN connections, such as Oman, UAE, Belize, etc. You can contact your ISP for more information.
Find out the only working VPN in Oman here.
5- Connection Creation Error
There could have been an error when you created your first account, it happens sometimes. Therefore, usually the second time when you create a VPN connection it will work. So delete your first one, and try again.This is probably the first step you should perform when your VPN isn’t working.
6- Edge, EVO, 3G modems
Some Mobile Carriers block PPTP on their devices; such as Huawei e220 modem. If such is the case, then you need to contact your ISP and check.
7- Password
Make sure not to leave a space in the end after typing in your password. Sometimes when you copy/paste your password a space is added at the end and the password will be rejected.
Conclusion
VPNs are not perfect. Every software has its little problems, therefore we advise you to check free trials provided by the VPN service and make sure that the VPN you are subscribing to is reliable and well-reputed so you won’t be surprised later that VPN isn’t working. You can check our reviews on some excellent VPN service providers that also offer honest free trials to evaluate their service before purchase. Click here: https://www.vpnanswers.com/download-best-free-vpn-trials-available-online/
Furthermore, always contact the Live Chat Support provided by your VPN service when you encounter any problem with your service. If you have any further questions or suggestions, please leave a comment!
