Sonic.net

Lately, I've been having an issue while connected via VPN, the VPN randomly disconnecting. Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes it takes several hours, sometimes not at all. I took a screenshot of the latest time. Why is this happening, and how can I fix it? I am connecting from off network, from Comcast, in Northern California, from a Win7x64 machine. When it happens, I need to restart my home router to regain any unsecure network access.

Normally I would expect a failure of the VPN connection to revert you to an not-secured-but-functional connection. When this happens are other devices able to continue using the (non-VPN) connection through your router? The VPN tunnel shouldn't have any direct influence over the router's ability to pass traffic.

Nevertheless, that is what is happening. I started the VPN before I left for work today, and when I came home, it was disconnected, and there was no network traffic until I rebooted the router. I think my router just sucks, and it's on it's way out anyhow, I just don't have the funds for a good one until a while from now. But, the lack of traffic is not what concerns me, I actually prefer it this way, for my own reasons. What I don't like, is that the VPN is disconnecting in the first place, and then because of that, causing all this nonsense. That VPN disconnect is what I would like to focus on.

dukeofur wrote:What I don't like, is that the VPN is disconnecting in the first place, and then because of that, causing all this nonsense. That VPN disconnect is what I would like to focus on.

I would question which is the cause and which is the symptom. My first suspicion would be the flaky router.

The cause is the VPN disconnecting, that is also the symptom. I need to run certain things encrypted.

I was hoping it wasn't the router, because I can't afford to replace it right now, and in fact without proof that is the cause of the VPN disconnecting, I don't want to replace it at all, if I don't absolutely need to, because what happens if I replace the router, and then the VPN disconnect keeps happening? The router actually works perfectly otherwise, it's just an older linksys.

I wish I'd never even mentioned the non-passing of traffic after the vpn disconnect, because that issue is getting confused with the VPN disconnecting in the first place. The disconnect is what we need to address, and I just don't know how to do that.

Ay chance you could borrow another router for a short period of time to see if the problem persists?

Is the router combined with the cable modem?

The router is not combined, I'm soo glad. We used to own one that was combined, back in the Docsis 2.0 days. When Comcast upgraded to 3.0 in our area, they gave us a Docsis 3.0, with voice, and battery backup. The battery backup actually makes it very difficult, because you can never power cycle the thing, (short of letting the battery run out, and who knows how long that would take.)

I'll try and borrow one, but I don't know anyone that just has one sitting around that I can use.

dukeofur wrote:The battery backup actually makes it very difficult, because you can never power cycle the thing, (short of letting the battery run out, and who knows how long that would take.)

IIRC, the battery is removable. I think there's also a recessed reset button somewhere on the case.