VPN Connections Being Blocked

[verbw001]

All VPN connections are blanket blocked by Vodafone. The only way to allow them is to contact Vodafone directly and have them unblock them. They consider is an 'anonymizer' (as if that's a bad thing). There's no option to manage this in your online account, so contacting them is a must.

Their online assistant - Tobi - doesn't help at all. In order to get through to a human, I had to go through the complaints department and get connected through them.

I'm sharing this for others to see. I'm currently on hold still waiting because they REALLY don't want you to turn this off or speak to humans. will edit/update soon.

To Vodafone: Having a blanket ban is dumb. Plenty of us work from home and can only access work assets through VPN. Having to spend an entire day (so far) setting this up is ridiculous. The vast majority of the time, VPN users are using the VPN to connect to work assets. This needs to stop and once an alternative broadband provider can be chosen without causing me too much down time, I'm switching. I've never had this with any other provider (Sky, BT, Virgin, etc...... basically all of your biggest competitors). This is probably why you can't break into the corporate market, especially in the middle of a pandemic where many are working from home.

Disgraceful, that I couldn't get through to a human without lying about the issue.

[Jayach]

I don't know what proof you think you have for saying that. I use a VPN no problem, but I don't VPN into corporate systems. Can you give us more information.

[Anonymous]

Verb, maybe if you told us what you are seeing when you try to use a VPN!

If you've the older VF router, then it's VPN functionality doesn't work properly, but you can still set up a VPN on your WiFi-connected computers, tablets, and phones.

Personally, I've VPN connections available via my router, from within Windows via "connections" (no third-party software, and via a third party enabler app on my Android phone.  I also have access to SDNS, and tunnelled IPv6, all of which work very near perfectly.

*Be aware that "Free VPN" apps are usually nothing of the sort and many are set up to actively steal your data!

[verbw001]

Hi guys,

I've only just got off the phone with them - My proof here is that the rep. on the phone confirmed that they block most third party VPN services (including the top ones). They need to be unblocked as part of the content control filter (this is not required by law, only blocking age restricted content is).

I'm using NordVPN and ProtonVPN, as well as a custom, proprietary one for work. They actively block Nord and Proton; again, confirmed by the Vodafone rep. There is no way to disable content control in the router's online config. The router I have is brand new and is their latest one.

I've been now been switched to a static IP, sent a new router (they think there may be a fault in my router that is unrelated to the VPN issue), and the content control filter has been switched off. However, I still cannot use the VPN and they said it can take up to 24hrs, so I'll update again.

Just to reiterate: This IS a case of them actively blocking many VPN services and was confirmed by Vodafone themselves, over the phone. If a Vodafone rep feels the need to comment here and disagree, I will share the recording of my phone call.

[Anonymous]

You can bypass their content filters by changing your DNS to Google 8.8.8.8 & 8.8.4.4 , Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 & 1.0.0.1 or some combination of these and some other "open" DSN servers.

It's probably the case that you can consider Vodafone's default DNS servers as broken due to the number of issues they have/cause.

VF general response to issues is split the SSIDs, their users' general response is don't use the VF garbage DNS!

[Jayach]

Well I use Nord with no problems. In fact when I first joined and didn't know about the content controls the only way I could get on the Web was via the VPN.

I would take anything a Vodafone rep says to you on the phone with a large dose of scepticism.