Error using PPTP passthrough in RV180W

[rosscsoft]

I am having a problem connecting to my office VPN from home since I changed my (home) router to the RV180W.

I am not using pre-configured tunnels, I just connect to the office VPN using the built-in Windows PPTP client when necessary.  I have a small network at home using the router in a NAT configuration on my static IP fibre DSL connection.

I had previously been able to connect using PPTP from either XP or Windows 7. Now I get "Error 732: Your computer and the remote computer could not agree on PPP control protocols".  Unfortunately I don't know what hardware or PPTP server is used at the office.

(I don't know if it is relevant but I have also configured the RV180 PPTP server to allow incoming VPN connections - this works fine. It doesn't make any difference to my issue whether it is enabled or not.)

Are there any known problems using Windows PPTP client through the router in a NAT configuration.  Is there anything I need to configure apart from enabling PPTP passthrough?

Any suggestions?  I'll have to revert back to my old router if I can't get this fixed!

Many thanks!

Edit: Just to clarify, the problem is making PPTP VPN connections from XP/Win7 on my home network over the internet to my office VPN/PPTP server, via the RV180W as my home router (using NAT/PAT).

Edit: More info.  Looks like the office VPN is a Microsoft RAS server on Windows 2008 behind a cisco PIX firewall.

Edit: Just to be sure, I swapped out the cisco RV180W for my old netgear router and I was immediately able to VPN again with no issue from both XP and Win7.  When I swapped the RV180W back in again, I was able to VPN from XP but not Win 7 so it looks as though the PPTP passthrough works occasionally but is intermittent. Just to be clear, the VPN is only intermittent using the RV180, it has always worked flawlessly on the other router so I don't think there is a problem with the internet connection or client/server configuration.

[petersonbb]

Ross,

I have been working with Cisco on 2 issues pertaining to this router.  1 was the port forwarding issue which was resolved in 1.0.2.3.

A new version 1.0.2.6 was officially released a few weeks ago.  I have it loaded and operational.  Even though it does not resolve the PPTP issue. 

I received word that Tech support was able to reproduce the issue and engineering was working on a fix last week. 

Yesterday I received firmware revision 1.0.2.8 with notes indicating that it has resolved the PPTP issue.  I will try it out tonight.

[rosscsoft]

Great! I'd be really interested to hear how you got on.  I too was sent 1.0.2.8, unfortunately it was sent over the easter bank holiday weekend and the 3-day link had expired by the time I received it this morning

[petersonbb]

Ross,

It didn't work for me.  I am goping to take some more captures today.

Brandon

[rosscsoft]

Brandon,

1.0.2.8 + factory reset didn't work for me either, the same problem still persists using the Windows 7 PPTP client.  I haven't tested XP.

[rosscsoft]

Having given up using this router some time ago, I thought I'd dust off the RV180W, re-flash with the latest firmware 1.0.3.10 (which apparently has a PPTP/PPPoE fix) and try it again.

I reset to factory settings and configured the basic minimum settings for a NAT router on my PPPoE fibre internet connection. Before I tested the VPN, I tried to do some basic web-browsing to prove that I had internet access. This failed as I could only load half a webpage before the browser would give up. Not a good start but pretty much what I've come to expect from this hardware. Power-cycling seemed to solve the issue.

I tested the VPN again and it is still broken in the same way it always was, ending in an Error 628.  So a year after I bought this router, I still can't use it due to firmware bugs. Ah well, back to my trusty DLink/DD-WRT.

Did anyone else with this issue find that 1.0.3.10 worked for them?

[miles.ahead.it]

I'm having the same problem still after upgrading to 1.0.3.10 (from 1.0.2.6).

Is there anything that can be done? A beta firmware to try perhaps?

thanks

[miles.ahead.it]

Update please? Can a support case be opened for this issue?

[miles.ahead.it]

It's a geting a bit ridiculous now. If there won't be an update released any time soon, then I'll just turf this router and gert another one.

Keeping people in limbo like this is not right.

[rosscsoft]

If you want to create a support case, you'll probably have to initiate it by phoning the small business router support team. They opened a case for me but couldn't solve the issue before I lost access to the problem VPN server.

TBH, I just gave up and got another router in the end.  I haven't looked at the market for a while but I got a DD-WRT based router and it had all the features I needed. (DD-WRT is third party party firmware that can be flashed into some off-the-shelf routers).

[SamirD]

This is very interesting, and simply crazy that it's not been addressed after years.

Here's an idea.  Try putting the rv180 in the dmz of another router so you're not having to use pppoe for the IP.  Then try it and see what happens.  If so, then at least we know it's only a bug on the pppoe side, and if someone has a combination dsl modem-router, they can leave it in router mode and put the rv180 in the dsl router's dmz as a workaround.

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[rosscsoft]

Good idea.  Unfortunately I don't have access to the problem VPN server any more or I would give this a go.

Tech support did initially test the RV180W against the problem VPN server without using PPPoE and it apparently worked OK.  Because of this I had difficulty persuading them there was a problem as they were unable to test with PPPoE at the time.  I was told eventually that they had replicated the problem but since their fix didn't work for me it must have been a different problem.

[SamirD]

So you still have the rv180?  Is it being used at all?

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[rosscsoft]

Yep, still have the RV180.  The case support case dragged on, I lost the box, the unit got scratched and decided I probably couldn't send it back even if I could be bothered. 

It now sits at the back of my hall cupboard and takes up just the right amount of space to prevent cans of shoe polish from sliding too far back where I cant see them.  This is of course the most useful purpose its ever had.  I use a D-Link DIR 615 with DD-WRT for my house router, no complaints.

Maybe I'll ebay the RV180 at some point, clearly some people have found it to be useful. Or perhaps attack it with a lump hammer which would in many ways be more rewarding!

[SamirD]

lol, I know the hammer feeling.  But if it works other than your problem, it may solve an issue that I have for needing a replacement gateway at my main site.  I'm only going to be using basic stuff like vpn and reserved dhcp, so it should do fine for my needs if you want to sell it.  I have a UPS account so I can even handle the shipping costs.  PM if you're interested.

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[mpyhala]

Brett,

Please do open a support case for this issue. The more cases that are logged, the higher the priority this issue will be.

www.cisco.com/go/sbsc

- Marty