Troubleshooting A VPN Connection – Problems With Easy Solutions

In the modern world VPNs are the most important services that ensure the privacy of your data and make your internet connection safer. But certain times due to various reasons, the user has to face problems with the VPN connection. VPN troubleshooting is required to overcome those conditions. Sometimes basic VPN troubleshooting can do the work. In many instants troubleshooting VPN, connection issue is a little tedious task. In this discussion, we will help you regarding certain VPN connections issues and their respective solutions such as :

  • How to trouble shoot VPN connection issues.
  • Issues related to VPN slow connection troubleshooting.
  • Troubleshooting Common VPN Error Codes.

These troubleshooting methods can also be implemented to troubleshoot VPN connections on Windows 10, 8, and 7. A troubleshooting VPN connection on Mac can also be performed with the help of this troubleshooting guide.

Common VPN Connection Problems in Windows 10 and Mac

  • Unable to connect a VPN connection.

    • This is the most common issue that is faced by most VPN users. Due to this issue, people feel annoyed while they have already paid or subscribed to a VPN plan.

  • VPN software gets crashed suddenly.

    • This is another major issue that is being faced by VPN users. Many times VPN software does not function properly leading to a crash. This problem is evident in Windows 10 and Mac when the VPN client software freezes out leading to a crash.

  • VPN keeps on disconnecting.

    • This issue makes the user annoyed as even after a successful VPN connection attempt, the connection gets often disconnected. This issue also raises concerns about the privacy and security of a particular VPN user. Windows 10 and Mac users, both suffer from this ambiguous issue of VPN connection irrespective of the VPN provider.

  • Failed to establish a tunnel connection.

    • This issue of a VPN weakens its feature of data security and privacy that is attained by the help of a VPN tunnel. A VPN tunnel encrypts your data between your device and the other network which you are accessing. But sometimes the VPN tunneling feature of a particular VPN on Windows or Mac fails to establish a tunnel connection.

Possible causes of VPN connections problems

  • Overloading of VPN server

    • An Overloaded VPN server can cause connection problems with an existing VPN connection. If the VPN server is used and accessed by a large number of users then it could create various problems such as loss of packets, jittering in the connection, and other latency problems.

  • Use of an out-of-date VPN client-side software

    • Out of date VPN client software can cause issues related to the VPN connection. This would result in poor performance and sluggish functioning of a particular VPN.

  • Use of the incorrect VPN protocol

    • Incorrect VPN protocol can also create problems when using particular websites or services. All the available VPNs are not compatible with each and every service offered over the internet.

  • Existing Firewall on the Windows or Mac interrupts the connection

    • The default firewall of the system analyzes all the outgoing and incoming traffic. Thus sometimes it hampers the functioning of the VPN to work in a smooth manner. The Firewall of windows and Mac do not work cooperatively with the VPN and blocks the functioning of the VPN.

  • Interferences of old VPN packages with the newer ones

    • Sometimes older packages of any other VPN residing in our system can also cause serious VPN connection issues with the currently working VPN. The older packages restrict the working of the current VPN by putting hindrances in the connection.

Basic ways to troubleshoot VPN connection problems

These are some ways that are recommended for windows and Mac users to troubleshoot the discussed issues which they face while using VPN services.

  • Restarting the VPN client software can make the VPN connection alive and working again.
  • Use an updated VPN client software so that the performance of VPN software would be upgraded and issues related to the connections can be avoided.
  • If you were using VPN software on Windows or the Mac system earlier and Now you have switched to a new VPN service provider make sure that the old packages related to the previous VPN software must be uninstalled or removed completely to avoid any issues in the existing connection.
  • Another solution is to switch to a different VPN server as the server you are using might be facing an issue of traffic overload or some other maintenance issues. Or there might be a possibility that the service which you want to use had blacklisted your VPN.
  • If still, our VPN had connection issues you can make a move to connect using a different set of protocols. Usually, HTTPS protocol is used in the VPN connection but while troubleshooting it would be a good idea to try another protocol such as Open VPN and IPSec.
  • The firewall of Windows 10 or a Mac system is sometimes restricting the VPN connections. In that case, you can try to simply disable the firewall and then check for the VPN connection to become alive and working.
  • Check the compatibility of VPN with the service which you want to access or use. As if the services had blacklisted your VPN services then it is better to switch to another VPN service that provides you access to most of your websites.

Troubleshooting Common VPN Error Codes

  • VPN error 800

    • This is caused when the VPN server is not reachable. The probable reason behind this can be the unsuccessful attempt to use the IPsec tunnel without the appropriate configuration of the security parameters. This issue is addressed in the cases where the user sets the VPN tunnel option as ‘automatic’.
    To troubleshoot this problem select a proper ‘type’ of VPN tunnel, that can be configured under the securities section of a VPN.

  • VPN error 609 and 633
    • 609 error code

      • This states that the device for VPN connection does not exist.

    • 633 error code

      • It indicates that the connected device is already in use or is not configured properly.

    The wrong configuration is responsible for this type of error. In windows, a diagnose button is available under the ‘Miniport missing’ which will help you to fix this problem.

  • VPN error code 806

    • This error occurs when anyone internet device in your network is not allowed to work on the Generic Routing Encapsulation of data packets. A protocol related to this technique is not processed by the device. Like a Firewall in your network can block the GRE protocol existing between the Client-side software and the VPN server.
    To troubleshoot this problem in your system, simply allow the incoming and the outgoing GRE protocol. You can also configure an SSTP (secure socket) tunnel that will be helpful in establishing a connection through a firewall.

  • VPN error code 789 and 835

    • Both these error codes are visible to you if IPsec negotiation fails for the related L2TP or IPsec connections.

    • Error code 789

      • The L2TP connection attempts get failed because of the problems faced by the security layer to perform
      initial negotiations with the remote system.

    • Error Code 835

      • This happens when the security layer is not able to authenticate the system present at the remote side.

    Troubleshooting this problem requires the user to make use of an authentic certificate key and pre-shared key during the connection. You must also look for the trusted machine certificate, that is available on your VPN server.

Conclusion

I hope this article would be helpful in troubleshooting the common issues of VPN which are experienced by the users while using the VPN on a day-to-day basis. This discussion briefly summarizes all the problems, issues, causes, and methods to fix and avoid these problems.

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