A. VPN is an acronym for Virtual Private Network. A VPN provides an encrypted and secure connection "tunnel" from a user's computer to its destination over the Internet.

A. A VPN Tunnel is a virtual private network or tunnel over the internet that controls all incoming and outgoing TCP internet connections. Each VPN tunnel is totally anonymous on the internet and it helps to keep your activities anonymous and safe. A VPN connection is an attractive option for people concerned about their security and privacy. It is not a web proxy, it is much more advanced than that.

A. As soon as you connect to one of our secure VPN servers your computer is automatically assigned a new IP address, an IP address that is owned by us, not your ISP. From then on all of your internet traffic is encrypted and tunneled to our VPN server. Once there, it is decrypted and allowed to travel to its intended destination. Your local ISP will only see a single encrypted data stream between you and our VPN server. Your ISP can no longer monitor, log or control your Internet usage.

A. That really depends how you use the internet and what you would like to achieve. If you are in business and feel at risk from intrusion we are here to help. Our service will run all of your incoming and outgoing TCP connections through a secure mainframe offering at least 128bit encryption on all activity. VPNUK offer the highest level of anonymity available to our users, we offer our services to businesses and home users worldwide.

Home users looking for things like UK or English Speaking Television whilst overseas can use our fast VPN servers in conjunction with programs like Zattoo, BBC iPlayer, ITV, 4oD and HULU. This enables high quality live streaming of UK and US television wherever you are in the world.

A. Try speedtest.net

A. No, the only fee involved in this service is for the subscription. Once your subscription payment has been paid, any and all usage is free and unlimited for the duration of the subscription.

A. Yes of course it is! VPN services have been used by businesses for years. All you are doing is adding additional security to your existing internet connection and protecting your privacy.

A. Our registered office address is:
VPNUK Limited
Horizon Chambers
PO Box 4622
Road Town
Tortola
British Virgin Islands

Should you need to contact us our correspondence address is:
1133 Office 6 Slington House
Rankine Road
Basingstoke
Hampshire
RG24 8PH
United Kingdom

A. Yes you can! You can use the account on as many computers as you like, each VPNUK account allows two simultaneous logins as default, you can have up to 4 users on our Shared (Dynamic) IP accounts.

A. Nearly all VPNUK servers have a port speed of 1gbps, all other servers have at least a 100mbps connection. VPNUK Servers have a Dedicated backbone located in state of the art datacentres solely devoted to this VPN service. Connection speeds will vary depending on the amount of clients logged onto the system at any given time and the distance you are away from the source, having said that, you should always get a speed capable of browsing the internet and viewing streaming media, online gaming and telephony services as long as your local speed or your routing speed is above 2mbps. We have a very low contention ratio on all of our servers so speeds should be at a maximum whenever you connect to the service. An account on both the Shared IP and Dedciated IP servers will give you the same speeds, there is no difference. Accounts should give you a conservative estimate -10% to 20% of your ISP routing speed to the destination server. When calculating the speed of the VPN connection you have to take into account the overheads and ping time for your location, the distance from the datacentre, routing loss and your ISP connection speed.

A. No, our service does not have any limits on the amount of bandwidth you use.

A. There isn't really a recommended speed unless you intend to use the account for watching streaming media. In that scenario its important you have a bare minimum speed of at least 1MBPS, ideally this should be a minimum of 2MBPS, the faster the speed the better really as a lot of streaming media is P2P based. Some Newer HD or HQ streaming media can be up to 1600KBPS

A. Both of our Shared IP accounts and Dedicated IP accounts are perfect for that purpose. With the Shared IP account you are randomly assigned a Dynamic UK IP address each time you login from a pool of shared IP's! Dedicated IP account give you a totally unique Static IP. All VPNUK accounts come with unlimited bandwidth and unlimited usage. 128bit security ensures you will never have to worry about your online activity!

A. We have seen this from time to time depending on your browser setup! This is easily rectified by cleaning your temporary cache or using a different browser! Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Google Chrome should help rectify any access problems you may be encountering.

Mac OSX and iO/S users
Ensure you have the Option to 'Send all traffic over the VPN' Enabled. On Mac OSX you can find this setting in the 'Advanced' options

A. You can call us, open a Support Ticket or use our Live Help service

A. Telephone support is available from 9am - 5pm GMT. Our Live Help is available from 6am until 3am GMT and our Ticketing system is available 24 hours a day.

A. Yes, we guarantee the service is secure, fast and available. In certain circumstances there may be a short time of the service being unavailable, that will only happen should the service require maintenance or repair. However the Service may be subject to unavailability for a variety of factors beyond our control including emergencies, third party service failures, transmission, equipment or network problems or limitations.

A. Each system is different and the speeds coming from the servers may vary from time to time. You should always get around -20% of your internet service providers connection speed with a speed up to about 3mbps. We recommend all connections are created over L2TP with our IPSec Key as we have experienced greater connection speeds when using that protocol.


Many factors outside of our control contribute to you getting a good connection speed from the VPN. The most common speed issues arise from the routing to the VPN servers from your ISP.

A. Our VPN is software based running a Radius backend, you can connect over PPTP or L2TP with IPSec and OpenVPN on all of our servers.

A. Yes, if you would like to try out our service we can offer you a FREE VPNUK trial account. If you have any questions please contact LIVE HELP!

A. The short answer to this is, No! The service we give you offers access to the internet from a different starting point - which is to the VPN server itself. We are not a corporate network offering access from the outside, our service is gateway service, a kind of teleport from one location to another.

A. The VPNUK Web Proxy setup tutorial is available here: https://www.vpnuk.info/setup-proxy.html

A. We do not block P2P usage on any servers other than our USA based server due to their inane views on bit torrent technology. However, this is not the case elsewhere, you are free to use Bit Torrent on all other servers.

A. Yes, our service is compatible with all the major VOIP applications and services including Skype, VoipStunt, Cisco, Gizmo and many more. If you intend to run VOIP services or a VOIP server you will need one of our 1:1 Dedicated IP servers.

A. Yes, a VPNUK VPN Tunnel account will enable you to unblock websites and services in any country including those that impose strict usage policies like; China, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Thailand, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Iran, KSA, Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Palestine, Oman, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Mexico, Brazil and many others..

A. Yes it will! Our VPN service and Smart DNS service is configured to work on all VPN compatible devices including the Apple iPod Touch.

Full setup tutorials are available in the setup section of our website here: https://www.vpnuk.info/setup.html.

A. Yes it will. Our VPN service and Smart DNS service is configured to work on all VPN compatible devices including iPhones.

Full setup tutorials are available in the setup section of our website here: https://www.vpnuk.info/setup.html.

A. Yes it will. You can view more information and the setup instructions here: https://vpnuk.info/setup-dd-wrt-routers.html

A. Yes it will. Our VPN service and Smart DNS service is configured to work on all VPN compatible devices including Android smartphones and tablets.

Full setup tutorials are available in the setup section of our website here: https://www.vpnuk.info/setup.html.

A. Our VPN Tunnel offers security for hotspot wireless access users.
Internet Service Providers are well known for not filtering their network from exploits!
Governments would like to prevent users from enjoying the Internet, with a VPN IP there are no controls!
Bypass ISP blocking for VOIP applications
Enjoy live TV from your country by bypassing geographical blocks on programs like Zattoo and Hulu.
Full anonymity by hiding your real IP address during all online activity.
Unlike a proxy, you get secured connection for all programs you are using, (e.g. Zattoo, Hulu, Email, FTP, News, TV, Radio and anything that uses a Internet (TCP) Connection)
128 bit Secure UK, US and canadian based VPN IP
Anonymous internet surfing wherever you are in the world.
Bypass geographical blocks from certain websites.
Protection against your ISP.

A. It's simple, just Sign up for a subscription now and we will create your vpn account and email you the setup instructions. As all payments are handled by PayPal and Google Wallet you automatically receive access to an online account manager where you can keep up to date with your account and keep track of your subscription status.

A. That all depends on which account you choose to subscribe to and how many people are using the account. Our stanrdard single server, 2 user account cost just £5.99 per month. If you have a three server account that you can share share with five friends the account costs £12.75 per month. Dedicated IP accounts are slightly more expensive at £9.99 per month, the difference is the IP is unique to you.

A. You can cancel your subscription at any time by logging into the Client CP or your account at PayPal or Google Wallet or DalPay by clicking onto the cancel links here:
PayPal Cancellations - Click here
DalPay Cancellations - Click here
Google Wallet Cancellations - Click here

A. All new orders are processed manually for security purposes. Renewals carried out from within the Client CP are fully automated and renew instantly. New orders usually take under 1 hour to process during office hours. Orders placed outside of office hours are processed on a first come firsat served basis. All new orders placed at Google Wallet are reviewed by the Google Wallet security team, this can occasionally result in a delay processing new orders. If your order details do not arrive via email within an hour of the order being confirmed please contact our Live Help team.

A. Yes, we have a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, if you are not satisfied within 24 hours we will issue you with a full refund.

A. If you use a webmail account like HOTMAIL, YAHOO or GMAIL please check your junk/spam mailbox for your login/configuration details. If your login details do not arrive after 6 hours please contact our Live Help team, there is a chance your mail server will have blocked the welcome email.

A. IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) is a security protocol that provides encryption and authentication over the Internet. IPSec supports network-level data integrity, data confidentiality, data origin authentication, and replay protection. IPSec is integrated at the Internet layer (layer 3), it provides security for almost all protocols in the TCP/IP suite, and because IPSec is applied transparently to applications, there is no need to configure separate security for each application that uses TCP/IP.
IPSec helps provide defense-in-depth against:
Network-based attacks from untrusted computers, attacks that can result in the denial-of-service of applications, services, or the network
Data corruption
Data theft
User-credential theft
Administrative control of servers, other computers, and the network.You can use IPSec to defend against network-based attacks through a combination of host-based IPSec packet filtering and the enforcement of trusted communications.

A. We have a full list of tutorials for PC and Mac and also a Connection Assistant software application for Windows XP and Vista.

Our tutorials and software is here: Setup Guides

A. Yes, we offer a FREE Remote Support Service where we are able to login to your computer and provide troubleshooting and installation services.

A. Please ensure you do not have any background processes or spyware running and/or using the internet. Programs like CCleaner and SpyBot Search & Destroy will scan your system and help you ensure your system is free from infection by removing any threats!

A. The difference between L2TP and PPTP is that the former combines the control and data channels of the latter, and runs over UDP as opposed to TCP. UDP is a faster, leaner (and less reliable) protocol for sending packets that, because it does not retransmit lost packets, is commonly used in real-time Internet communications. PPTP, by contrast, separates the control and data channels into control stream that runs over TCP and a data stream that runs over GRE (a less popular Internet standard). Combining the control/data channels and using high-performance UDP makes L2TP more "firewall friendly" than PPTP -- a crucial advantage for an extranet protocol -- since most firewalls do not support GRE.

A. Your VPN connection should be constant at all times, the only time the connection should drop is after a sustained period of no activity. If your connection drops for no apparent reason it could be down to a number of factors. The most common reasons are:
1. Your Wi-Fi signal is not very strong.
2. Your ADSL/Broadband connection drops.
3. Your Laptop battery level is too low.
4. There is a conflict with the type of VPN you are using and your O/S.

The first thing we recommend is to change the Data Encryption setting. Go to the 'Security' tab and click onto advanced, in the 'Data Encryption' dropdown, change the setting to 'Optional Encryption'.
Another option, should the data encryption method not be successful is to change the connection from L2TP over to PPTP or OpenVPN.

A. OpenVPN is a full-featured open source SSL VPN solution that accommodates a wide range of configurations, starting with the fundamental premise that complexity is the enemy of security, OpenVPN offers a cost-effective, lightweight alternative to other VPN technologies that is well-targeted for the SME and enterprise markets.

OpenVPN's lightweight design sheds many of the complexities that characterize other VPN implementations. The OpenVPN security model is based on SSL, the industry standard for secure communications via the internet. OpenVPN implements OSI layer 2 or 3 secure network extension using the SSL/TLS protocol, supports flexible client authentication methods based on certificates, smart cards, and/or 2-factor authentication, and allows user or group-specific access control policies using firewall rules applied to the VPN virtual interface. OpenVPN is not a web application proxy and does not operate through a web browser.

*OpenVPN connections on the VPNUK servers are only available on our Shared IP servers, due to the nature in which OpenVPN connects to the servers the assigned IP is always static.

A. Yes it will. You can view more information and the setup instructions here: https://vpnuk.info/setup-dd-wrt-routers.html

A. Our OpenVPN config files are are located on our server, config files are available from the respective setup guide.

A. A full how-to is available HERE. The how-to is based on a Windows Vista setup but the same procedure applies to all Operating Systems.

A. The recommended way of connecting games consoles and any other devices that does not have built in VPN compatibility is through a VPN compatible router. VPNUK recommends DD-WRT connections. You can view more information and the setup instructions here: https://vpnuk.info/setup-dd-wrt-routers.html

You can also connect a games console through our Smart DNS service which would provide you with access to many streaming media services: https://www.vpnuk.info/smart-dns.html

A. This is usually a permissions issue, where the O/S does not treat your user account on the computer as having enough privledges to save the file.

To fix your permissions for the config file please follow these instructions:

1. Go to the OpenVPN location, usually: c drive / program files / openvpn
2. Open the config folder
3. Right click on the vpnuk.ovpn file (it may just be called vpnuk)
4. Click properties
5. Click the security tab
6. Click the edit button (about half way down)
7. Select your user account for the computer and then place a tick in the allow all box in the area below
8. Click apply and exit the properties dialog.

You will now be able to save the file.

A. Yes you can, we have OpenVPN setup so that it accepts connections over port 443/TCP 8008/TCP or 80/TCP, the default port 1194/UDP, 55194/UDP or 65194/UDP

The edit for this is a simple one, open the OpenVPN config file and carry out the following two edits;

client
fast-io
dev tun
proto TCP - Change TCP to UDP or vice versa

nobind
remote IP-ADDRESS 443 - Change 443 to 1194 or vice versa
route-method exe
route-delay 2
resolv-retry infinite

persist-key
persist-tun

auth-user-pass vpnuk-password.txt
ca vpnuk-ca.crt
tls-auth ta.key 1

comp-lzo
verb 3

A. If you do not have any routing over an OpenVPN connection on windows 8 you may need to start the Network Connections service and set it to Automatic so it starts automatically in future. Look here for info: https://www.vpnuk.info/openvpn-enable-network-connections-service-windows8.html

A. If you have any problems connecting over the default udp port of 1194 you can also use 65194 and 55194

To change the port over, open the config file and change port number at the end of line seven to 65194 or 55194. The line will look like:

remote (**VPNUK-IP-ADDRESS**) 1194 - Change 1194 to 65194 or 55194

You can also switch to the TCP protocol by changing line four to: proto tcp and the port on line 7 to 443, 8008 or 80

A. The easiest solution in order to stop your DNS from being hijacked, is to use a third party DNS like Google DNS. You can add this to your connection by going to the DNS settings and adding the servers 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as the default DNS servers

You add the DNS to PPTP and L2TP VPN connections as follows. The copmplete guide can be found here: http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html

Windows

• Open the VPNUK connection Properties and select the Networking tab. Under This connection uses the following items, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.
• Click Advanced and select the DNS tab. If there are any DNS server IP addresses listed there, write them down for future reference, and remove them from this window.
• Click OK.
• Select Use the following DNS server addresses. If there are any IP addresses listed in the Preferred DNS server or Alternate DNS server, write them down for future reference.
• Replace those addresses with the IP addresses of the Google DNS servers: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
  

Mac OSX

• Go to the VPNUK connection and click onto the 'Advanced' button.
• Select the 'DNS' tab.
• Click + to replace any listed addresses with, or add, the Google IP addresses at the top of the list: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
• Click Apply and OK

Linux

• Go to the VPNUK connection and click Edit, in the window that appears, select the IPv4 Settings tab.
• If the selected method is Automatic (DHCP), open the dropdown and select Automatic (DHCP) addresses only instead. If the method is set to something else, do not change it.
• In the DNS servers field, enter the Google Public DNS IP addresses, separated by a space: 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4
• Click Apply to save the change. If you are prompted for a password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

OpenVPN Connections

If you are using an OpenVPN connection add this code to the bottom of the config file. To open the config file you have to right click onto the OpenVPN GUI in the sys tray and select 'Edit Config'.

redirect-gateway def1
dhcp-option DNS 8.8.8.8
dhcp-option DNS 8.8.4.4

Once you have connected to the VPNUK connection you can check the DNS by running the ipconfig command. Click on START -> RUN and type CMD in the Open: field, then click OK. This will open a command prompt window. At the prompt type: ipconfig /all

A. 1. Once OpenVPN is running you only have to 'Double Click' the OpenVPN icon in the sys tray each time you want to connect to your VPNUK account.
Note: If you setup OpenVPN with both TCP & UDP connection types you will have to right click onto the OpenVPN icon and choose the connection type you want to connect to, then click 'connect'.
2. Whilst connecting the 'Current State' window will pop up and display the connection process.
3. Thats it! You will be connected once the icon turns Green.

Click here to view a screenshot tutorial for connecting OpenVPN

A. There are two ways of stopping the Windows prompt from appearing when OpenVPN starts at computer logon. One method is to Disable User Account Control (UAC) and the other is to create a scheduled task which creates a rule allowing OpenVPN to run with maximum privileges at all times.

Some people do not like the idea of disabling UAC completely so its recommended that clients Create the OpenVPN 'No UAC Nag Screen' startup rule.

A. 1. Right click onto the OpenVPN icon in the sys tray (near the clock).
2. Choose 'Edit Config' from the menu.
3. Replace the IP address on line 7 with your VPNUK IP address. The IP address would have been sent to you in the 'Welcome to VPNUK' email. Then save/close the file.
Note: do not remove the word: remote or the port number from the end of the line. If you have problems saving this file click here

Click here to view a screenshot tutorial on Editing the Server IP

A. 1. If already running, right click onto the OpenVPN GUI icon in the sys tray and choose 'EXIT'.
2. Right click onto the OpenVPN GUI shortcut on the desktop and choose 'Properties'.
3. Click onto the 'Compatibility' tab.
4. Choose the option to 'Run this program as an administrator'.
5. Click onto the 'OK' button.
6. Double click onto the OpenVPN GUI desktop shortcut.
7. You can now connect OpenVPN from the sys tray.

Click here to view a screenshot tutorial for setting Administrator Permissions

A. 1. Go to the OpenVPN config directory usually located at: Program Files\OpenVPN\config and select the 'vpnuk.ovpn' file. Right click on it and choose 'Copy'.
2. Right click once more and click onto 'Paste'.
3. Right click onto the new copy and choose 'Rename'.
4. Rename all the vpnuk.ovpn and vpnuk Copy.ovpn files to something that you will easily recognise.
5. Right click onto the OpenVPN connection in the sys tray, go to the server that you have just created and choose 'Edit Config'.
6. Replace the IP on line 7 with the server dns to match that of the server you are connecting to and close/save the file.
7. You can now choose the connection you would like to use by right clicking onto the OpenVPN connection from the sys tray followed by 'Connect'.
8. Thats it! You will be connected once the icon turns Green.

Click here for a screenshot tutorial on setting up multiple VPN servers

A. Yes, you can use a few 3rd party tools to stop the browser from responding or bind your VPN IP address to the browser. We are also developing IP Binding as part of our OpenVPN GUI to be included in a future release. In order to bind your IP to the VPN connection so that the internet stops working you will have to use a 3rd party application.

These free tools can do this:

VPNetMon
VPNetMon prevents unsecured connections after your VPN connection went down. It simply closes specified applications when the VPN connection is down (for example Ivacy or Relakks Service). If soft closing of the applications is not possible it will kill applications the hard way. So make sure to deselect any additional questions of your applications like "do you really want to quit?" when it's shutting down.

VPN Check
VPN Check is made free for anyone who wants to feel more secure while on the web. I made this software due to I found other similar programs lacking or just too costly. Hopefully someone will find some use of it as I do. As for me I can say that seeing all those tightening regulations towards our freedom on the web put my within on fire. In a way this software is a sort of technical activism to help the people decide if they want to have a “camera” following them around or not.

VPN Life Guard
Free & open source application to protect yourself when your VPN disconnects. It blocks Internet access any others specified applications. It prevents unsecured connections after your VPN connection goes down. VPN Lifeguard will close down the specified applications and automatically reconnect your VPN. Then, reload applications when reconnecting the VPN.

A. This is possible but you have to make a few changes to the way OpenVPN runs.
1. First off, ensure OpenVPN GUI starts automatically when windows starts, you can do this in a variety of different ways, the easiest is to add the OpenVPN GUI (Start VPNUK) to your Windows Startup group. Once complete, OpenVPN GUI will appear in the sys tray when windows starts.
2. Right click onto the OpenVPN desktop shortcut (Start VPNUK) and go to 'Properties'
3. At the end of the OpenVPN taget add --connect followed by the connection you'd like to connect to. If you do not know the name of the connection file you can find it in the config folder in the Program Files folder.

Example:
"C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\bin\openvpn-gui-1.0.3.exe" --connect VPNUK-udp.ovpn

4 (Optional). In order not to receive the Windows UAC prompt each time you startup its a good idea to add OpenVPN GUI to a Scheduled Task - Click here for the tutorial.

A.

Solution 1 - DD-WRT: The easiest way to do this is through a DD-WRT connection.

Solution 2 - Connection Sharing: Ensure the VPN connection is working!

Mac OSX instructions:
1. Go to System Preferences -> Sharing
2. Select 'Internet Sharing'
3. On the right hand side, make sure 'Share your connection from:' has 'AirPort' selected, and 'To Computers using:' has 'Ethernet' selected.
4. That It!

Windows 7 instructions:
1. Go to Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center
2. Click onto 'Change adapter settings' in the left hand menu
3. Right click onto your wireless connection and then select 'Properties'
4. Click the 'Sharing' tab and tick 'Allow Other Network Users to Connect through This Computer Connection'
5. Thats It!

A. The IPSec Key or Secret is always 69000903 on the VPNUK servers.

A. Please ensure your router assigns your wireless connection by DHCP. Also when setting up the connection its worth doing the manual option, when you get to the connection type choose PPTP!

A. Try running the application as Administrator (Right Click).

A. 1. If you have firewall, open TCP Port 1723 and try connecting through PPTP.
2. Make sure you can reach the VPN server by using ping. To ping your server click onto Start > Run > type CMD and press OK. At the command prompt enter: ping followed by your VPNUK IP
Sometimes, poor connection can cause this issue too.
3. You may need to updated firmware on a router or firewall if other OS (win9x/nt/me/w2k) works except XP.
4. The VPN server may not be able to get IP from DHCP for the VPN client. So, you may want to re-configure VPN host networking settings. For XP pro VPN host, go to the Properties of the VPN>Network, check Specify TCP/IP address and Allow calling computer to specify its own IP address, and uncheck Assign TCP/IP addresses automatically using DHCP.
5. Make sure no other secure software blocks your access, for example, if you use Norton secure software, you may need to add the remote client's IP so that the client can access.
6. If your VPN running on a Windows RRAS with NAT enabled, you may want to check the NAT settings.
7. If you can establish the VPN from the desktop at home but not from the laptop. Make sure no security software like Microsoft Onecare software that blocks the GRE.

A. Each setup differs slightly from router to router, we recommend going to the website of your router manufacturer for more accurate information.

Another good resource of information regarding gateways and subnets is wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_gateway

A. If you are installing our software and it fails to show up in the list of available network connections after a successful install you may need to install it as an administrator. In order to do this you should right click onto the installer file and choose 'Run As Administrator'.

A. Please try connecting through PPTP. If you insist on connecting through L2TP try removing the pre shared key from the client so that a security negotiation process (by using certificates) can occur:

1. In Control Panel, double-click Network Connections.
2. Under the Virtual Private Network section, right-click the L2TP connection that you want to modify, and then click Properties.
3. On the Security tab, click IPSec Settings.
4. Click to clear the Use pre-shared key for authentication check box, and then click OK.
5. Click OK again to exit the dialog box of the connected.

A. Yes, Click here for a complete breakdown.

A. 1) Go to Start - Run - Type the following one at a time and hit enter:
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release all
ipconfig /renew all

2) Go to Start - Run - Type the following and hit enter:
netsh interface ip delete arpcache

3) Verify packet filtering
1.Click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.
2.Right-click the local area connection that you use (NOT VPN), and then click Properties.
3.On the General tab, in the This connection uses the following items list, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.
4.Click Advanced, and then click the Options tab.
5.In the Optional Settings dialog box, click TCP/IP Filtering, and then click the Properties tab.
6.Click to clear the Enable TCP/IP Filtering (All adapters) check box, and then click OK.

A. Our multi user accounts allow simultaneous connections from different locations. If you are using our multi user account from the same location you must ensure your router allows PPTP passthrough.

A. You may have to alter the MTU settings, try the following;
1. Open linux console window
2. kwrite /etc/ppp/peers/vpn1
3. After the name and remote name entries, add mtu 1436
4. At end of file, add refuse-eap
5. Save it, and restart the network connection for VPN

A. If you failed to disconnect correctly the system may still think you are still logged in, the system will see you are not connected after a few minutes and allow you to reconnect. If that fails to happen there is a fail safe system in place that clears inactive sessions every 15 minutes. If after that time you are still unable to connect try rebooting your computer.

Another solution is to change the connection from L2TP over to PPTP or OpenVPN.

A. This is a somewhat rare issue that only arises when clients are running their own mail server. This example uses a Postfix MTA, add the following line to the master.cf
465          inet     n             -             n             -             -             smtpd
The port (465) will have to match the client software and may need to be something else, eg: the more usual port 25.

A. This error means that all currently installed TAP devices are currently in use, the TAP device is the OpenVPN network adapter. This is a simple fix! Go to Start -> All Programs -> OpenVPN -> Utilities -> Select - Add new TAP device and follow the on screen prompt.

One installed you can successfully connect.

A. If OpenVPN fails to route correctly it may be due to RAS being turned off by default on Windows 8, you can enable RAS by going to: Control Panel -> Programs -> Programs and Features 'Turn Windows features on or off' from left hand menu -> Turn On 'RAS Connection Manager Administration Kit'. Click here for a screenshot tutorial

A. 633: Could not write to PhoneBook

Cause: The VPNUK connection manager is being run from within the zip archive.
Solution: Extract or drag the the VPNUK.pbk file to the Desktop

A. Cause: The VPNUK connection manager is being run from within the zip archive. Solution: Extract or drag the the VPNUK.pbk file to the Desktop

A. If you receive an Error 609 it may mean that PPTP or L2TP are not installed or correctly configured on your computer..

1. Click Start > All Programs >Accessories and right click on 'Command Prompt'.
2. Choose 'Run as Administrator'
3 . In the Command prompt, type the following commands one by one and press Enter after each one.
Netcfg -u MS_L2TP
Netcfg -u MS_PPTP
Netcfg -l %windir%\inf\netrast.inf -c p -i MS_PPTP
Netcfg -l %windir%\inf\netrast.inf -c p -i MS_L2TP

You may be prompted to confirm installation, click yes.

Once installed reboot.

A. If you receive an Error 619 the connection may be blocked by a firewall or other security device. Try going to the LAN/VPN connection properties on the networking tab and disable any firewalls listed.

There is also a chance the DNS requires flushing.
1. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories
2. Right click on 'Command Prompt' and select 'Run as administrator'
3. When command prompt opens type or paste the following: ipconfig /flushdns
4. Click enter
5. Then type or paste: netsh interface ip delete arpcache
6. Click enter
7. Close all windows and Reboot

A. 1.Click Start, point to Connect To, and then click your VPN connection.
2. Click Properties, and then click the Options tab.
3. Click to clear the Include Windows logon domain check box (if it is selected), and then click OK.
4. Click Connect.

A. If you receive an Error 720: A connection to the remote computer could not be established. You might need to change the network settings for this connection. Please follow these instructions very carefully, if you are not happy editing your registry please ask someone that knows what they are doing.

Option 1 - Simple TCP/IP Repair
1. Run the Windows XP TCP/IP Repair Utility from: Here and choose to "Reset TCP/IP"
2. Reboot and try your VPN connection.

Option 2 - RAREPAIR Network Device Re-install
Run the Windows XP RAREPAIR Utility from: Here and follow the on screen instructions. The utility will reboot your system a couple as its re-creating your network devices.

A. The Machine must have "IPSEC Services" Enabled in the services area of the "Computer Management" application. This should be enabled by default, however some applications can disable it.

1. Open the Control Panel
2. Click on Administrative Tools
3. Click on Services
4. Locate IPSec Services
5. Verify service has started, if not,
6. Right click IPSec Services
7. Select Start
8. Verify service startup type is Automatic

Vista
1. Open the Control Panel
2. Click on Administrative Tools
3. Click on Services
4. Locate IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
5. Verify service has started, if not,
6. Right click IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
7. Select Start
8. Verify service startup type is Automatic
9. Locate IPsec Policy Agent
10. Verify service has started, if not,
11. Right click IPsec Policy Agent
12. Select Start
13. Verify service startup type is Automatic

A. 789: The L2TP connection attempt failed because the security layer encountered a processing error during initial negotiations with the remote computer

Cause: Your operating system is not correctly configured to connect to an L2TP server. The connection attempt is failing before a connection to the server is ever attempted. This error is caused entirely by a misconfiguration of the user's operating system. Location, or connect type has no bearing on receiving this error message.

Solution:

• Usually a Windows Vista Error
  1. Open Control Panel >> Administrative Tools >> Services
  2. Make sure the IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules service is started and configured to start automatically at startup. If the service is already started, restart it.
  3. Make sure the IPsec Policy Agent service is started and configured to start automatically at startup. If the service is already started, restart it.
  4. Attempt to connect to the VPN server again, if still unsuccessfully, please contact the Live Help and notify them of the takes you have already taken to resolve the issue.

Alternatively, you can do it from commnad prompt. Type the following one at a time, check spelling and press enter. net stop policyagent, net start policyagent, net stop ikeext, net start ikeext, net stop remoteaccess, net start remoteaccess

A. Ensure all the details are correct. Go to the Connection Window and click onto 'Properties'

XP
1. General Tab: Ensure the VPNUK server IP is correct.
2. Options Tab: 'Windows logon Domain' unchecked.
3. Security Tab: Security Options on 'Typical' IPSec Key: 69000903
4. Networking Tab: Select L2TP

Vista
1. General Tab: Ensure the VPNUK server IP is correct.
2. Options Tab: 'Windows logon Domain' unchecked.
3. Security Tab: Security Options on 'Typical'
4. Networking Tab: Select L2TP and IPSec Key: 69000903 uncheck TCPv6.

A. 800: Unable to establish the VPN connection

• Cause: The VPN server may be unreachable, or security parameters may not be configured properly for this connection.
• Solution:
  1. Restart your computer.
  2. Please go through the configuration step by step and ensure that all the settings are correct.
  3. Make sure you are using your correct VPNUK login details
  4. Check your router or modem settings.
  5. Try turning off your firewall.

A. 806: A connection between your computer and the VPN server has been started, but the VPN connection cannot be completed

• Cause: The most common cause for this is that at least one Internet device (for example, a firewall or a router) between your computer and the VPN server is not configured to allow Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) protocol packets. If the problem persists, contact your network administrator or Internet service provider.
• Probable Solution: Ask your Network Administrator or ISP to allow traffic through the GRE 47 IP Protocol.
• Possible Solution: Disable your firewall or configure your router to allow VPN connections.

A. If you receive an Error 919 please follow these instructions.
1. Click Properties.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. Change the security to: Typical (recommended settings).

A. To allow your VPNUK connection in AVG Firewall, please proceed as follows:

Open the AVG overview window and double click onto 'Firewall' place a check in the 'Allow Gaming Mode' checkbox and click apply. You should now be able to connect through the AVG firewall.

If the connection is still blocked by the AVG Firewall you will have to configure the firewall as follows.

• Open AVG -> menu "Tools" -> "Firewall settings".
  
• Expand your profile, select "Defined networks" and create a new network for your VPN gateway:
• Click "Add network" -> fill in network name (e.g. 'VPNUK') -> "Add IP".
  
• Select "One IP address" and fill in the IP address of your VPN server (the server to which you are connecting).
• Click "OK" twice.
• Switch to "Defined services" and create a rule allowing VPNUK:
• Click "Add service" -> fill in the service name (e.g. 'VPNUK')
  
• Click "Add" and create the following rules:
• Custom protocol; Custom protocol number: 47; Direction IN; Local ports: 0; Remote ports: 0
• Custom protocol; Custom protocol number: 47; Direction OUT; Local ports: 0; Remote ports: 0
• Protocol: TCP; Direction IN; Local ports: 0; Remote ports: 1723
• Protocol: TCP; Direction OUT; Local ports: 0; Remote ports: 1723
• Protocol: UDP; Direction: IN; Local ports: 0; Remote ports: 0
• Protocol: UDP; Direction: OUT; Local ports: 0; Remote ports: 47
• Click "OK" to save the service.
• Now switch to "System services" and create a rule that will use the created service for the created network:
• Click "Add" -> fill in the rule name (e.g. 'VPNUK).
• Set the "System rule details" to "Allow for all".
• In the "System rule actions" click "Add".
• In "Defined services" tick only the created service ('VPNUK').
• In "Defined networks" tick only the created network ('VPNUK).
• Click "OK" to store the Firewall configuration, and verify that the communication is allowed now.

A. To allow your VPNUK connection in ESET or NOD32 Firewall, please proceed as follows:

1. Open the ESET overview and click onto firewall.
2. Switch the firewall to interactive mode.
3. Click onto configure rules and zones
4. Enter your server IP for each server you have on your VPNUK account
5. Click apply and close the ESET Control Panel.

You should now be able to connect to your VPN account.

A. If you have Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall please try this:
Select the Configure option under Personal Firewall, then go to Advanced Settings, then Untick the "Stealthy Ports" option. This will allow you to connect via VPN."
In any other scenario

Begin by opening the Norton program window by double clicking on the icon in your system tray (in the lower left of your screen near your clock). Next, you will need to click on Options and then Norton Internet Security

Next, you will need to click on Personal Firewall and Trust Control and then click on the Trusted tab. Click the Add button.

Add the IP address for the VPN server. Next, Click the Ok button

Lastly, click the OK button to apply the settings. After closing the Security Center, you should now be able to connect to the VPN

A. First check that it is PC Tools' problem by disabling the firewall and then try and connect to the VPN. If you can connect to the VPN then try the following, don't forget to re-enable the firewall first!

You will need to add some rules to make this work.

RULE 1:
1. Go to 'advanced rules' in PC Tools Firewall, Click on the tab 'trusted zone', Click on the green plus to add a rule
2.Tick 'where the ethernet type is', click on 'undefined' and then select 'ip' then click on 'OK'
3.Tick 'where the protocol is', click on 'change protocol' below, select 'TCP' then click on 'OK'
4.Tick 'where the remote port is', click on 'undefined', select 'match port', 'sub type' should be 'equals'
and type '1723' in the port field then click on 'OK'
5. Then click on 'Next'
6. Then tick 'allow' (make sure you do this as it's blocked by default) , then click on Finish
7. Click on 'Apply' in the 'advanced rules' section

RULE 2:
1. Go to 'Advanced Rules' in PC Tools Firewall, Click on the tab 'Trusted Zone', Click on the green plus to add a rule
2. Tick 'where the ethernet type is', click on 'undefined' and then select 'ip' then click on 'OK'
3. Tick 'where the protocol is', click on 'change protocol' below, select 47-GRE
4. Then click on 'Next'
5. Then tick 'allow' (make sure you do this as it's blocked by default) , then click on Finish
6. Click on 'Apply' in the 'advanced rules' section

RULE 3
1. Go to 'advanced rules' in PC Tools Firewall, Click on the tab 'internet zone', Click on the green plus to add a rule
2. Tick 'where the ethernet type is', click on 'undefined' and then select 'ip' then click on 'OK'
4 Tick 'where the remote ip' is, click on 'undefined' below, make sure 'match address' and 'equals' are selected
then type in the remote ip address of you vpn.
5. Then click on 'Next'
6. Then tick 'allow' (make sure you do this as it's blocked by default) , then click on Finish
7. Click on 'Apply' in the 'advanced rules' section

Repeat step 3 for any other vpn IP server addresses you have

A. Some Vista users have reported this issue where their VPN connection fails to go through when Windows Live Onecare is installed. The firewall from Windows Live Onecare by default blocks VPN traffic. You need to configure Onecare firewall to allow VPN traffic.

VPN client errors that might indicate that this is potentially the issue you are seeing:

800 Unable to establish the VPN connection. The VPN server may be unreachable, or security parameters may not be configured properly for this connection

809 The network connection between your computer and the VPN server could not be established because the remote server is not responding. This could be because one of the network devices (e.g, firewalls, NAT, routers, etc) between your computer and the remote server is not configured to allow VPN connections. Please contact your Administrator or your service provider to determine which device may be causing the problem
Resolution

The fix for error is ver easy, you just have to follow the instructions listed below to configure Windows Live Onecare Firewall to allow VPN traffic by enabling the exception already present there.

Steps to follow for resolution

The VPN exception will allow a VPN connection to pass though the OneCare firewall, this setting should also affect the Windows firewall.

1. At the Windows Live OneCare main page select the Change Settings
2. At the Windows Live OneCare settings menu, under the firewall tab click the 'Configure Firewall' button
3. Click the arrow beside the 'Virtual Private Network (VPN)'
4. Select the 'on' option and click 'apply'
5. Click close at the OneCare firewall settings menu, and then exit out Windows Live OneCare

The VPN connection should now work

A. If you are using Zone Labs ZoneAlarm firewall to protect your PC and would like to use the IPSec client to connect to the VPN network, you will need to add the VPNUK VPN server to the list of ZoneAlarm Trusted Hosts.

Adding VPN Servers to ZoneAlarm's Trusted Hosts

Select Start -> Programs -> Zone Labs -> Zone Labs Security to open the application.

Click the Firewall link to open the the Firewall settings panel. Next click the Zones Tab to open the Zones settings panel.

Click on Add -> Host/Site to add your VPNUK IP to the list of Trusted Hosts. If you are using a Shared IP account you will have to add all shared server IP's.

You will now see the VPNUK Servers in the Trusted Zones list.

Click Apply to apply your settings.

A. Mcafee Plus Internet Security - Could Block VPN
A very common cause for VPN connectivity issues can be traced to software firewall products. These instructions will permit your software firewall to connect to our VPN server. Adding an exception to Mcafee Anti-Virus Plus can be achieved by following this procedure.

Begin by opening the mcafee security center by right clicking on the Mcafee icon near the system tray (the clock in the lower right of the screen.) You will need to click on Advanced Menu.

Next, on the left panel of Mcafee Security Center. Click Configure, then Internet & Network. Afterwards, click the Advanced button

Next, on the left hand side of the window, select Trusted and Banned IPs & Click Add

Add a single IP address, the VPNUK server IP address. In the description field, you can add any description you would like to describe the connection. When you are done, click the OK button. After closing the Security Center, you should now be able to connect to the VPN. Note: If you are using a shared IP account you will have to add all of the IP's you intend to use.

A.

We contacted Trend after a few clients experienced problems configuring their VPN connection to work with the Trend Internet Security Firewall, the following is the reply we received.

------------------

This is Glenn from Trend Micro Consumer Support.

With regards to your concern I understand that you’re having problems with the Trend Micro Internet Security and your VPN connection. Here’s what we’re going to do we will uninstall your Personal Firewall because it is incompatible to your VPN connection.

We will follow the steps below.

1.Uninstall the firewall:
a.Click on Start > My Computer.
b.Double-click Local Disk C: then double-click the Program Files folder.
c.Look for the Internet Security folder then open it.
d.Look for TISTOOL.exe and then double-click on it. The Trend Micro Diagnostic Toolkit window will appear.
e.Click on the Uninstall tab.
f.Click on the Uninstall Firewall button. The Add or Remove Firewall window will appear.
g.Click on the Uninstall button to proceed with the firewall uninstallation.
h.Click Finish to restart your computer

Once you have uninstalled the Personal Firewall the problems with your VPN connection will be resolved.

Have a great day!

Glenn Obnamia
Consumer Support Team
Trendlabs HQ, Trend Micro Incorporated

-----------------

Rather than uninstall the Firewall completely as Glenn recommends you can always disable it and use the Windows firewall whilst using the VPN or disable the Trend Firewall whilst you connect to the VPN, once connected you can turn the Firewall back on without causing any problems or known conflicts.

A. 1. Go to: 192.168.1.1 (or the LiveBox default gateway)
2. Login. (The default login username is: admin and the password is also: admin).
3. Under menu Security/Firewall it can be left at 'Middle'
4. Under menu Configuration/Advanced/Router the DMZ setup should NOT be configured
5. Under Router­NAT on the same page click 'Add' and choose Manual service. Call it VPNUK1
5a. Choose Protocol: TCP enter External Port 1723, Internal Port 1723 and Server IP address as a STATIC IP address.
6. Submit then add a 2nd port forward. Call it VPNUK2
6a. Choose Protocol: UDP enter External Port 500, Internal Port 500 and Server IP address as a STATIC IP address. Submit
7. Orange Livebox uses a dynamic IP address which was the main problem for the client that kindly provided us with this LiveBox tutorial, this will be the same for other Orange Livebox users.

For Apple Mac users
The change to be made is in Network under TCP/IP, change Configure IPv4 to 'Manually'. Enter your internal IP address, example: 192.168.1.10. Change DNS servers to your default gateway address, example; 192.168.1.1 Then restart Livebox and computer

A. 1. Open Avast Internet Security.
2. Click on 'firewall',
3. On the firewall settings click onto 'expert settings'.
4. Click 'packet rules'
5. Select 'add new entry' and enter 'VPNUK'
6. Enter the following action, 'allow protocol: all - direction: in/out'
7. Add the server ip address(es).
8. Click 'OK'.

You should now be able to connect to the VPN.

A. The Client CP is where you can retrieve your login details, change your password, the registered email address on the account, the account holders name and also switch between any of the VPNUK servers. You access the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/

A. Login to the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ then go to the 'Change Password' tab. Enter your new password, confirm it and then click Save.

A. Login to the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ then click onto the I've forgotten my password! link. If you do not know the account login username you can enter the email address associated with the account.

A. Login to the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ then go to the 'View Profile' tab. There you will see the link to: 'Send me an email with my account profile details'.

A. Login to the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ then go to the 'Edit Profile' tab. You can view or edit the name and email address associated to the account.

A. If you have an account on our Shared Ip system you are free to switch to any server in the VPNUK network. If you use our connection software or windows based OpenVPN client you can select any server from the availability. If you have an account on our Dedicated IP platform, you should login to the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ then go to the 'Switch Servers' tab. You can switch your account onto any of the available servers in the list. To view the server details click onto the '+' symbol. You can also view how many users are currently logged into the server. Usage numbers are taken from the last 15 minutes.

A. Login to the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ then go to the 'ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT' section. You can renew your account using any of the available payment processors.

A. The VPNUK Smart DNS service is a brilliant way to access certain web sites and services including streaming media and social networking services. The VPNUK Smart DNS services works on virtually every kind of system or device, this includes Smart TV's and Games Consoles! You can now bypass the need to log in or even create a VPN connection. In order to connect to the VPNUK Smart DNS service you only have to to make one small edit to the connection settings of the system or device you would like to connect.

Using VPNUK Smart DNS and its ever expanding whitelist of available services is a brillaint way of maintaining a low ping time and high speed in countries that have poor routing, throttle or even filter VPN connections. If you do not require the additional security of a VPN connection you are now able to connect to your VPNUK account through the VPNUK Smart DNS service. This is a brand new service that is still very much in beta, so some services will not function correctly straight away, we will address those in time!! Another massive benefit is that you can access content from multiple countries without having to switch server IP, the Smart DNS service does all of that for you in the background without you even realising!

A. We launched the VPNUK Smart DNS Service as a very simple service to help bypass the need to route traffic through a VPN connection. VPNUK Smart DNS is an ideal service for streaming media services like the BBCiPlayer, Channel5, 4oD and ITV Player in the UK along with services like HULU, ABC and NBC in the USA as well as many Canadian, Italian, Dutch and Spanish services. A full list is available here: https://www.vpnuk.info/smart-dns.html

A. Login to the http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ and check your registered IP has not changed. If it has changed you can remove it and enable your new IP.

A. Login to the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ then click onto the 'Host Proposal' link in the Smart DNS' menu.

A. Login to the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ then go to the 'Smart DNS' menu.

A. Login to the Client CP here: http://clientcp.vpnuk.info/vpnuk/clients/ then go to the 'Smart DNS' menu.

A. No, its not as secure as a VPN connection. Smart DNS connection offers little or no security at all, its exactly the same as your regular ISP connection.