Three 5G internet blocks Pulse SEcure (ivanti) VPN disconnects

[Three5GVPN]

I saw some other posts of this topic with NO solution, and yes, another Three 5G user suffering the same problem with VPN, with Pulse Secure.

Let me explain:

I got a really good 5G signal, no issues, but when connected to the VPN Pulse Secure (required for work) the connection drops every 3 minutes. Yes, exactly 180 seconds. That makes work remotely impossible...

Company IT team has been looking into it unsuccessfully.  Finally we tested the same Laptop and the same VPN Pulse secure doing hotspot from another 5G internet provider and it worked fine. 

So the problem is only with Three 5G.

I have also contacted with Pulse Secure support team. They have investigated and concluded that is the Internet provider blocking the connection every 3 minutes. 

All this makes me feel switching provider...

I found this link, more people having very similar cases.:

https://community.pulsesecure.net/t5/Pulse-Connect-Secure/Connecting-via-hotspot-or-5G-modem-Three-Z...

I got external technical support guy suggesting me that there is nothing to do on the router Setup, since this is the Provider (Three) network affecting negatively to the VPN.  I have tried the 5G broadband sim card in a  phone and same issue.  But on the same phone, doing hotspot with another sim card then it works perfectly. The issue is only with Three network.  Already done so many checks that this is a fact: Three UK is blocking Pulse Secure VPN.  this makes impossible to work from home. Therefore Three 5G broadband useless and unless there is a solution I will need to switch provider.

[sridiyer]

I am facing the exact same issue. I use 3 5G sim as a hotspot and pulsesecure. The connection terminates in three minutes and it kills all the putty and DB connections.

[Chumly]

I’ve been having an issue with NORD vpn and it only connecting over the vpn protocol IKEv2 instead of the supposedly faster and more secure ones (Openvpn! NordLynx). I read on another forum that changing my APN (in mobile network settings) from three.co.uk to 3internet would resolve the issue, and so far it has.

link for reference

[Avondale]

Do a search on this forum for VPN and you will find that this is a recurring problem. Some VPNs work with Three Broadband whilst done do not. It is all somewhat erratic and whilst I have been OK recently - my employer uses Cisco AnyConnect VPN - my confidence that I will not encounter problems in the future is low.    

[Hello1024]

You should try changing the APN setting from  "three.co.uk" to "3internet".  The two are two different network setups - the latter is more likely to work with games and VPN's.   Find that in the router settings under "Network setting > Broadband > Cellular APN" 

There are two router settings to try too:

* turn the security level down.  On the router, in the menu, choose security, Firewall, choose Low.

* You should also enable the DMZ.   Log in to the router (see the label on the bottom of the router).  Then in the menu, go to Network Setting > NAT > DMZ.    Enter your machines IP address in the box - you can find that on the home screen of the router, click to expand the "connectivity" box, and see what it says for "IP".

Note that both of these settings make it easier for someone evil on the internet to connect to your computer - so you should make sure you have your machine updated and a password more complex than "hello".

[JonathanB]

Hi Everyone,

I've noticed a few discussions cropping up about issues using VPNs over Three Broadband connections recently. I'm sending everyone that has mentioned this so far a PM so that we can get you in touch with some colleagues that will verify your accounts, and gather more info to help us investigate.

If you're experiencing this issue but haven't posted yet, please add a reply so that I can get in touch, the more examples I can gather, the easier it should be for our support teams to pinpoint what's causing the issues.

To view your private messages on the community, click on your avatar image in the top right of any community page, then "Messages".

Thanks,
JonathanB

[JonathanB]

Hi everyone,

If you're experiencing issues with VPNs can you try the suggestions on the thread FYI : IPv6 Prevented VPN Connection  

Let me know if the info there helps.

Thanks,
JonathanB

[sridiyer]

This doesn't solves the issue with Pulsesecure VPN

[Avondale]

Hello @sridiyer

Are you saying that you have tried the suggestions by both @Hello1024 and by @JonathanB and that neither worked for you ?   

[JonathanB]

Hi @sridiyer,

Ah that's frustrating. It looks like there have been quite a few other issues with VPNs that were fixed by the advice on that thread. So you changed the APN to manually connect to 3internet, and you're still getting disconnected every few minutes?