You sit down at your home office desk, connect to the VPN, and nothing happens. Or it connects but keeps dropping. Or it connects but you cannot access anything on the office network.
VPN problems are one of the most common issues for people working from home. They are also one of the most frustrating, because when the VPN is down, you often cannot do your job at all.
Here is what to check before you call IT support, and what to tell them when you do.
Check the basics first
Before troubleshooting the VPN itself, make sure the foundation is working:
Is your internet actually connected? Open a web browser and load any website (google.co.za is a good test). If you cannot browse the web, the problem is your internet connection, not the VPN. Check your router, check your fibre box, and check whether load shedding has knocked out your ISP equipment.
Is the office online? Sometimes the VPN fails because the office end is down, not your end. If your colleagues in the office are also having problems, the issue is likely the office internet connection or the VPN server itself. A quick WhatsApp to a colleague can save you 20 minutes of troubleshooting the wrong thing.
Restart the VPN client. Close the VPN application completely (not just disconnect, but quit the app) and reopen it. This clears any stuck connections and forces a fresh authentication.
Restart your computer. It sounds obvious, but a restart clears network state, renews IP addresses, and resets DNS. Many VPN issues disappear after a reboot.
Try a different network. If you are on WiFi, try plugging in an ethernet cable. If you are on fibre, try your phone’s mobile hotspot. If the VPN works on a different network, the problem is your home connection, not the VPN itself.
Common VPN problems and what to do
If the basics are fine but the VPN still is not working, here are the most likely causes:
Your ISP is blocking VPN ports. Some South African ISPs block or throttle certain network ports that VPNs use. This is more common on LTE and mobile data connections than on fibre, but it happens on both. If you suddenly cannot connect and nothing else has changed, ask your ISP whether they block VPN traffic. Your IT support can also configure the VPN to use a different port that is less likely to be blocked.
Your home router is interfering. Some routers have built-in firewalls or security features that interfere with VPN connections. This is common with the routers that ISPs provide. If you recently got a new router or your ISP pushed a firmware update, that could be the cause. Your IT team can advise on router settings, or in some cases, the VPN can be configured to work around the issue.
The VPN connection is timing out. If the VPN starts connecting but never finishes, or it connects and then drops after a few seconds, it may be a timeout issue. This can happen when your internet connection is slow or unstable. Fibre is generally reliable, but if you are on LTE or a shared connection, bandwidth problems can cause VPN timeouts.
DNS is not resolving. You connect to the VPN successfully, but you cannot access anything by name (like servername.yourcompany.local). You might be able to access things by IP address but not by name. This is a DNS problem – the VPN is not correctly routing your name lookups to the office DNS server. This is a configuration issue that your IT support needs to fix.
Your credentials have expired. If your office uses Active Directory and your password has expired, the VPN may reject your connection. Try changing your password first (your IT team can help if you cannot do this remotely). If your company uses multi-factor authentication on the VPN, make sure your authenticator app is working and the time on your phone is correct (MFA codes are time-sensitive).
The VPN software needs updating. Outdated VPN clients can have compatibility issues with updated servers. Check whether there is an update available for your VPN application.
What to tell your IT support when you call
If you have tried the basics and the common fixes and the VPN is still not working, call your IT team. Here is what will help them help you faster:
- What VPN client are you using? (The name of the application you use to connect)
- What error message do you see? (Take a screenshot or write it down exactly)
- When did it last work? (This morning? Yesterday? Last week?)
- What has changed? (New router, ISP change, Windows update, new location)
- What have you already tried? (So they do not ask you to do the same things again)
- What kind of internet connection are you on? (Fibre, LTE, mobile hotspot)
- Can you access the internet normally? (Websites load, email works)
If you are on a managed plan with us, you can also share a screenshot of the error via WhatsApp. Sometimes a screenshot tells us more than a phone description.
When the VPN keeps dropping
A VPN that connects but keeps disconnecting is often more frustrating than one that does not connect at all. Here is what usually causes it:
Unstable internet. If your home connection has micro-dropouts (brief disconnections that you might not notice during normal browsing), the VPN will drop every time. This is common with LTE connections and older fibre installations. Running a continuous ping test to your router can reveal these dropouts.
WiFi interference. If you are connecting over WiFi, interference from other devices, walls, or distance from the router can cause enough packet loss to drop the VPN. Moving closer to the router, using the 5GHz band instead of 2.4GHz, or switching to an ethernet cable often fixes this.
Sleep and power settings. If your laptop goes to sleep or your network adapter powers down to save battery, the VPN drops. Adjust your power settings so the network adapter stays active while you are working.
VPN idle timeout. Some VPN configurations disconnect you after a period of inactivity. If you step away for lunch and come back to a dead VPN, this is likely the cause. Your IT team can adjust the timeout setting.
Working from home without VPN issues
The best long-term solution to VPN problems is reducing your dependence on the VPN.
If your business has moved email and files to Microsoft 365, you can access Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams directly over the internet without needing a VPN. You only need the VPN for things that run on your office server, like an on-premises accounting system or an internal database.
For many remote workers, this means they only need the VPN for part of their day, not all of it. Some businesses configure “split tunnelling”, which sends only office-bound traffic through the VPN while everything else uses your normal internet. This makes the VPN faster and more stable because it is handling less traffic.
If you work from home regularly and VPN problems are a recurring headache, it is worth discussing your setup with your IT support. There may be a simpler configuration that gives you everything you need with fewer connection issues. Our @home plan is designed specifically for people who work from home and need reliable access to business systems.
Need help with your remote connection?
If your VPN is giving you trouble, we can check your setup and sort it out. Often it is a quick configuration fix.
Call: 087 820 5005
WhatsApp: 081 526 1626
Or if you work from home regularly, check whether our @home plan fits your needs.
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