Windows Remote Desktop does not work on new UPC Broadband

JamesFlynn · 22-07-2015 10:53PM #1

Windows Remote Desktop does not appear to work with the new UPC 240Mb service.

I just signed up for the UPC 240Mb service, and it's been fine so far except Windows Remote Desktop doesn't work, which for me is really a deal-breaker as I need to access my work computer from home.

It works fine from my three.ie dongle, and from my brother's eircom router. It even worked when I had UPC a few years ago!

The Windows server machine is definitely working and I can still access it via the three.ie dongle. The only difference is when I use the wired/wireless UPC connection. The router is a "TC7200.U".

Maybe I've misunderstood though - has anyone else got Windows Remote Desktop working with UPC?

Any suggestions or feedback much appreciated.

Nollog · 22-07-2015 11:15PM

Open the ports in the modem.

ongarite · 22-07-2015 11:18PM

You need to get onto UPC and request that they assign you an IPv4 address rather than the default IPv6 (dslite) which new customers get.

JamesFlynn · 22-07-2015 11:49PM

Many thanks for the replies!

@Vollog - the only difference I can see when using a port scanning service (such as what is my ip dot com) is that three.ie reports "closed" on ports whereas UPC reports "timed-out". That may be significant? I would not have thought that my own router needed to open a port for an *outgoing* RDP connection though.

@ongarite - thanks I will request that and report if it works.

ED E · 23-07-2015 03:17AM

Ongarite is correct, DSLite is breaking your NAT.

homer911 · 23-07-2015 08:16AM

Any chance you could use Teamviewer instead?

Based on advice on boards I installed this for pesonal to personal access and it worked immediately, no configuration needed

Spear · 23-07-2015 08:49AM

Nothing will work if he's trying to use the IP v4 address. It's UPC's policy for all new connections to go on DSLite instead these days.

ED E · 23-07-2015 09:14AM

Teamviewer uses relaying and will work in this circumstance but its not quite the same as MS RDP.

ItHurtsWhenIP · 23-07-2015 01:34PM

Spear wrote: »

Nothing will work if he's trying to use the IP v4 address. It's UPC's policy for all new connections to go on DSLite instead these days.

From my reading of this, he is trying to access his work computer, which is somewhere else from his home UPC connection:

JamesFlynn wrote: »

...
I need to access my work computer from home.
...

So he is not trying to come into an IPv4 address on the UPC end, but presumably an IPv4 on the other end. Is that not possible with DSLite?

Praetorian · 23-07-2015 02:57PM

Another vote for teamviewer, but also logmein is good (although not free).

JamesFlynn · 28-11-2016 11:56PM

A year later to update this but thank ye very much all for the replies. I could access the work computer via the three.ie mobile broadband device so just cancelled my UPC broadband. They should really make public that it's not suitable for home office workers who require Windows Remote Desktop access. The three.ie broadband dongle has been quite reliable for VPN access over RDC if that is what you require.

demanufactured · 29-11-2016 12:09AM

I have been using remote desktop for years on a upc/ virgin connection.

JamesFlynn · 29-11-2016 12:12AM

Hmm, strange. Maybe it works now in 2016 or with more modern routers from UPC? thanks for the reply.

demanufactured · 29-11-2016 12:13AM

Like previous posters said . You were probably on ds lite and had an ipv6 address.
This would have broken things like rdp

ED E · 29-11-2016 12:22AM

All it would have taken is a phone call and the magic words.

JamesFlynn · 29-11-2016 12:59AM

I did call to ask about it (obviously I didn't know the magic words!), and also I sent in a support request via email to UPC at the time, asking almost exactly what I've asked here on this forum - I was given the response below:

Thank you for contacting UPC Customer Care.

Our Premium PC Support technicians are available for any non-UPC related technical issues. For more information on what support they provide and how to contact them please click here:

Thanks for choosing UPC.

I didn't want to pay for premium support for a capability I'd used in the past and figured would be available with the new router so I just switched to three.ie. So if I switch back could I get RDP access via UPC/Virgin today?

Many thanks,
James

JamesFlynn · 29-11-2016 12:59AM

I did call to ask about it (obviously I didn't know the magic words!), and also I sent in a support request via email to UPC at the time, asking almost exactly what I've asked here on this forum - I was given the response below:

Thank you for contacting UPC Customer Care.

Our Premium PC Support technicians are available for any non-UPC related technical issues. For more information on what support they provide and how to contact them please click here:

Thanks for choosing UPC.

I didn't want to pay for premium support for a capability I'd used in the past and figured would be available with the new router so I just switched to three.ie. So if I switch back could I get RDP access via UPC/Virgin today?

Many thanks,
James

heroics · 29-11-2016 01:12AM

JamesFlynn wrote: »

I did call to ask about it (obviously I didn't know the magic words!), and also I sent in a support request via email to UPC at the time, asking almost exactly what I've asked here on this forum - I was given the response below:

Thank you for contacting UPC Customer Care.

Our Premium PC Support technicians are available for any non-UPC related technical issues. For more information on what support they provide and how to contact them please click here:

Thanks for choosing UPC.

I didn't want to pay for premium support for a capability I'd used in the past and figured would be available with the new router so I just switched to three.ie. So if I switch back could I get RDP access via UPC/Virgin today?

Many thanks,
James

Should just be a case of contacting the reps here through http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057282895/21/#post101671077

And asking to be put on an IPv4 profile.

JamesFlynn · 29-11-2016 01:21AM

Super thanks for that. I'll compare the three.ie offer today versus upc/virgin and switch if it makes sense. I must admit though that the three.ie service has the home office RDP service on by default and has been quite good all things considered - and I can take it with me when travelling around Ireland. It works good on the bus/train/driving to cork/galway (some dips in reception, specifically just north of Cork on the motorway but generally good in my experience, it even worked on a remote beach on achill island recently). I was surprised that a portable dongle could work as well as it does for work purposes - skype/lync calls are ok. The drawback is it isn't unlimited capacity, so if you use a lot of data it can cost, but I've not gone over my limit in the past year.

demanufactured · 29-11-2016 09:58PM

Not sure what way the three connections are set up...did you not have to do any port forwarding to access rdp?

JamesFlynn · 30-11-2016 12:35AM

No - for me at least it always just worked from the very start using three.ie and never worked from the exact came location using the exact same software using UPC/Virgin. When I queried it they directed me towards their paid services department, and I wasn't prepared to pay to get their service up and running.

I was using the bundled basic RDP Client from a Windows 7 Laptop (still a great OS) to an AWS hosted Windows Server machine.

Nothing against UPC/Virgin - might be a great service, but for home office work, Remote Desktop for me is crucial and it just didn't work. Three.ie has been great in my experience. if you use a lot of data over the month it won't suit but in other ways it has been excellent, and the great thing is you can take the router with you and sit on a beach and pretend you're working in the office.

Windows Remote Desktop does not work on new UPC Broadband

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