RemoteUtilites.com blocked after router restart

[Nigel247]

I have been using RemoteUtilites service to remote access a pc I use for CCTV cams for ages with no problem. However, today I restarted my home router and now I cannot access the service. Just so you know, Scam Protection and Kids Safe are both turned off in my account as always. I can view the website www.remoteutilities.com via a 4G connection so I know the service is working but not via my wifi at home since the restart this morning. Nothing else has changed, so why is it being blocked ?

[KeithFrench]

I am glad to hear it is working now & your thoughts certainly sound plausible. Never try to just reboot the router though (unless on full fibre), it is far better to turn it off for at least 30 mins to force all existing sessions to time out & clear.

[Nigel247]

I thought I would let you know that leaving it all overnight feeling miserable and on checking it this morning, the service is now connecting ok even though I hadnt changed anything. So, maybe TT has some kind of scam delay element to it, or maybe my newly assigned IP address took time to get registered against my existing TT account scam protection cross reference preference maybe on an overnight batch run ? Wild guess, anyway, for now its working and I am not going to reboot the router for as long as possible as I dont want to go through that frustration again.

Thanks for your help.

[KeithFrench]

Hi Nigel,

Then they must only communicate to that site for the whole transaction. With some network connections, Wireshark is the only way to know what is truly happening.

[Nigel247]

Thanks for keeping at it,

I have never had a problem using them side by side on my desk and also in 2 different geographical locations to also manage my folks pc which I also now cannot see after my router restart.

So, I wonder if Talktalk have a new "scammer thinking time" delay of x number of hours for whatever reason on renewed IP assignments, who knows !

Lets leave it there for now and I appreciate the time that you have taken with me today.

I will try the google dns later but im spent now, so thanks again Keith, you have been steadfast.

Bye for now, Nigel

[KeithFrench]

OK it does sound like a scam protection issue, but there could be a second issue whilst they are side by side on your desk - NAT Loopback.

To configure the hub 2 to use Google DNS (8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4) go to:-

Dashboard > See internet settings > Manage advanced settings > Internet connectivity

Set the DNS servers in there to be manual & put the above two addresses in there.

Unless the whole transaction goes to & from their website only, you could have a problem. If any of the remote access traffic is actually going between the two devices using the host end's public IP address, it will never work when both are connected to the same TT router. This is because any traffic leaving the router & out to the internet and then comes back in again to a device connected to the same router is classed as NAT loopback. All current TalkTalk routers block NAT loopback traffic as it is determined to be a vulnerability.

[Nigel247]

ok, the remote connect service works like this.

The CCTV PC has a RemoteUtilities software prog known as the "host" and runs as a service, when installed it is assigned a unique ID held in the RemoteUtilities database.

My PC that I am typing also is running a piece of RemoteUtilities prog known as the "client", which is also assigned a different unique ID when installed on my PC and stored in the RemoteUtilites database.

When I run the "client" on my PC, it can the see the "host" as "online" and allow me to connect to it.

This setup has been running problem free for many years and even after several other router restarts over the years, but not today.

So, today my client cannot see the host as online. It states it as offline.

But as I stated earlier, regardless of the remote access software, I literally cannot go to www.remoteutilites.com since the router reboot, but 5 mins prior to that all was fine and dandy. I dont need to go to the website to run the software as its locally installed progs on the host and client pc, visiting the website is only a way of proving that TalkTalk is blocking any service or webpage from that company since I changed IP address. So, the service DOES run through their servers to manage the connection.

I hope that explains the setup

[KeithFrench]

If they are connected to the same subnet currently, how does the source PC know how to connect to the destination PC? Do they both have to be connected to the software's website? If you can be as technical as possible to explain how the connection process should work, then I might be able to help you.

[Nigel247]

Its a TalkTalk Wifi Hub 2, version SG4K100174

Both pcs are currently sitting on my desk both using my Talktalk account. Neither PC can access RemoteUtilities.com since the router reboot. All was fine before that reboot and no other settings have been changed.

Maybe I should keep rebooting the router until TALKTALK get over it !?

[KeithFrench]

So TalkTalk is used by the controlling PC, the remotely managed one is on another ISP? In that case, port forwarding is not used at the TalkTalk end & its WAN IP address is irrelevant. I was going to mention Scam Protection, but you said it used port forwarding (I have never used this remote access software).

You can always set the DNS server that the router uses (not the devices) to be set to Google DNS or similar, then Scam Protection will not play a part. You haven't mentioned the make/model of router at the TalkTalk end, so I cannot be more precise as to how to configure this.

[Nigel247]

Thanks for the reply.

Regardless of the remote PC and I want to connect to, on the PC that I am typing on, RemoteUtilities.com is blocked "Secure Connection Failed" message. This has only happened since the router restart. I did not do a factory reset.

I think Talktalk have blocked it since I got a new IP addess from them and is ignoring my ScamProtection

[KeithFrench]

If it uses port forwarding, the controlling PC must use the router's WAN IP to connect to, otherwise, the destination address & port combination would never be matched on an incoming connection attempt. The software may use this ID you mention as an extra layer of security possibility.

[Nigel247]

Port forwarding is switched on

[Nigel247]

Please bare with me...

Via WAN IP.

The Remote Access software does not care about IP address, it uses a UserID to connect

[KeithFrench]

Does it use port forwarding then?

[Nigel247]

Thanks for replying to quickly.

I think t eh answer is WAN IP as Talktalk will assign a new IP address to the router, but thats always been the case. I had not restarted my router for over 3 months and everything was fine until the restart but the RemoteUtilites software users a unique UserID to connect and not IP based

[KeithFrench]

Do you access the router via its WAN IP address or a DDNS domain? Depending on your package, it is common for the router to be allocated a different WAN IP address when rebooted.