iPhone and iPod touch: Understanding unexpected VPN disconnects
Summary
When connected to some Enterprise VPN configurations, it is possible that iPhone or iPod touch devices could drop the connection unexpectedly. This article describes some causes and possible ways to reduce or avoid VPN disconnection issues.
Products Affected
iPhone, iPod touch, iPhone 3G, iPod touch (2nd generation)
Important: Try updating your iPhone or iPod touch to 2.2 or later. If that doesn't solve the issue, see below for additional information and troubleshooting steps.
Enterprise VPN connections can unexpectedly drop for a number of reasons, including:
- Loss of signal
- Switching from Wi-Fi to Cellular Data Network (CDN), or vice-versa
- Incoming calls while connected over Edge
- Connection rekeying issues
Disconnects due to loss of signal and switching between Wi-Fi and CDN are expected behavior and can only be avoided by reducing movement between available signal coverage areas while utilizing a VPN connection.
Incoming calls will not disrupt a VPN connection utilizing Wi-Fi or 3G networks.
If rekeying issues are occurring frequently, speak to your IT Administrator about setting the VPN server's rekey time to a long enough delay to prevent disruption.
If a VPN connection interruption occurs, whether transitioning network types or unexpected connection drop, reconnect to the VPN, authenticating as required for your configuration. IT Administrators can use the iPhone Configuration Utility to deploy configuration profiles to enterprise iPhone and iPod touch devices. Such profiles can specify VPN connection parameters and certificates to ease users' connection procedures and experience.
For more information on creating and deploying configuration profiles with the iPhone Configuration Utility, please see the iPhone Enterprise Deployment Guide.
Additional Information
The portable nature of these devices can make troubleshooting the cause of connection interruptions difficult to identify. If disconnections occur regularly while moving around with your device, your issue is likely due to network changes or loss of signal. If disconnections seem to occur at regular intervals when not moving with your device, the issue may be remedied by changing/extending the VPN server's rekeying interval.
This document will be updated as more information becomes available.