Okay so my partner is working remote from the UK in Dubai and he is connected to a vpn that allows him to access his work websites, his job requires him to take calls and payments, but we recently moved to Silicon Oasis and he is having issues with taking payments, it shows “check your internet connection” when he tries and the internet is fine, speed is above 200, there was also a new software his company has launched that just says “network error” when he tries to log in,
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The VPN might be getting flagged by the network or payment processors. Some financial systems are strict and block connections that seem suspicious, especially if it looks like you’re accessing from a VPN or a restricted location. Banks and payment gateways do this to prevent fraud.
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This sounds like Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) could be at play. Dubai ISPs sometimes detect VPN traffic even when it’s encrypted. Some companies use VPN obfuscation (stealth protocols) to bypass restrictions, but if your VPN doesn’t support it, that might be the issue.
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Try changing VPN servers—maybe connecting to a different region in the UK if your VPN allows it. Also, see if your partner’s VPN app has a split tunneling feature, where only specific apps (like work-related ones) go through the VPN while everything else bypasses it.
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Could the company’s new software also be geo-blocking or detecting VPN traffic? Some work systems aren’t VPN-friendly. You can try using NordLynx or WireGuard, which are faster and harder to detect than OpenVPN. If his company provides alternate VPN protocols, that could help too.
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I’d suggest using a Mobile Hotspot as a workaround. Some ISPs mess with VPNs over Wi-Fi, but mobile networks might be less aggressive. Test if the payment system works via mobile data, and if it does, it might point to ISP-level restrictions.
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If changing servers doesn’t help, try a different VPN provider—some work better in Dubai than others. ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN seem to handle those network challenges well. Also, disable IPv6 if it’s on—it can mess with VPNs and secure connections.
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