Afrihost PPTP lower latency service: CAPETOWN edition

This service provides you with a possibly lower-latency connection to international sites, by forwarding your traffic from Cape Town. This may improve gaming latency towards the UK and the Americas.

Restrictions apply:

• Cateat emptor
• This service will INCREASE your latency for a number of important cases
• This service will not greatly improve your latency. If it's not good enough, get starlink: it has links at the speed of light in vacuum
• You need to be an Afrihost client connecting from the Afrihost network
• You don't mind your bandwidth being limited
• You don't mind sharing the IP address
• You don't expect to send mail
• IPv4 only
• Beta: this service may be discontinued or fail at any time without notice. This service may be modified at any time, without notice. Your access to this service may go away at any time without notice.
• Security: this an unencrypted service, with no security benefit. You should use SSL for connections that require security.
• Router limitations: your router may support only one GRE session at a time for your network.
• Filtering: certain ports may be restricted (specifically SMTP)

PPTP overview (point to point tunnelling protocol)

You can connect to this PPTP server with these settings:

• Protocol: PPTP (port 1723/TCP, GRE)
• PPTP server name: pptp.afrihost.capetown
• Authentication type: Username + password (PAP - Password authentication protocol)
• User name: yourusername@afrihost.co.za
• Password: yoursecretpassword (reset in clientzone if you don't have it)
• Advanced settings: Enable PAP (Password authentication protocol)
• Advanced settings: MPP encryption: OFF (this is not a secured link)

Additionally, you need to ensure that your router allows your system to make PPTP connections:

• Router firewall: enable PPTP / GRE application

Operating systems

Windows 10

Windows 10 supports PPTP by default, but you will need to persuade it to connect to this particular PPTP server because there is no encryption.

1. In the menu, use the "Search" function, and type "VPN"
2. Add a VPN connection with these settings:
   • VPN provider: Windows (built-in)
   • Connection name: "Phone home" (or something suitable for your network)
   • Server name or address: "pptp.afrihost.capetown"
   • VPN type: Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)
   • Type of sign-in info: User name and password
   • User name: yourusername@afrihost.co.za
3. Set advanced settings for the VPN
4. Set the "Allow PAP" advanced option, and click "OK"
5. Connect to the VPN, and enter your connectivity password.

Linux

You need pptpd and pppd, and you're almost there:

# sudo apt install pptpd pppd

And then you can dial it up like this:

# sudo pppd noauth name myusername@afrihost.co.za password mysecretpassword \
  pty "pptp pptp.afrihost.capetown --nolaunchpppd" \
  nodetach defaultroute replacedefaultroute
Using interface ppp0
Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/pts/7
PAP authentication succeeded
replacing old default route to wlan0 [192.168.0.1]
local  IP address 10.228.0.2
remote IP address 10.228.0.1

You can disconnect with Ctrl+C or killall pppd