OPENSKY™ Direct Access settings < >


Using the OPENSKY™ Direct Access (OSDA)

Because automatic proxy setting is only available for Microsoft Internet Explorer and because many applications (like e-mail client applications) do not support proxies, OPENSKY™ introduces OPENSKY™ Direct Access (OSDA).
OPENSKY™ Direct Access is a network connection based on your dial-up connection that is more flexible and more compatible than basic SatSurf connection.
This type of connection is not activated by default, but we advise you to activate it if your system is compatible. You will then have a much better experience of OPENSKY™ SatSurf Service.
To activate OPENSKY™ Direct Access, just check this checkbox.

Note: When using the OPENSKY™ Direct Access, a new VPN connection is created under Windows Network and Dial-up Connections, called "OPENSKY Direct Access".

Dialing another connection first

OPENSKY™ Direct Access needs a valid Internet connection to be established. Select in the combo box on the right, the dial-up connection you would like to use to connect to the Internet before launching the OSDA.
The SatSurf connection will then be executed in 2 steps:

  1. Launching the dial-up connection.
  2. Launching the OPENSKY™ Direct Access connection (equivalent to a SatSurf login).
Note: If you want to use the OPENSKY™ Direct Access outside the OPENSKY™ Client Application, you will have to specify the connection to dial for the VPN connection through Windows Network and Dial-up Connections.

Choosing the type of VPN server to use for OSDA

You can use 2 types of VPN servers for the OPENSKY™ Direct Access:

The default VPN server type is PPTP and is recommended for most users.

Advanced users may need to change the VPN type to L2TP if they encounter problems with the PPTP type. This may be the case for instance with GPRS networks. However, note that L2TP is not compatible with Microsoft Windows 98, 98 Second Edition, Millenium Edition and NT. Plus, in order to enable L2TP, OPENSKY™ disables IPSec connections for the entire system, which might interfere with other connections and applications.

Note: You need to reboot your computer when switching between PPTP and L2TP server types.

Deleting SatSurf messages

In order for the OPENSKY™ Direct Access to work properly, SatSurf Service messages have to be received (go to SatSMS settings to enable SatSurf Service messages).
However, each SatSurf message received is stored in the SatSMS window for tracking, and you might end up with many messages like "Login successful", "Logout successful"...
To avoid this, you can have SatSurf messages deleted automatically after a certain duration you can define.

Using OPENSKY™ Direct Access with your e-mail client application

In order to send your e-mails with the OPENSKY™ Direct Access, you need to configure your e-mail application and set the SMTP server of your e-mail account to mail.eutelsat.net. Report to your e-mail client application help to learn how to modify the SMTP server.


Note 1: When using the OPENSKY™ Direct Access, the default dial-up connection is set to the OPENSKY™ Direct Access connection and the SatSurf message service is enabled. You will have to disable the OPENSKY™ Direct Access if you want to specify another default dial-up connection.

Note 2: Press the Ok button to apply your changes and close the settings dialog.

Note 3: Press the Apply button to apply your changes and keep the settings dialog up.

Note 4: Press the Cancel button to close the settings dialog without saving your changes.

Note 5: Press the Default button to set all settings to their default values.


Settings > OPENSKY™ Direct Access settings