Unable To Connect To Certain Websites

[laurin1]

Starting this weekend, I have been unable to connect to certain websites. The one that consistenly is a problem (completly unable to connect to) is stackoverflow.com.

• http://stackoverflow.com
• https://stackoverflow.com

• I can ping this host and tracert looks fine. I just spent 45 minutes chatting with a support representative, to no avail.
• I can connect to this site from my work network or using an Internet Proxy just fine.
• I can connect to this site from my iPhone over AT&T LTE just fine.
• I've verified the issue exists from any of my desktop computers which are wired and connected directly to the FiOS router and from my iPhone over Wi-Fi.
• I've rebooted the router.
• I've had other sites with this issue as well, but the others are more intermittment.

Since I can ping the host, it seems to me that something is blocking port 80 and port 443 for this IP address or subnet.

[gamer99]

is there a workaround for this?

[philip23]

My Network -> Network Connections -> Broadband Connection -> Configure Connection

Adjust MTU to manual and set it to 1496. See if it solves your issues. Thanks laurin1

Regarding the instruction above...

Everything looks the same on my router page until I get to Broadband Connection.

I don't see anything that says Configure Connection

There is a page the shows some Connection properties. Next to the title there is a button that says Enable. At the bottom of the page there is a settings button where I can change the MTU from default to manual. And the hit apply. What does the Enable button do before I go into settings?

[philip23]

I've never used these forums before so this is probably a very naive question... Why don't any Verizon reps get on here and explain what is going on?

[mbabin1]

My Network -> Network Connections

On the line that says "Broadband Connection (Ethernet/Coax)", I click on the icon in the Action column (Edit).

Select "Settings" (at the bottom).

Look for the "MTU" setting (7th line for me). Set to "Manual", and set the value to 1496 (was 1500).

Select the "Apply" button at the bottom of the settings.

[philip23]

Changing the MTU to 1496 seemed to clear up a bunch of problems for me. In addition to websites not loading, the ones that were loading were not loading css and they looked weird. So far, that seems to have cleared up.

[laurin1]

Command Line Elevation

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsdesktop/en-US/3a3085d2-2b19-4277-8146-3edd217cfbc9/th...

[philip23]

I have been on 4 chat sessions starting yesterday morning. Just got off another chat session about an hour ago.

They have rebooted my router, reset my ip and changed dns addresses. Yesterday, I couldn't reach linkedin, stackoverflow download.cnet.com among others. I could reach youtube, but the videos wouldn't play. The problem seems intermittent.

Today, I couldn't access my Yahoo email, until I could. Meaning, it didn't work and then all of a sudden, it did.

I tried the trick with MTU, but the ping command that wasn't supposed to work, worked for me. Go figure.

The cat rep took control of my box, did a few tracert's and said the problem is not with Verizon and refused to do anything. He said on the tracert he could see that the trace was stopping at the 10th hop (69.164.36.16) and Verizon's network ended at the 7th hop. Nothing he could do, but do have a great day. If there is a Verizon rep reading these could you please help me.

I have been patient and polite, to no avail. I am still experiencing problems and Verizon is not stepping up to fix it. They are blamining it on ip 69.164.36.16, at this point. I am a software guy, but not a network guy so I don't know if that is a reasonable explanation. Could someone weigh in on this?

Thanks.

[philip23]

Another weird data point. I can't connect to wfaa.com on my wired pc. I do a tracert and it seems to connect and return normally. I can connect to wffa.com on my samsung galaxy s4 connected wirelessly thru my the same router. I don't understand this at all.

It also turns out youtube videos will play, but exceedingly slow. It might take 5 minutes for a video to start.

[vespir]

I'm right there with you, Philip.

I just got done with online chat support where they released and renewed my IP and I was supposed to get a call from them within "15-20" minutes but that was an hour ago. Had no internet connection so I reset the router myself. There's a bigger issue here and I sure hope it has nothing to do with the recent net neutrality ruling.

I have no access to any Apple iCloud services, whether it's for mail or iTunes Match.

I keep finding random sites that I can't connect to, but here are some to just name a few:

http://www.linkedin.com

http://www.500px.com

http://blog.iso50.com

http://stackoverflow.com

If I do a traceroute for any of those they come back like this:

Traceroute has started…

traceroute: unknown host http://stackoverflow.com

This needs to be fixed as some of these sites I rely heavily on for work. Without finishing work, I don't get paid. Don't get paid I can't continue to pay Verizon for a service that doesn't work! Haha. Quite the conundrum. 

-James

**UPDATE**

Now this is weird. I had tried lowering the MTU yesterday and it didn't work, but now it does. Thanks to everyone who posted that workaround (even if it didn't work for me at first)

[starsd]

I too am having connection issues. a few websites plus online mmo swtor.com game servers.

Renewed Ip address did not work.

adjusting MTU in Windows  7 (64bit) will take a bit of research. but will try and report back.

Please post your fixes,..especially If you play swtor online game.

[cbenard · Accepted solution]

I put together a blog post on how to fix the issue:

How To Fix Verizon FiOS Problem Connecting To Websites

It's got screenshots on how to adjust your router's MTU and a good explanation of the problem. Thanks everyone in here who was a big help in getting this "solved" until Verizon fixes their issue: laurin1, mbabin.

[gamer99]

Well, thanks to everyone in this forum.  All the smart people out there. changing the MTU settings to 1496 definitely made a change, Now I am able to hit websites much faster than before. it was not even loading websites before. it would just time out or not load at all.   something definitely happened during the FIRMWARE UPGRADE.  

hope VERIZON is coming up with a FIX.

[vespir]

Well, lowering the MTU to 1496 worked for me for half of today but now it's back to it's same antics again.

I finally got a call from a manager at Verizon, albeit 4 hours after I was supposed to saying that I may get another call from a technician within the next 48 hours if the problem persists.

**UPDATE**

Just logged back into the router to find the setting had somehow been changed back to 1500, even though it was still on manual. I changed it back to 1496 and it's working again. Well played, Verizon. Well played. 😉

[cajunman90]

So you'll have to keep changing it back everytime this happens? Are you using the router provided by Verizon?

I dont know about you, but I would not want to be changing the settings back every 6 hours or so.

[cbenard]

Canjunman90, nobody wants to change it in the first place, much less change it back. Thankfully I don't use their router. This shouldn't be anything anyone has to do.

I've gotten some escalation calls back from Verizon and they're aware of an issue in the Dallas area at least (Lewisville and Plano). I've gotten added to that issue and let them know about the MTU stuff and I'm expecting more calls back.

Hopefully we can get it working again soon with the correct default MTU of 1500, but for now, you can do the fix. I don't know what to tell you if their crappy router sets it back occasionally. I don't use it, thankfully.

In the meantime, I suggest you try out the steps in my blog post. I don't if it'll help your Xbox live gaming issues though. I haven't had any issues there, you're in Houston (not Dallas where the rest of us are), and the packet sizes on online gaming should not be that large (you don't need 1.5 KB to detail where a player is and what actions they are taking in real time). If it doesn't work for you, set it back to 1500 and complain directly about your problem.

In the meantime, I'll ask my fellow threadmates to flush twice since you guys in Houston need the water. 🙂

[bluejay435]

Add me to the list, I can not access many common sites like LinkedIn and Stackoverflow and many of the sites I can access are having issues... I am in Texas as well.

[cajunman90]

Ha thanks for the tips. I dont use their router either, Airport Extreme here. I dont mean to take it out on you guys, just hoping verizon sees these I guess.

I took a look at your post, thanks for the info. I am just frustrated that we have to deal with broadband issues like this. Is Verizon admitting it is on their end?

[pollysee]

Wanted to chime in and say that I have been having the same issues for the past couple days.  Could not reach/use Youtube, tumblr, twitter, Google play music, and others.  Tried all kinds of things, like changing DNS, and it did not work.  After reading this thread, changed the MTU in the router settings to 1496 and everything works great now.  Thanks everyone for posting the workaround.

[bigbigblake]

MTU Change worked here.

Issues with Youtube, LinkedIN, and multiple other websites. 

[vespir]

cajunman, 

I hope not! Kinda weird it changes back, though.

I don't necessarily use their router as, well, a router...but more like a modem if you will since the coax cable runs to it. I turned off wireless on it and have an Airport Extreme hooked to it. Either way it's on them to fix the issue. Glad there are some other smarter folks on this thread that could give us a workaround in the meantime. I owe you all a drink or something! 🙂

[Nana71]

Tried your solution but the web site was blocked.