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Why Does My Router/Modem Hate Certain Web Sites?

deadcal
Newbie
Posts: 2
Registered: ‎04-01-2012

Why Does My Router/Modem Hate Certain Web Sites?

Hello
About 6 months ago I swapped to the cheapest Broadband tariff, and noticed specific web sites refused to load any pictures (thumbnails, banners,everything).  It's become more of a problem lately, so I contacted Plutsnet and asked if they blocked access to certain sites.  Then answer was no, leaving me very confused.  I even tried a complete factory reset on the router (Belkin Wireless G), but to no avail.  So I swapped it for for a 10 year old USB modem to see what happened, and voila, everything worked fine.  It happens on each PC in the house (Wired and WiFi, XP and Windows 7).
The main culprit is deviantart.com.  Initially I thought it might be an ISP bandwidth issue on my end (as it's all pictures) but even the smallest gifs take about 10 minutes to load (and that's if I bother waiting).
Can anyone suggest what I might look for in my router's admin panel that might shed any light on the situation?  It does seems to be a very specific and rather odd situation.  99% of the sites I view are fine Huh
7 REPLIES 7
TheIslander
Grafter
Posts: 95
Registered: ‎13-11-2011

Re: Why Does My Router/Modem Hate Certain Web Sites?

Try changing the DNS ip addresses to Googles. They are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
That might work.
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Why Does My Router/Modem Hate Certain Web Sites?

Setting the wrong MTU can adversely affect certain sites in unpredictable ways.  If you have not fiddled with the MTU after the factory reset then I would conclude that the router is faulty. 
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Why Does My Router/Modem Hate Certain Web Sites?

Try an MTU value of 1458 and see if that makes a difference.
deadcal
Newbie
Posts: 2
Registered: ‎04-01-2012

Re: Why Does My Router/Modem Hate Certain Web Sites?

Thanks for the suggestions.  The MTU won't go as high as 1458, it only accepts values between 1400 and 1454, the default seems to be 1454.
I tried setting the DNS to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.  A few more images did appear on the troublesome sites, but Deviant Art is still virtually picture free.  Well, saying that, a few pictures load, then if I refresh, a few more load and some disappear. Still can't get any of the banner or navigations images to show.
Peter_Vaughan
Grafter
Posts: 14,469
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Why Does My Router/Modem Hate Certain Web Sites?

Please ignore as I've just re-read the OP post and its happening on multiple PCs so not A/V or firewall related..
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Why Does My Router/Modem Hate Certain Web Sites?

Quote from: Peter
its happening on multiple PCs so not A/V or firewall related..

Except that multiple PCs could all be running the same A/V and firewall. 
WWWombat
Grafter
Posts: 1,412
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎29-01-2009

Re: Why Does My Router/Modem Hate Certain Web Sites?

If it happens on every PC, and they are different OS's, then it seems more likely to NOT be a PC-based problem. This would probably be further verified by trying a different browser.
Swapping the Belkin for a different modem fixes the problem - nearly suggesting the cause is indeed the Belkin. Nearly, because a swap to a different standalone router would be better than a USB modem, as that would ensure that the same bits of software (Windows & networking drivers) are being used in the PCs.
With the culprit looking likely to be the Belkin, the next questions would be:
- Have you tried upgrading the firmware on the Belkin?
- Can you try a different standalone router?
I tried using an old Belkin yesterday, and was less than impressed by the features available in the GUI. I'm not sure there is much extra you can do.
If the problem persists, there are two extra tools that you can use to help identify the problem:
- The "Firebug" plugin to Firefox helps web developers debug their HTML pages. However, it has a "Net" tab that, when enabled, will give you a breakdown of every GET performed for every component on the page - including the page, the javascript files and the various images. This gives you a very good idea of the HTTP error codes when requests are rejected, and you can also drill down and get the complete HTTP headers sent & received.
This information, and the timing, will help identify if there is some cache that the Belkin cannot cope with.
- The "Wireshark" program monitors your network, and reports on all the packets back-and-forth. With the right use, this too can identify all the different HTTP requests going on.
Plusnet Customer
Using FTTC since 2011. Currently on 80/20 Unlimited Fibre Extra.