Intermittent connection issues loading/changing site- secure connection failed/site can't be reached

EDIflyer · ‎10-22-2023

Is anyone else occasionally getting a 'connection down' error from Chrome (or 'Secure Connection Failed' from Firefox) when changing page - if I hit refresh it works fine. At first I wondered if it was the site I was using but have noticed it on multiple different major websites over the past couple of months and not noticed it from other locations where I don't use Three Broadband so does seem to be related to the router/connection (this is via wired Ethernet too, so not a WiFi problem). I've tried changing DNS server in case that helps but no difference.

It mainly seems to happen when trying to first load a site or (annoyingly) at checkout when a different site is being loaded as part of the checkout process. It certainly doesn't happen everytime but does happen with reasonable frequency. I've also noticed I often get it when trying to pull/push from/to Github too and have to do so a number of times for it to work (browsing the Github website works fine).

I'm using a NR5103E with Firmware Version V1.00(ACBJ.0)b14 - I tried rebooting it but to no effect.

tucu · ‎10-25-2023

I've stopped using it in the evenings - the speeds drop significantly. I am too at odds whether to keep it or not, as I was looking for an alternative to my regular provider which for now is A LOT more reliable. VPN helps, but I can't use with chromecast, for instance..

EDIflyer · ‎10-24-2023

@elkolesio thanks for posting, good to know that @tucu and I aren't alone!

We've also been discussing this in a thread that I started - https://community.three.co.uk/t5/Broadband/Intermittent-connection-issues-loading-changing-site-secu...

@JonathanB would you be able to merge the two thread?

@elkolesio would you be able to try connecting via a VPN and see if that helps? It made a significant difference for me and might help troubleshooting. Also are you on LAN or Wi-Fi? (I've seen in on both but might still be interesting to know).

JonathanB · ‎10-25-2023

Yeah best to keep one topic when it's the same issue. @tucu thanks for spotting this first. I've made the more recent thread by @EDIflyer the main one, just for visibility more than anything else as yours has sunk down the list a little.

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tucu · ‎10-25-2023

LAN made no difference at all in my tests. I've tried that, splitting the 2.4 and 5ghz bands, disabling one, etc, etc.

tucu · ‎10-25-2023

Agree with @EDIflyer -- issue stops when using a VPN (I'm using Mozilla VPN). I wonder if it's related to the latest firmware? I'm using Mac, FWIW..

JonathanB · ‎10-25-2023

There have been a couple of issues reported relating to our IPv6 rollout, which was the most significant change on the last firmware version. It was interfering with some VPNs, and some devices connecting to the router.

FYI : IPv6 Prevented VPN Connection includes a bit more info and a couple of users have documented how to change the APN profile to manual and to set up IPv4 only. So it may be worth a check if this still happens when the router is set to the older IPv4 only set up.

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EDIflyer · ‎10-25-2023

Thanks @JonathanB - I've had a look at that thread and tried switching the APN profile to manual but no change - still lots of errors (examples below)...

- OpenSSL SSL_connect: SSL_ERROR_SYSCALL in connection to github.com:443

- "Head "https://ghcr.io/v2/home-assistant/raspberrypi4-homeassistant/manifests/2023.10.5": Get "https://ghcr.io/token?scope=repository%3Ahome-assistant%2Fraspberrypi4-homeassistant%3Apull&service=...": EOF"

- aiohttp.client_exceptions.ClientConnectorError: Cannot connect to host portal-ww.ecouser.net:443 ssl:True [None]

EDIflyer · ‎10-24-2023

Thanks for the reply, Jonathan. I'm on iD Mobile and I've not noticed it on my phone when on the mobile network, only when connected to my Three Broadband router. I've also not seen it at other locations with my laptop so it does seem to be a router issue. I must confess I don't recall experiencing when I first got Three about 4-5 months ago, I'm not sure if anything changed in the update a couple of months ago? The way it stops happening with the VPN is also really interesting. It's also not Windows-specific as I've got a Pi 4 on the network running Home Assistant and it has been having issues doing updates - I've then realised if I keep just going 'retry' it works, a bit similar when connecting to Github!

EDIflyer · ‎10-23-2023

Ah, OK - hadn't spotted your post! Disappointing no reply yet - hopefully someone from Three will take a look soon.

Out of interest, on the ISPReview thread (where I also posted) someone suggested using a VPN - I tried a Wireguard connection I had and it massively improving things, might be worth you trying that too? They're wondering if Three are undertaking some sort of deep packet inspection that is causing issues.

tucu · ‎10-23-2023

I posted about this exact same problem here. It's actually worse in Firefox, sometimes Chrome will retry the request automatically. Same router, same version. Couldn't find a solution yet.