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

[EDIflyer]

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.

[Midnight54]

sigh - noticed now today that Three have enabled adult content filter.

I can't log in using my Three broadband sim number because it wants me to "register again" since they made their changes, but my other phone sim is registered with the address etc and so it just fails and round in circles.

So more faff to have to contact them to sort that account to a) disable adult blocking, b)moan about this issue to them and find when my contract comes to end

[Midnight54]

ok so rebooting my router this morning, and content filter is off - so no clue what that was about - I'd been rebooting it a few times earlier that day whilst adding an OpenWRT router into the mix

[Nameless]

I believe that I may have found a solution - Using Cloudflare WARP

You can find out more information about it here:

https://one.one.one.one/

So far I have been using this on both phones and computers with the following findings:

• WARP on phones (Via the 1.1.1.1 app) is the best overall
   - This does not apply to DNS only mode which has the same issues
  
  
• Although mostly irrelevant to home usage, WARP may not work with some public Wi-Fi access points
  
  
• WARP on computers can, in some cases, use significant CPU resources at higher broadband speeds
   - This is more apparent in these cases:
      -  CPUs with fewer cores and/or lower clock speeds
      -  Heavy sustained internet usage
  
  
• WARP will limit your absolute maximum speeds but the speeds possible are still beyond Three's estimated maximum speeds (597Mbps download, 50Mbps upload)
  
   - Whilst testing close to a 5G tower I have averaged the following results:
  
      Using WARP
      -  ~400-600+Mbps download, ~100-150+Mbps upload
          -  Speeds will increase when the warp application uses more CPU resources
          -  ~600Mbps+ download on average without significant CPU load or downclocking
  
      Without using WARP
      -  ~600-<1000Mbps download, ~100-150+Mbps upload (Without using WARP)
          -  ~600Mbps+ download on average throughout the day
          -  ~<1000Mbps download only happens beyond midnight when most people sleep
              -  My testing computers only have 1Gbps Ethernet ports

Also you can not change your DNS provider as Three will forcefully use their own DNS instead despite whatever you have set in your routers and other devices, even if you use DNS over HTTPS/TLS and you can confirm this easily via a DNS leak test such as the following:

https://browserleaks.com/dns

If this works for you, Three can thank me for saving them a customer - I myself was close to reconsidering my options however both cost and speed were reasons why I persisted in finding a solution that works for myself

[bytespider]

I maybe wrong, but WARP uses a VPN connection to their servers then the WARP magic from there.

Custom DNS can absolutely be set, but perhaps not with the hardware they supply. It used to be the case that you couldn't change it at all but I see now that you can, Whether it honours that setting is another question.

I have a machine with AdGuard Home set up which I have the NR5103E point to for DHCP, then that provides clients with its IP for DNS, which is then done via DoH.

[Nameless]

It is a bit more than a standard VPN under the hood but essentially yes - From the surface it works like a VPN for free

I have tried several options for setting up a custom DNS however, each time I did so, the DNS leak test would show that I was still using the DNS provided by Three therefore I will treat that as non-configurable

Hopefully a proper fix will be done by Three although, after 28 pages for this issue and several related topics floating around, it seems unlikely........

[bytespider]

I was a bit harsh about WARP before, seems they moved from Wireguard to HTTP3 proxies which is much lower latency. Whilst it's not an ideal solution, it has come in clutch several times this past week, where the speed reduction and latency of a traditional VPN wouldn't have been acceptable.

[Nameless]

It's great to hear that WARP has worked for you as much as it's been working for myself although I'm curious to know how much WARP affects your speeds and latency compared to a traditional VPN since I currently don't use one

[bytespider]

Baseline 480Mbps Ping 18ms

VPN (Europe sever) 270Mbps Ping 96ms

WARP 400Mbps Ping 20ms

[Nameless]

Thank you for sharing this information - That's quite a drop in speeds when using a traditional VPN compared to WARP!

Unfortunately I have not been able to test WARP+ but is is supposed to be even faster than standard WARP although it does cost...

With that being said, if WARP can do everything needed for free then it might even replace VPNs for some that would consider using them under Three

[Nameless]

Thank you for sharing the information - That is quite the significant difference! I was not expecting the VPN to reduce your speeds by that much

I can only imagine what WARP+ would be like in comparison but standard WARP is good enough for my needs at this time