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#1
Modem issue - Specific websites will only load on certain browsers
A couple of months ago I switched Internet providers - from 12MB AT&T U-Verse to 50MB Time Warner Cable. While I was with AT&T, I leased a 2Wire modem/router from them (I don't recall the model) and never encountered any problems using the Internet. When I started with TWC, I purchased my own modem - a brand new Netgear N300 (aka C3000 or C3000-100NAS) - to avoid the monthly lease fees.
For the most part, it has worked out fine. However, I have occasionally come across websites that either will not load, or will only load in part (the site text will load but no images or formatting, for example).
For a while I thought nothing of it - just hiccups in the service or whatever. But there is one specific website that has never loaded at all - every attempt results in a "Connection timed out" error. The site is www.videogamer.com. It is where I have typically gone to get my daily gaming news and reviews.
At first I assumed it was a problem with TWC's network. But after an hour-long support call with them, I learned that this was not the case, because while the site will not load if I am using a typical web browser (I tested Firefox, Pale Moon, Chrome, and Internet Explorer), it will load just fine if I use Tor Browser. It will also load if I use the browser on my Playstation 3 console, and when using the default browser on my Android smartphone.
In the process of trying to solve this problem with TWC support, my Netgear N300 modem stopped working - It kept rebooting itself every 30 seconds or so and would not stabilize. A TWC technician came to my house but could not fix it, so I sent it back to Netgear for a warranty replacement.
While I was waiting for the replacement, I used two other modems as temporary substitutes. The first was a Netgear N450 (aka CG3000Dv2) that I borrowed from a neighbor who was on vacation. He returned before my replacement N300 arrived, so I also leased a Motorola SB6121 from TWC for a few days. I visited videogamer.com while using both of these modems. Both loaded the site without a hitch, and there were no problems with any other websites that I visited.
Today my replacement N300 arrived - new in a factory-sealed retail box, just as before. I set it up and activated it with TWC. Once again, everything works fine except for videogamer.com, which does not load on any standard browser.
To recap: Here are the browsers on which videogamer.com will not load on a Netgear N300 modem (all tested over both Ethernet and Wi-Fi):
Firefox - versions 31.0 through 32.0.3 (lots of add-ons installed)
Pale Moon - version 24.0 through 25.0 (lots of add-ons installed)
Chrome - version 37.0 (100% virgin installation, with no extensions installed nor default settings adjusted)
32 and 64-bit Internet Explorer 9 (Flash installed but no other add-ons or accelerators)
And here are the browsers on which it will load (again using Ethernet and Wi-Fi, except for the smartphone:
Tor Browser bundle - version 24.8.1 (no add-ons installed except defaults)
Android - version 2.3.6 default browser (Samsung Galaxy Exhibit phone)
Playstation 3 default browser
I also dug out my old Windows XP laptop computer to test the problem. On that computer, I get the same results as on my current Windows 7 desktop - The site loads fine using Tor, but not when using Firefox, Chrome, or Internet Explorer.
When using a VPN tunnel to route all traffic through a Netherlands server (256-bit AES encryption), the site will load without any problem.
When using a Netgear N450 or Motorola SB 6121 modems, the site will load on every tested browser, including on an Android smartphone and the PS3 browser.
All three modems tested - the N300, N450, and SB6121, are on TWC's list of approved modems for Internet service.
I know this must seem like a minor issue, since there is an easy workaround available. I am not so much concerned with fixing the problem as I am with finding out how it could possibly exist in the first place, because I cannot identify a common link that is present when the website loads but absent when it does not.
So I guess this is more of a puzzle than a problem. Regardless, if there is anyone here who could help me solve it, I would be very grateful.
Last edited by rwrjr; 27 Oct 2014 at 11:48.