Websites Timing Out With True?

[spider77]

I haven't seen any posts addressing this specifically, so I was wondering if this was an isolated case...

True has been timing out a lot recently, something I noticed about a week and a half ago.

These are the two messages I get:

Network Error (dns_server_failure)

Your request could not be processed because an error occurred contacting the DNS server.

The DNS server may be temporarily unavailable, or there could be a network problem.

For assistance, contact your network support team.

and....

Network Error (tcp_error)

A communication error occurred: ""

The Web Server may be down, too busy, or experiencing other problems preventing it from responding to requests. You may wish to try again at a later time.

For assistance, contact your network support team.

A couple of page refreshes and the page loads, but it is inconvenient when you can't access sites when you need to! I will mention that this all started when I noticed that my connection was slower than usual. I think this is when I started getting a 203.xx ip as opposed to the 58.xx ip that I was used to gettiing. Do the IPs have anything to do with all this?

Has anybody been experiencing the same thing, and if so, is there a way to fix this situation? Thanks for any insight!

[bkkmick]

I get the DNS time out error almost everyday (really annoying).

Today they're having more problems, if you phone the 02 900 9000 number they have a recorded message saying that they're experiencing problems and are working on it.

[The Coder]

I probably receive the tcp_error randomly multiple times every single day all year long, occasionally the dns error, and other assorted foul ups of true's servers trying to hook my system up to arbitrary web sites I attempt to access. I always get a kick out of the "contact your network support team" part of the message. Apparently it is beyond their technical prowess to fix or they just don't think it's a big deal for people's internet experience to be an error prone one in addition to being slow.

[youngkiwi]

This issue is caused due to True's DNS servers timing out when performing lookups and is a known problem with them of late.

If you want guaranteed DNS lookup performance, I suggest subscribing to the recursive DNS service offered by www.dyndns.org

For the low annual fee it eliminates this issue completely.

[spider77]

Thanks for the tip youngkiwi, and for the input fellas. I don't feel that I should have to subscribe to any further service to use the internet. Isn't a connection to the web something my ISP should be giving me?

As to the timeouts, I've only experienced them recently, but if this is a regular occurence for most of you, I finally understand why so many of you have been grumbling about True's service. Prior to the timeouts and the reduced speeds which I've been experiencing the past two weeks, I was happy with True despite the speeds which were about half of what was advertised. At least it was reliable and I could listen to internet radio and surf regularly. Right now it's pathetic how my connection makes a voice stream stutter..... that is if the page doesn't time out!

[youngkiwi]

With True's tremendous growth on broadband services, I don't think this issue is likely to be resolved soon. I've never had this issue with KSC but presumably this is because they have fewer subscribers and a more 'corporate' client base. The recursive DNS service I mentioned is $29.95 USD per year, and although you shouldn't have to subscribe to any additional service for your internet connection to perform at optimum levels, it is one way to solve this issue.

Edited October 25, 2006 by youngkiwi

[siamaloha]

I've been doing some extensive online research the past three days, working with multiple pages open simultaneously, and am totally frustrated with the time outs and server failures. This problem coupled with the slow access to sites outside of Thailand (World Wide Web??????) make for True Lies. I subscribed to 1 Mb down/512 up and I'm lucky to get a third of what I'm paying for.

[youngkiwi]

Check your router downstream and upstream connection speed. I have noticed my router sometimes connects to True at a lower speed than subscribed. If it is a lower connection speed, try rebooting your router which sometimes corrects this issue. If the problem persists, call True customer service for assistance to make sure your account is set up at the correct speed. The quality of your line also affects your connection speed. I usually get a full speed connection but I am fortunate to live close to the local exchange.

[sting01]

they use a cheap round robin algorythm.

So when there are too much people on the same time the balancng in not made, and you got the error.

Mostly I got it btw 6 pm and midnight.

[youngkiwi]

I do not believe that the error the OP mentions are caused because of load balancing issues, rather their DNS is overloaded which causing DNS lookups to timeout for some users.

Following on from my earlier post, check your port connection speed and then remove your telephone from your ADSL splitter. Then reboot your router and check your connection speed again and you may be surprised to find it is now connecting at a higher downstream connection rate. I have noticed this a number of times having found that removing the telephone may allow your router to connect at a higher speed (if there is interference from your telephone) which can affect your DSL connection. You could also try installing a ferrite bead around your cables to prevent high frequency noise from interferring with your router.

Edited October 25, 2006 by youngkiwi

[siamaloha]

If it is a lower connection speed, try rebooting your router which sometimes corrects this issue.

Yeah, this solution lasts about an hour... then, more of the same problem.