Cannot Connect to School Web Site

[TopQuark]

Greetings:

I cannot connect to our children's school websites or to the state department of revenue using Verizon FIOS from my home.  When I had Comcast Cable I was able to do this.  The server for these websites in the state capitol are NOT down.  I checked at my neighbors house--they have Comcast Cable.

So, I contacted the Verizon support staff.  After running 'tracert' on the dead connections in a command window we learned that the bad connection occurs after step 10 outside of the Verison FIOS network.  I e-mailed the results of 'tracert' to the FIOS technicians as requested.  They have not provided me with the WHO-IS information regarding the contact information for the dead links the Verizon FIOS technicians promised.  So, I cannot contact the dead links and ask them to fix my route to the state capitol as the Verizon FIOS technicians told me I must do myself.

It seems that Verizon FIOS has a limited reach.

On my own I learned that using a Tor proxy server I can go around the dead links Verizon FIOS terminates at prior to Trenton, NJ.  I've also learned that parents in a town less than 6 miles away can connect to the state school website in Trenton using Verizon FIOS.  The FIOS service I pay for is in a dead spot.

An Internet Service Provider, such as Verizon FIOS, that does not have an extensive network may not be the best choice even though FIOS is fast.

Now for the CRUX: 

Is Verizon FIOS willing and able to provide proxy server addresses, for customer use only, to skip around said dead spots?  Verizon FIOS has no control over dead links outside of their network but I KNOW a fix is available using a proxy server.  Tor is very slow and not an alternative I wish to install on children's computers.  I'd rather use a fast proxy server I pay for.

Does anyone out there know of available Verizon FIOS proxy server addresses in North Central NJ?  Hey Verizon FIOS, will you tell me?

Got to check up on the Middle and High School kids homework assignments and school closing information!

Regards,

TopQuark

[dslr595148]

#1 Please show the trace route from your computer.

https://www.adaptavist.com/display/Host/traceroute

#2 When you go to http://network-tools.com/

What is your network/net range/CDIR? I went to that site, clicked on Network Lookup, and clicked go.

Mine is..

OrgName:    Verizon Internet Services Inc. 
OrgID:      VRIS
Address:    1880 Campus Commons Dr
City:       Reston
StateProv:  VA
PostalCode: 20191
Country:    US

NetRange:   71.241.224.0 - 71.253.255.255 
CIDR:       71.241.224.0/19, 71.242.0.0/15, 71.244.0.0/14, 71.248.0.0/14, 71.252.0.0/15 

[TopQuark]

Hi ds*:

Thank you for responding.

I'm uncomfortable about revealing my exact IP address in this open forum by publishing a 'tracert' return but please find below the information from the network lookup you suggested.

OrgName:    Verizon Internet Services Inc. 
OrgID:      VRIS
Address:    1880 Campus Commons Dr
City:       Reston
StateProv:  VA
PostalCode: 20191
Country:    US

NetRange:   74.96.0.0 - 74.111.255.255 
CIDR:       74.96.0.0/12 
NetName:    VIS-BLOCK
NetHandle:  NET-74-96-0-0-1
Parent:     NET-74-0-0-0-0
NetType:    Direct Allocation
NameServer: NS1.BELLATLANTIC.NET
NameServer: NS2.BELLATLANTIC.NET
NameServer: NS2.VERIZON.NET
NameServer: NS4.VERIZON.NET
NameServer: NS5.VERIZON.NET
NameServer: NS6.VERIZON.NET
Comment:    
RegDate:    2009-01-26
Updated:    2009-09-15

I only seem to have one CIDR whatever that is.  Does a single CIRD put me in an 'Internet box'?

Also, even though I have Verizon FiOS my first two name servers are BELLATLANTIC.

Is this bad?  If so it is what Verizon gave me.

Any further suggestions?

Regards,

TopQuark

[TopQuark · Accepted solution]

Hello Again Forum Readers:

ds* did provide me a hint towards escaping from the 'Verizon FiOS box' and getting to our children's school and other NJ government websites.  The problem is now solved and without any assistance from Verizon FiOS technical support.

What I did was look up free public Domain Name Servers.  I found a useful list at http://theos.in/windows-xp/free-fast-public-dns-server-list/

Service provider: vnsc-pri.sys.gtei.net
Public Name server IP address:

• 4.2.2.1
• 4.2.2.2
• 4.2.2.3
• 4.2.2.4
• 4.2.2.5
• 4.2.2.6

I then modified the advanced TCP/IP connection properties of my LAN connection DNS tab by adding these six servers.

BINGO PING-GO!

My route to our kids' school websites and the NJ Department of Revenue is now fixed.  Of course I will need to modify the configuration of all the PCs on our LAN with these free public DNS alternates.

Personally, I feel it rather shameful of Verison FiOS not to inform customer's of a simple fix to Verizon FiOS inadequacies.

A humble Chemical Engineer can fix what the Verizon FiOS network experts cannot?  How Strange!

To Kathleen and other Verizon FiOS Forum Moderators:

This solution works well for now.  In the future when the Verison FiOS network has grown more extensive and inclusive this measure may not be necessary.

Regards,

TopQuark

[BrianMcD]

You can also modify the DNS Server on the Router so that it will distribute the information to your PCs via DHCP.