DSL - Periodic inability to connect to random websites

[KayQue]

Hi all,

I'm on a Macbook (Mac OS 10.5.6), with Verizon DSL, and have, since February or so, been experiencing periods where suddenly every computer (PCs running xp, macbook, iphones) in the house, whether wireless or cabled into the network, loses the ability to hit random websites.   I've rebooted.  I've dropped the wireless firewall, I changed my wireless channel.

Suddenly this morning, for example, I'm unable to connect to pbskids.org, dslreports.com, but gmail, google news, and obviously verizon.com are connecting fine.  Cannot ping these random sites,  or run a trace to them.  Host dslreports.com will give me an address though.

I've called Verizon support each time this happens, each time they tell me it's something wrong on my end, despite the fact that in the past, I've seen posts from others in my area (central/western Mass.) have experienced the same problem at the same time I do.  I have no idea what this means, but before I call again this time and spend over an hour on the phone tech support, was hoping for some advice here.   Each time I call the problem resolves itself usually in a day or so, but then returns about a month later.  Basically, each time the tech tells me everything's good, implying that this is all in my head or something, I guess.  Maybe I need to request a new modem?

Oh,  modem I'm using is the Westell 327w.  I've tried to upgrade the firmware via the versalink gateway page, but everytime I try it cannot connect to the server.  I cannot bring up westell.com on my browser, of course, that being one of the random pages that times out.

Any ideas? Sorry if this is a bit disjointed, am omw out the door and rushing.  Thanks very much in advance for any advice! 

[Khamil97]

I am having the same trouble.   This morning I tried to get my mail on aol and it won't load the page.  Then I went to the state of Illinois unemployment, NOPE, went elsewhere NOPE.  It loads any page in my favorites but nothing else.  I am beyond upset!!!!!!!

[Khamil97]

Today, I come in and check my yahoo mail as normal, then I go to my verizon mail and all is well, then I try to go to aol mail and the page won't load.  So then I try another site, it won't load.  Then I keep getting a "search result" window that has Bing in the left hand corner.  Seems that most of my "favorite" sites will load but anything else, forget it.  I even have one favorite site that won't load, maybe it is a fluke, but none the less, how do I fix this?  Is there a problem on Verizon's end??????????????

[buzzdar]

i too am having problems here in illinois. i cant access ebay.com paypal.com verizonwireless.com redbox.com and many more.

[Khamil97]

OK that means we are all not crazy and something is not wrong with our individual systems.  I read something on Yahoo, since that will pull up - that there was a massive internet attack from Korea, but I didn't read that there was direct hits to websites, besides the government.  IDK, but they need to fix this, we live and breath by the net.

[KayQue]

Well, I doubt it's related to any kind of attack on the interwebs, this seems to happen to me about every other month or so (lasting a day or two at a time), ever since there was a firmware upgrade pushed back in Feb/March or so (when the versalink gateway page interface changed).  Not sure if that is related, but just happens to be when I noticed this start happening.

[Khamil97]

So do we call Verizon, or do you think they are aware of the problem?

[buzzdar]

i was just told they are aware of the problem and they are working on it.

[Khamil97]

Ok thanks for the update.  Based on the number of views of this post I would assume there are plenty of people in the same boat as us.  Lets just hope they get it fixed ASAP.

[Broiler]

I, too, was having problems loading certain websites.  I'm in Alexandria, VA.  It's been driving me crazy all morning since I can't VPN into work.