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Safari can't connect to server

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sli-er_15
Sophomore

Safari can't connect to server

I've been having problems with our Hughesnet internet ever since yesterday. Opening any websites gets me the "Safari can't connect to the server" error on my Mac. Same issues using Firefox and Chrome on my Mac and two different Mac laptops. I run a ping test using my Mac's Network Utility and most of them are "Request timeouts" some tests are going through but they are fast, around 750 ms. I've noticed before when my internet "stops" the ping times average around 750 ms like now, regualr usage shows an average of 1500 - 1900 ms ping times. I then open the HN7000S System Control Center and it shows a green button (OK) under System Status. Clicking on the System Status shows everything is fine, signal strength 85, receiver operational, transmitter ready, service status commssioned, both TCP and Web are operational and the FAP threshold is not exceeded. If the System Status shows everything is good then why can't I open any pages? It takes up to ten reloads to finally open a page but some of them don't render the whole page. Numerous turbo teardowns aren't really working nor are any modem restarts. I've also tried connecting the modem directly to my Mac bypassing our wireless router. I'm still getting the "Safari can't connect to the server" error. It's pretty annoying. Anything else I can try? 

17 REPLIES 17
sli-er_15
Sophomore

In Activity Monitor > Network tab, very little or no data is shown whenever I can't open any pages.

maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

It seems your modem is not the problem, but I'm sure the mods on this site can run remote diagnostics next week to make sure. 

 

Do you have a non-Mac machine you can try, to rule out a machine-related issue?   Have you checked whether your Mac needs software updates?

 

@MarkJFine  may have better ideas. 

If ping is working (didn't say if it was to an IP or a domain name), it sounds like there might be a DNS issue somewhere. You might want to check to see if the DNS settings are set to automatic on all your devices.

 

That said, I've noticed a bunch of Microsoft sites that are getting hung up on TLS issues, but the problem is on their end, not HughesNet. Verizon has the same problem getting to them.

 

To clear a possible DNS problem:
1. Turn all of the devices using the modem off (all phones, iPads, computers, etc.)

2. Unplug the modem's power from the wall socket.

3. Wait a minute, then plug the modem back in.

4. Wait about 5 minutes after all the lights on the modem are back on, then turn all your devices on one-by-one.

 

What this does is clears the cached DNSs on everything, ensuring no errors get propagated from the modem, or from one device to another.


* Disclaimer: I am a HughesNet customer and not a HughesNet employee. All of my comments are my own and do not necessarily represent HughesNet in any way.

Pings to various www.xxx.com works sometimes, either very fast or partial regular speeds but mostly "Request timeouts". I had google dns set in "Network > Advanced"  but trying opendns now. It sort of worked earlier today but I couldn't sign in to here all day until now. Most sites I visited opened after some refreshing though.
I don't understand #1 "Turn all of the devices using the modem off". I turned off the modem by disconecting the power cord from the back, turned off router and all devices including my desktop. Waited 10-15 minutes to start modem then the router. Waited 5 minutes and started up our iPhone , laptops and iPads every few minutes. Not much of a difference from before turning off everything.

No non Mac machines. All Apple products, 1 desktop, 2 laptops, 2 iPads and 3 iPhones having the same issues.

Silviron
Sophomore

Well, Sli-er ; I'm sorry you are having this problem, but on the other hand, I'm glad I'm not alone.  (I posted about web page slowness and email problems a few hours before you did. , and I'm on a 7000 modem too)

 

And it obviously isn't a  Mac/ Safari problem, because I use Linux, with Firefox and Brave browsers, and occasionally Windows with Firefox, Palemoon and Chrome with all the same problems.

 

Do you use pop email, or just webmail?  My POP email accounts  come back with almost constant "connection refused" messages from my own email servers at go-daddy and another web hosting company.  The email problem is perhaps even more irritating to me than the slow to never loading webpages..

 

Also, Do you know which satellite  you are on?  I wonder if it could be a satellite problem rather than a groundbased problem...  Ironically, this problem started soon after my signal strength went up about 10 points over what has been the norm for the last few months..

maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

Have you tried clearing the DNS cache, like @MarkJFine suggested?

 

You can't really say it isn't a Mac/Safari problem.  You may have a similar effect from a different cause. 

 

Try clearing your DNS cache. 

 

Silviron wrote:

 

 

And it obviously isn't a  Mac/ Safari problem, because I use Linux, with Firefox and Brave browsers, and occasionally Windows with Firefox, Palemoon and Chrome with all the same problems.

I use IMAP for a couple of emails. A couple days ago I kept getting an error that my mail app could connect to the server then later on both did. All day today only one of the two kept connecting maybe 75% of the times I tried it, the other kept failing.
In my HN7000S modems info it just shows 170 West for the satellite I'm on.

sli-er_15
Sophomore

How do I quote posts on here?

Just tried flushing the dns cache of my Mac laptop using instructions I found online using Terminal and connecting the modem directly to the laptop. Got the same Safari can't connect to server error. I didn't bother trying it with my wife's latop. 
Any other ideas I should try?

maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

To quote posts, use the quote button located above the box you type in.

You should follow the instructions for clearing DNS problems that were given upthread by Mark:

 

To clear a possible DNS problem:
1. Turn all of the devices using the modem off (all phones, iPads, computers, etc.)

2. Unplug the modem's power from the wall socket.

3. Wait a minute, then plug the modem back in.

4. Wait about 5 minutes after all the lights on the modem are back on, then turn all your devices on one-by-one.

 

 

 

sli-er_15 wrote:

How do I quote posts on here?

Just tried flushing the dns cache of my Mac laptop using instructions I found online using Terminal and connecting the modem directly to the laptop. Got the same Safari can't connect to server error. I didn't bother trying it with my wife's latop. 
Any other ideas I should try?


 

I run a MBP with Parallels VMs of Fedora 30 and Win10.

 

Just flushing the DNS in the Mac won't solve the problem if the cached DNS in the modem is corrupted, nor will it prevent re-corrupting it from any other cached DNS that's corrupted somewhere else on the LAN.

 

The only sure way to kill a corrupted DNS that exists on your LAN is the method I prescribed.

 

That said, it may not be the problem, I'm just saying this is how to ensure it isn't.


* Disclaimer: I am a HughesNet customer and not a HughesNet employee. All of my comments are my own and do not necessarily represent HughesNet in any way.


@MarkJFine wrote:

I run a MBP with Parallels VMs of Fedora 30 and Win10.

 

Just flushing the DNS in the Mac won't solve the problem if the cached DNS in the modem is corrupted, nor will it prevent re-corrupting it from any other cached DNS that's corrupted somewhere else on the LAN.

 

The only sure way to kill a corrupted DNS that exists on your LAN is the method I prescribed.

 

That said, it may not be the problem, I'm just saying this is how to ensure it isn't.


Thank you,Mark. I'll keep that in mind for the next time.


@maratsade wrote:

To quote posts, use the quote button located above the box you type in.

You should follow the instructions for clearing DNS problems that were given upthread by Mark:

 

To clear a possible DNS problem:
1. Turn all of the devices using the modem off (all phones, iPads, computers, etc.)

2. Unplug the modem's power from the wall socket.

3. Wait a minute, then plug the modem back in.

4. Wait about 5 minutes after all the lights on the modem are back on, then turn all your devices on one-by-one.

 

 

 

sli-er_15 wrote:

How do I quote posts on here?

Just tried flushing the dns cache of my Mac laptop using instructions I found online using Terminal and connecting the modem directly to the laptop. Got the same Safari can't connect to server error. I didn't bother trying it with my wife's latop. 
Any other ideas I should try?


 


Oy.. I didn't see the quote button. 
Thanks for the instructions. I did try it and at the time it didn't work but since the next day everything seems to be back to normal. Just an occasional "Safari can't connect to server" whenever I try opening sites for the first time that a refresh opens fine afterwards.

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV


@sli-er_15 wrote:

How do I quote posts on here? 


In addition to the instructions maratsade gave, make sure to click Reply on the specific post you're wanting to quote, as you can only quote from the post you're replying to.

 

Also, if you want to quote only a specific part of a post, make sure to first type at least a word or even gibberish in the field below the quote, as if you quote the post, then delete part of the quote you don't want to include without having first typed something below the quote field, you won't be able to get back below the quote field to type your reply to the post and you'll be stuck within the quote field itself.  

 

IOW....

 


@sli-er_15 wrote:

How do I quote posts on here?

Just tried flushing the dns cache of my Mac laptop using instructions I found online using Terminal and connecting the modem directly to the laptop. Got the same Safari can't connect to server error. I didn't bother trying it with my wife's latop. 
Any other ideas I should try?


Type something here (in the field below what you quoted (the quote field has that light grey bar down the left side of it)) before going into the quote to alter it.  Then, after altering the quote, like I did at the top with yours (I deleted everything from your quote but the quote question itself), you can come back down to this part and reply however you want.  If you don't type something here first, you'll not be able to type here after you alter the quote, and you'll be stuck within quote field, making what you reply look like it's a part of the quote.    

 

I hope I didn't confuse you too much.  🙂   

Silviron
Sophomore

Is your system still running bad, Sli-er?

 

Mine cleared up almost exactly 48 hours after the problems began, at about 7AM Eastern US time this morning, and is currently running as good, or maybe even better than usual.  Maybe  'the engineers' were working on the 7000 system over the weekend, and had it crippled, rather than doing it during the week so as to not interfere with people who need it for business.???

 

Anyway, I hope yours is working good now too.


@Silviron wrote:

Is your system still running bad, Sli-er?

 

Mine cleared up almost exactly 48 hours after the problems began, at about 7AM Eastern US time this morning, and is currently running as good, or maybe even better than usual.  Maybe  'the engineers' were working on the 7000 system over the weekend, and had it crippled, rather than doing it during the week so as to not interfere with people who need it for business.???

 

Anyway, I hope yours is working good now too.


Yes, it's been back to normal about that time as yours I think. Interesting that someone from HughesNet havent explained on here if they did in fact worked on the 7000 system.

Hi sli-er_15,

 

No reports from engineering regarding these older systems.

 

If you have a tech or billing question and need help, please start a new thread in the appropriate board. Unsolicited Private Messages may not get replies.

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