DNS Acceleration[N] ERROR - Slow, Unresponsive Internet Most Times

[bare65]

@Damian

Good Morning Damian,

You have always been very quick to get back to me and help me out so I'm hoping you can help me again with this current connectivity issue I am experiencing.

This past week I've been having noticeable connectivity issues with is causing both very slow, and/or unresponsive internet website loading / streaming behavior. According to the diagnostics (via my System Control Center) the issue appears to be a continuous DNS Acceleration[N] ERROR. (Please see screenshots below)

Being a long-time customer (15+ years), I took the liberty of also uploading a screen shot of my current usage as it is 5:03 (pst) am at this very moment which means I am NOT currently throttled. (I still have 23G bonus usage) so I shouldn't be experiencing any connectivity issues. I know this is usually the first thing people 'assume' whenever 'slow, unresponsive' speeds come up as a topic so I figured I would get that out of the way so we can move quickly to resolving whatever the issue actually is.

Back to this DNS Acceleration[N] ERROR, as you can see from the screen shots this is ongoing. I have reset (soft reboot) the modem several times from the system control center, and this morning was the 2nd time doing the hard reboot (unplugging from the brick) in the past 4 days. Nothing I do on my end seems to help. 

I would really appreciate it if you could look into this issue that I'm having so I can get back to enjoying my HughesNet service.

Many thanks..

[bare65]

@Damian 

Firstly, thank you for doing what you do here in the community...this goes for all of the moderators on here.

I have no doubts that the services you provide are taken for granted, but personally, I have always been appreciative for your help....

That being said...it will be a cold day in...beep beep beep before I ever call the 800# again, lol...those people don't know which way is up.

Just wanted to let you know that I went into the system control center and noticed right on the front page that there was a 'new' icon showing up directly below the 'usage status' box asking me if I wanted to 'reinstall' some sort of program (I can't recall the exact wording) ...anyways, I went ahead and clicked it (I figured I didn't have anything to lose by doing so).

Anyways, upon doing so my modem automatically turned off and then after about 90 seconds kicked back on. Whatever program / file it was that reinstalled, it seems to have fixed all of the issues that this rep on the phone caused as I can now access my Wi-Fi settings....and from the looks of things, the uplink error code has also disappeared.

I'm going to go ahead and keep the scheduled appointment for the time being just in the event that 'reinstall' this did not fix the DNS or additional issues that the rep caused...

[bare65]

Quick update...

Clicking on the reinstall software icon that appeared on my system control center last night THANKFULLY did in fact reverse the huge mess that the HughesNet rep created, however, I'm now back to square one again as far as my original complaint as the DNS Acceleration[N] back to causing major connectivity issues....going on 7+ hours now.

If nothing else, I'm glad I didn't jump the gun and cancel the tech appointment. I will call them on Monday and confirm my appointment as well as provide driving directions to my location.

[bare65]

@Damian 

For whatever reason my appointment has now been pushed back until March 1st?

When you view the Diagnostic history via my system control panel, the DNS Acceleration [N] is still showing RED X all the way across and my service is pretty much nonexistent.  

These past few days we are also experiencing a complete loss of service (the Transmit, System and Receive lights on the modem will turn off)

I called the repair company, and they told us that March 1st is their first available appt they have and that they are not sure why we were told Feb. 23rd....

If possible, I'd like to request a full month credit due to these ongoing issue and partial/complete loss of service. 

[Damian]

@bare65,

I am sorry to hear the appointment was pushed. Since we contract through local third party companies, we are not in control of their schedule and it can get pushed due to many different reasons. I do apologize for the issues you have experienced as well as the delay in appointment. I will definitely apply a full month credit due to the issues you have experienced in the amount of  ($71.95) Case ID is 157627047 and will be applied for you next bill 3/9.

While I do not see the red X's, your terminal is reporting poor weather at the Gateway as well as throttled speeds as you are out of data. The combo of these is manifesting as no service or very intermittent connectivity.  

-Damian   

[bare65]

@Damian 

I very much appreciate the credit toward my bill, thank you.

I'm not sure why you can't see the red X marks going right across the DNS Acceleration [N] columns, but I've been taking screen shots so that when the technician does show up he can see exactly what I've been experiencing.

The issues and overall behavior I'm experiencing with my service is much different to that of what you would normally see when throttled, and/or due to bad weather at the Gateway. 

After 15+ years of service with HughesNet, being throttled and/or dealing with 'bad weather at the gateway' is pretty much something you just deal with....otherwise I would be on here every other week complaining about this, that or the other, LOL!

[bare65]

@Damian 

So I noticed some interesting patterns and I'm hoping you can explain what it is that is going on...and more importantly, if this same behavior/pattern/additional increased service disruption is something that is going to happen EVERY MONTH??

I would appreciate it if you would read my entire post thoroughly before replying...

A few days ago, on the 19th, my monthly Data Usage reset and my 'service plan data' was no longer in FAP (8:00 am to 2:00 am)

Even though I exceeded my 15GB's of 'daytime' data early on during the previous month of service, I continued to have plenty of my 50GB 'bonus zone data' still available to me right up until my monthly data reset.

Now, normally, when my speeds have been throttled, and I have no additional problems with my service, I experience the typical slowdown with certain streaming apps (some more than others) taking a little longer to get going. I also experience occasional buffering...none of which is a HUGE issue for me. It's just something I've come to expect..

In any given month, the only 'error code' (marked with a red X) to generate under my diagnostic page is the Fair Access Policy (FAP) and this just means I've exceeded my usage data. (Day Time, Bonus Time, or Both). 

HOWEVER....as you know, this past month, unlike any previous month before, as well as being 'throttled' during those 'service plan data' hours (8:00 am to 2:00 am), I also experienced an ongoing, hourly DNS Acceleration[N]. As a result, my service was significantly worse than usual and even though I still had available DATA during my Bonus Zone (2:00 am - 8:00 am), this ongoing DNS Acceleration [N] error did not discriminate and continued to disrupt my service regardless of what time of day or night it was, and regardless of whether I was being throttled or not. This code was generating even during my Bonus Zone when I had plenty of remaining data available for me to use.

So, with all that being said, I'm curious how it is possible that as soon as my monthly data usage reset for the month, like it just did here on the 19th Feb, that this DNS Acceleration[N] error has magically disappeared and I'm seeing green check marks all across the board??

This begs the following question:

When my newly instated 15GB of data is all used up, which usually happens less than a week into any given new month of service, is this DNS Acceleration[N] hourly error code going to mysteriously pop back up, along with the FAP error code, causing my service to be significantly more disrupted than it would if I were just experiencing the 'normal' FAP throttled speeds???

It will be interesting to see if this DNS Acceleration[N] hourly error code is generated again this month when my 15GB of data is all used up.

Call me paranoid or whatever, but if it does, I can't help but wonder if this DNS Acceleration error code being generated isn't being done so deliberately by HughesNet for the sole purpose of slowing down and disrupting service up and over that of what a customer would 'normally' experience while being throttled.

Perhaps HughesNet is hoping that customers, like myself, who currently subscribe to the lowest, 15 GB / 50GB service plan will get fed up with these increased service disruptions, additional error codes, and so on, and opt to increase their monthly plan to the next higher package in the hopes of fixing the issues. 

I really hope that this isn't the case but for these next few weeks I will be taking daily screen shots from the 'diagnostic page' Last 24 Hour's Problem History to see if I can't get a better understanding of what could possibly be going on with my service and to see if this DNS Acceleration error code is, once again, generated when my 15GB of data is all used up. 

[bare65]

@Damian 

I'm not sure if you read my previous message directly above, but my suspicions, based on certain patterns I've been observing within my system control center's diagnostic's tab, as far as whether or not this DNS Acceleration[N] hourly error code was somehow connected to, and/or generated as a direct result of being FAP'd has been, as of this past hour, been answered and is, without a doubt, a firm YES!!

Yesterday I posted a screenshot showing how, as soon as my data usage was reset on the 19th, all of the issues I was experiencing with the DNS Acceleration [N] error codes that were being generated almost every hour, day and night, disappeared and these past 4 days, my service has been very NORMAL. No error codes or severe disruptions.

So....TODAY

I've been keeping a close eye on my usage and within this past hour, I exceeded my 15GB of data and as such was immediately throttled.

(not surprisingly after streaming a 2hr movie, a few of my favorite shows, and some online work...15BG doesn't last very long) 

I immediately open up my System Control Panel, glanced at the current hour history listed under the diagnostic tab, and not only am I showing a red X under the FAP (Fair Access Policy) column (again, no surprise) BUT...I'm also seeing a red X under the DNS Acceleration [N]

Coincidence? Bad weather?? Yeah, I think not!!!

@Damian 

Question #1:

Is this DNS Acceleration [N] error going to act in the same manner it did last month, disrupting my service to the point where it is unusable?

I can live with my speeds being throttled; I have done so for many years.......and these days, even most streaming apps (Netflix, and so on) will continue to work, albeit with the occasional buffering.

What I can't live with is severely limited / NO internet, and this last billing cycle, ever since this DNS error became an issue, was a nightmare.

Last billing cycle I couldn't even access basic webpages on my computer without timing out, let alone stream anything on the TV.

Question #2

Is this hourly DNS error code something that HughesNet has started implementing on their end to further reduce the speeds for those customers who exceed their monthly data allowances?

Question #3

I still have the appointment on March 1st for the HughesNet tech to come out. Should I go ahead and keep this appointment?

Is there anything that a technician can do to resolve this issue, if in fact, this is not something that HughesNet is directly responsible for creating...

Many thanks...

[Damian]

@bare65,

After reading both of your posts and looking at the screenshots, it does appear that entering the throttled period may also be causing the modem to interpret what is happening as a DNS acceleration error. I am unclear on if this truly is a direct cause or completely coincidental and it is just a educated guess. This will need to be determined by engineering. Now when it comes to:

"I can't help but wonder if this DNS Acceleration error code being generated isn't being done so deliberately by HughesNet for the sole purpose of slowing down and disrupting service up and over that of what a customer would 'normally' experience while being throttled.

Perhaps HughesNet is hoping that customers, like myself, who currently subscribe to the lowest, 15 GB / 50GB service plan will get fed up with these increased service disruptions, additional error codes, and so on, and opt to increase their monthly plan to the next higher package in the hopes of fixing the issues."

I can 100% confirm that this is not something Hughesnet does or is being done deliberately in an effort to make you upgrade. Many people manage your exact same 15GB data plan each day and we only encourage upgrading if the customer cannot manage it. I have seen the DNS acceleration error normally happen to customers outside of the Fair Access Policy state which is why having the case escalated to engineering is the best route at this point. A technician can reset things and repair hardware but it is unlikely this type of issue can be resolved that way. I would still recommend keeping the appointment just incase, since it was already set at no charge to you. If the tech fails to resolve this, then having this case escalated to engineering can help. -Damian  

[bare65]

@Damian 

Here are some additional screen shots..

This first screenshot is the diagnostic view taken of the last 24 hours. Each column represents 1 hour.

I just exceeded my 15GB 'service plan' data about an hour ago...approx. 11:00am pst (not sure what the exact time was)

This screenshot breaks down this past hour of diagnostics into 5-minute columns.

This is the first full hour of being throttled (FAP)

Obviously, one would expect to see the red X marks going across the Fair Access Policy Columns as my speeds are now being throttled...

What you wouldn't normally see are the additional red X marks going across almost all of the DNS Acceleration[N] columns too...but somehow, there they are being generated just like last month.

And if this is a repeat of last month, it's only a matter of time before my HughesNet service becomes unusable...

[bare65]

@Damian 

this screenshot is for the most recent, last 3 hours, or service.

As you can see, I entered into FAP (Fair Access Policy) approx. 2 hours ago, immediately after I used up all 15GB of data allowance. 

And...as you can also see, at that exact same time, the DNS Acceleration [N] also started generating an error code.

Now, three hours after my speeds have been throttled, not only am I experiencing the 'usual' and typical slowdown, I am ALSO experiencing additional service disruptions in the form of page timeouts, both webpages via my desktop computer and/or phone, or streaming apps (Netflix, and so on) via my TV not opening at all.

Also, the wifi signal, from my devices such as my Roku, and/or phone & desktop computer, to the modem, will disconnect/lose signal and then automatically re-connect to the same (2.4 GHz ) or other available frequency (5 GHz). This happens several times each hour at the same time these DNS Acceleration error codes are being generated. 

[bare65]

@Damian 

I just now saw your reply, thank you.

I will most certainly be keeping my appointment with the tech and at this point I can only hope he can come up with a fix as I had to drive 21 miles up the road from my actual location just to post this message, and continue my work for today, using my mobile phone, laptop and Verizon Wireless service. (this is the closest I can get a signal as I have no cell service where I live)

I can no longer access websites via my desktop computer. They simply will not load and/or the page will time out.

I've lost all ability to stream video content / apps) Netflix via my desktop computer and/or my TV/Roku.

I'm pretty much dead in the water at this point because nothing will load... 

The severity of disruptions I'm experiencing just these past 4 hours are as bad, if not worse than, my previous billing cycle and certainly far worse than what I typically experience if my speeds were merely being throttled with no additional errors and issues. I have NO DOUBTS at this time that this is 100% a direct result of these DNS Acceleration [N] which are now steadily, every 5 minutes, showing up under my diagnostic page. 

I will update you later on in the week, and/or March 1st after the tech comes out.

[bare65]

@Damian 

UPDATE 03/11/2024

For approx. 5 straight days before the tech was scheduled to come out (Feb. 29th/March 1st), we had zero issues with the DNS Acceleration [N] and it appeared that the issue had resolved itself...and given my location, the Hughesnet tech, via phone, didn't seem to thrilled about driving out here to my location being that my service was now operating as it should.

HOWEVER...

Rather than cancel the appointment (if you recall the ordeal it took to get the appointment scheduled in the first place) I decided the smarter thing to do would be to reschedule the appointment (which I did for March 29th) just in case the DNS started acting up again as I certainly didn't want to be calling the 800 number back again.

I am SO very glad I rescheduled rather than cancel as I'm now into my 3rd day of solid hourly DNS Acceleration [N] errors (day and night) AGAIN!!

My service, once again, regardless of whether I am throttled or not, is now back to being severely disruptive and unusable for the most part.

Because of my location and being that the techs are dispatched out of AZ, (some 5 hours from my actual location) they only travel out this way once a month.

There is no way to get them to come out any earlier than 29th March.

So I'm back to square one...very frustrating!

[GabeU]

@bare65 

Just out of curiosity, do you remember if you had any significant rain just prior to it messing up again? I know they can usually tell if there's a moisture issue by the remote diagnostics, but who knows. 

[bare65]

@GabeU 

No significant rain or other weather conditions..

Today was a nightmare..I wasn't able to get ANY webpages/websites to load via my desktop computer nor could I get anything to stream via the TV so I ended up giving up and driving 22 miles up the road (just over 40 miles round trip) so I could get a signal on my phone (Verizon Wireless) and I've been sitting in my truck for several hours now trying to catch up on some work. 

Being throttled is one thing, and something that really isn't a big deal as the reduced speeds, although slower, are still very much doable. Most of the time I can stream all the different apps (Netflix, Peacock and so on) on my Roku and/or download, open webpages via my desktop without any issues, albeit a little slower than usual ....BUT throw in this DSN error code and it completely disrupts your entire service and makes it unusable.... 

I have so much work to get done this week, and this is a busy month for me so I really need this issue addressed, and fixed ASAP.

[bare65]

@Damian 

I don't know if this is going to be helpful, or not, but I spent a total of 5 hours this morning trying to figure up if there was some connection between this hourly DNS error code that is completely disrupting my service and the HughesNet Modem, WiFi frequencies, and/or ethernet. 

I made sure that ALL devices from modem / wifi were completely disconnected and then,

I manually rebooted the modem, disconnecting the power cord from the brick.

I then waited for modem to restart before conduction my tests..

(From the system Control Center, under 'current hour history' you can only review the previous 60 minutes of service, so I took multiple screen shots as I continued to conduct my tests and then pasted these together to get a better picture of what was going on)

Each test #1 thru #4 were done using a single device (desktop computer, or android phone) and a single WiFi frequency.

Test # 1 thru #4
Connected a single device (desktop on primary 2.5 or 5.0 GHz frequencies, and phone on guest 2.4 and 5.9 GHz frequencies) to a single frequency, wait for 15 full minutes, reviewed/screen shot the diagnostics and then after completely disconnecting, would go to the next frequency and so on...

Test # 5
Connected BOTH my desktop to 2.4 (primary) GHz Wi-Fi and my phone to 5.0 (primary) GHz Wi-Fi at the same time and ran that for about 50 minutes.

Test # 8

I hooked the Modem directly to my TV via Ethernet cable, making sure to completely disconnect TV from any WiFi frequencies...

After test #8

I actually noticed something interesting, a pattern if you will...so I ran a few more tests...

Test # 10 I connected device (my desktop computer) to the 2.4 GHz WiFi BUT...I did not actively use any data, download anything, run, browse webpages, apps, and so on)

I basically just connected my computer via WiFi and just sat there. 

CONCLUSION:

This DNS error code is not being set off by any one WiFi frequency. It occurs regardless of what Frequency I use being it 2.4 (primary or guest) or 5.0 (primary or guest).

And like last month, it doesn't matter whether or not I my speeds are throttled or not. The error code occurs every hour, regardless of what time of day and night it is...

HOWEVER....

What I did notice is that this error codes ONLY generates when I try to actively use my service, meaning browse the internet, trying to use an app on my TV, browse webpages via my phone and so on....

I can connect ANY of my devices to the modem via WiFi and leave them connected with no error code being generated, however, just as soon as I try to actually USE my devices, the DNS error code will then start generating and causing severe disruptions to my service.

If you look at the BROWN arrows, these are all periods of time that I was NOT actively using any data, even though my devices were connected via WiFi..

So....down below, I've spent approx. 8 minutes or so here on the Hughesnet Forum typing up this response. Got on here approx. 1:37pm (pst)

This webpage was open, but I had no other websites open, and I wasn't actively 'surfing' the web while I was doing this, so basically, no 'data' was being used.

As a result, no DNS error code was being generated as you can see from the screen shot.

HOWEVER, at 1.49pm (pst) I pulled up the system control panel to take another screen shot. Doing this uses data, and therefore, as soon as I did this, the DNS error code

once again started back up again...

 

[bare65]

@Damian 

I contacted the tech company (CM Wireless) that is supposedly scheduled to come out here on 29th March to see if they can't come earlier than this date as my patience has come to an end.

For whatever reason they keep trying to schedule me in for a Saturday even though they KNOW that their tech guy that services my particular area does not work on Saturdays, so we have been going around in circles these past few hours with that...

HOWEVER...I just received an email (see below) with this coming Friday as an appointment.

Your Install is Scheduled for:	March 15, 2024
Your technician will arrive between:	11 a. m. and 2 p. m.
Technician's Name and Phone#:	CM Wireless (IS) 928-255-0782
Distributor's Name and Phone#:	InstallSource 800-866-9444

I can only hope that they actually do show up on Friday (15th) and fix this issue once and for all.

I need a reliable internet connection to work, and even when my speeds are throttled my overall service continues to be reliable, albeit a little slower....

BUT, this DNS error is creating havoc so much so that I can't get a basic webpage to load, never mind get anything to stream or download. 

I can't work like this, and if I don't work, I don't get paid!!! 😡 If I don't get paid, I can't afford to pay my HughesNet bill, or anything else for that matter!!

I've lost so much work over these past 6 weeks, it's incredible. It's a wonder I still have a job...although my boss, I have no doubts, his patience is also wearing thin.

If for some reason they do not show up on Friday, as scheduled, I would really appreciate it if you, @Damian could step in as I just can't keep doing this on my end....

[Damian]

@bare65

Thank you for the updates and I am sorry to hear all of this has happened. At this point, having this case escalated is the only effective way I see that can resolve this issue. We can still wait for the tech but if that fails, I will be escalating your case immediately. I have exhausted any and all remote troubleshooting steps I can perform as well as you have on your end. This thread will aid your case as well thanks to your screenshots and tests. Please update me Friday and I am hoping for the best.  -Damian 

[bare65]

@Damian 

I'll probably have to update you on Monday because the installation company / technician just now sent me a text message telling me that they made a mistake and have now re-scheduled me for SATURDAY 16th (8am-11am) instead???? They then sent me an email confirmation for this same Saturday appointment. 

At this point it's anyone guess if anyone is going to show up or not...

[MarkJFine]

Don't mean to parachute in, but how is your DNS set up in the modem's wifi settings?

You can check by going to http://192.168.42.1/dns.htm?t=1710375124501, or by going to the wifi settings -> Advanced Setup -> Network / Properties.

Is the 'Obtain from ISP' box checked, or do you have alternate IPs set for Primary and Secondary DNS (for Google or some other public DNS)?

It's possible that if an alternate public DNS is set up that the modem's acceleration processes may be having a conflict. Or, they may not be able to reach those IPs effectively and rapid retries is crushing the accelerator.

[bare65]

@MarkJ

I followed your directions, and the 'Obtain from ISP' box is checked. Everything else is blank.

here is a screen shot of what is displayed... 

Earlier today while conducting some of my tests, I stumbled across an article on 'flushing DNS cache' and figured it couldn't hurt to try it out....

How to Flush DNS Cache in Windows 10 or Windows 11 to Speed Up the Internet - NetOptimizer

I completed this 'DNS flush' for my desktop computer which is running Windows 10 (followed directions within this webpage) and I also did something similar for my Android phone (Chrome), different website and directions, just in case this was the problem...

It didn't change anything, the error code is still generating.

Here are the previous 11 hours (since my last reboot) via diagnostic page. 

[MarkJFine]

Hmmm... maybe it's the default HughesNet DNS that can't be reached for some reason. So let's test this: On that screen, uncheck the 'Obtain from ISP' box and enter

'8.8.8.8' for Primary and '8.8.4.4' for Secondary (without the single quotes), and click 'Save Settings'. Those are the IPs for the Google public DNS.

See if this changes the DNS Acceleration error. If it doesn't, you may want to remove those IPs, re-check 'Obtain from ISP', and click 'Save Settings' in order to return things to the way they were.

I would also double check the network settings on your devices (e.g., Win10 and phone) to make sure the DNS is set for default/automatic, using whatever the wifi is set to, and not manual, which uses something different.