spicyayam

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2009
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Overall I am happy with Indihome, but the last couple of days I have been getting lots of 'page not found' errors each time I click on a link. Refreshing the page usually works. I have my computer and modem set to use Google's DNS, but I suspect Telkom is controlling this.

It is pretty frustrating.

I guess using a VPN is one way around it, but I was wondering if there is a way to force Google or OpenDNS to be used. I found this thread for example, which I think is what I am talking about: https://hackercodex.com/guide/how-to-stop-isp-dns-server-hijacking/

Does anyone know a solution? Or maybe [MENTION=19017]Gede[/MENTION] can ask his son :)
 

JohnnyCool

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2009
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Sanur
I have been experiencing something similar to you with IndiHome for several weeks.

I keep getting frequent and annoying "Connection Reset" messages. "Try Again" works most of the time.

So, a few weeks ago I thought it might have something to do with some security software on my computers.
I even went so far as uninstalling my ZoneAlarm free firewall version and replacing it with another one. No difference.

Changing my DNS to Google 8.8.8.8 etc, or even OpenDNS (paid version) makes no difference.
At least not at the Windows Network and Sharing Center.
I thought about going into the Alcatel (provided by Telkom) router's settings but I don't know the password and didn't really want to mess around there, just in case.

I was going to start a new thread here aimed at this and similar issues with IndiHome, then after reading your post, realise that I'm not alone.

I looked at hackercodex article. As far as I know, I don't think that I can root the Alcatel modem to access DWRT. Also don't see why I should have to.

I ran some ping tests and nslookups to see (or if) Telkom is redirecting me. All seems OK, but a nslookup popped up this IP address: 36.86.63.180.
That address is part of a group owned by Telkom.

I'm not sure what Telkom is trying to do, or why, but my conclusion is that the "problems" are coming from Telkom.
Maybe some idiot's done something stupid. Unfortunately, I don't know what the fix is or the actual cause.

Thought about going to the main office in Denpasar to hear what they say, or even calling one of their "technicians" to sort it out. (Yes, sometimes I do dream a lot.)

I have a couple of VPNs installed - both free and paid-for. I'm not sure, (or can't remember), if I get the connection reset (only on sime sites) using them.
The relentless heat in Sanur for the last 5-6 months has fried what's left of my technical brain.
And that's on top of my third graphics card in three years spitting the dummy two days before Nyepi.

"Class action" perhaps against Telkom? I am a "heavy user" - even thought that Telkom's been throttling me lately.
But all my speed/ping quality tests come up normal (I've got the 10Mbps package - 20Mbps not available yet in my gang (lane).
A lot of the time I'm getting 10.6Mbps and not complaining.

Let's see what others have to say about their experiences.
 

Markit

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2007
9,317
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Karangasem, Bali
Guys try this - use a different browser. If you normally use Firefox, try Google or vise versa.

Clearly no one in their right minds would use Internet Explorer...
 
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JohnnyCool

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2009
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I tried different browsers, including Internet Explorer (to my shame).
Different devices in my place such as laptop, tablet even a different computer (still connected wirelessly to Telkom's modem).
No luck.
Obviously, I am not in my right mind...(Even retired psychologists have their "issues".)

Whatever - today is another scorcher (42C Heat Index temp).
Will continue to drink some more beer now with a JW Black Label chaser (or should that be the other way around?)
 

spicyayam

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2009
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Pretty sure not browser related. Like JC I have different computers and now a laptop with Ubuntu. I am pretty sure it is DNS related as this has long been a problem with Telkom. Using Google's DNS on your computer/router used to work to get around this and their filters, but now doesn't work.

I can log into the router but Telkom didn't provide the password to connect to the internet. I asked them when they installed it, but were evasive.

One solution would be to run everything through a VPN installed on the router. Telkom gave us a ZTE f609 modem. Searching on the model number gives quite a few blogs in Indonesian which might help.

Hopefully someone reading this has a solution.
 

spicyayam

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2009
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Just found this and editing the host file works. So if you have a site which is blocked by the censors, adding the ip address of the site and the url to your hosts file is one way to get around it.
 

JohnnyCool

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2009
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"...editing the host file works..."

Not for me. I get around sites censored in Indonesia by switching straight to a VPN.
Even free ones, like Betternet, but it has very few available servers unless you pay.
I also use IPVanish (paid for), with many more servers all over the world. Works pretty well.

Like you, Telkom didn't give me the password to access the modem. I can probably get around this, one way or another, but have been loathe to do so (so far).
If/when I get into it, maybe I can modify settings for preferred DNS, VPN, etc. But if it ain't severely broken, why fix it?

And it's also possible that some malware/crapware/trojan, etc, has got into your computer. I've done the best I can, with the little I've got, scanning stuff, removing PUPs, unwanted cookies, and so on.
Even run online scans in Safe Mode, or booting my computer outside of Windows. I've nearly given up because I can't pinpoint what or where the issue is.

Also noticed in the last two weeks or so that some of the free "Useless TV" stuff freezes on me. Not really a big issue for me as I've also got a separate satellite TV dish.
The bottom line, the way I see it, is I couldn't figure out how Telkom could provide a fibre-to-the-home connection, plus Usee TV, the modem and the digital phone service for as little as they're charging.
Or for how long.
 

ronb

Well-Known Member
Aug 14, 2007
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Ubud, Bali
................. but I was wondering if there is a way to force Google or OpenDNS to be used..............

Just answering this question. While the Indihome modem will be using Telkom DNS servers, you can set a Windows PC to use Google or whatever, so then any surfing you do on the PC will use the server you have set to look up the IP number, and the modem does not need to do DNS for you.. To check what server your PC is using - in a CMD window type nslookup and you get a response like
C:\Users\Ron>nslookup
Default Server: google-public-dns-a.google.com
Address: 8.8.8.8

>

Having said that, I would add that I do not think DNS lookups are causing the empty responses you see. An empty response means that your PC has sent out a request to a distant server and then nothing came back. To send it out it had already done the DNS lookup and addressed your distant server using the IP number - not the name.
 

Markit

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2007
9,317
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Karangasem, Bali
Don't know if this is in any way related but for the last 10 days or so often, not always, when I click a link the tab comes up in the browser but the page remains blank until I click in the address bar and reload the page.

Seems in some weird way similar...?
 

JohnnyCool

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2009
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Well, I've been tearing out what little hair I've still got trying to figure out what's going on.
Just spent the last hour removing some anti-keylogger software in case of some conflicts.

Last night I was thinking that maybe my Telkom-supplied modem's faulty. Then I see that some others (like Markit), have noticed odd web-browser behaviours lately.

The possibility of damaged undersea fibre-optic cables around Singapore might be on the money. I don't know.
Guess I'll just have to wait and see if the "problem" goes away soon.

Or - phone Telkom's "help line" and probably be told to reset/restart the modem or get the promise of a service technician "besok" (which could mean tomorrow, the next day, next week, next month...).
 

DenpasarHouse

Active Member
Aug 13, 2013
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Have you tried using a different ISP? If you get the same behaviour you can rule out problems with the modem or Indihome.

Try using a cheap Tri data SIM card. If you haven't got a compatible USB modem, maybe you've got a Android phone which will let you share the internet connection via USB or Wi-Fi. Not sure if you can do with an iPhone. Probably can.

Not sure about the undersea cables, but I haven't noticed any service interruptions or weirdness using Smartfren in the last few weeks. Their 4G service has been working really well.
 
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Josh

New Member
Apr 7, 2010
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Sanur
From my experience for most of the Routers used by Telkom (including all of the IndiHome routers owned by my friends) the standard username/password is admin/admin if not changed by the technician (usually not as they want to make sure that any of them can access the device in case of a problem). Using a Proxy Server or a VPN is usually the solution for any DNS or censorship problems. I run my own dedicated server with both services and I have 0 problems at all but I know this is not a thing for anyone.

The problem with setting another DNS server in your computer network settings or on your router is that Telkom is doing some kind of DNS grabbing/hijacking and there is no easy solution to bypass this as it is out of our reach and part of their censorship system. Telkom is also injecting a tracking code in the HTML code of any website browsed on their network and they are pretty good in keeping anything under control. Proxy or VPN is the only way to solve this ****. I have a 25 year IT administration background and I have tried and investigated all this for years here without being able to work something out. Some workarounds do work for a while but not for long.

Get a paid account from one of the big US or European VPN providers and for a few bucks a month you can enjoy the web without any restrictions.
 

spicyayam

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2009
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Thanks Josh. I agree with what you are saying. Even if it is not DNS specifically it is definitely some kind of filtering that is causing the problems. Most frequently visited sites work fine. Visit a site you might not have visited before and it can take 3 or 4 times of refreshing the page to load. Quite frustrating. The download speed is fine for the connection we have.

So what VPN can your recommend? I am looking for the cheapest option available. I have used witopia before, but would appreciate any other suggestions.
 

JohnnyCool

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2009
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Hi Josh
The problem with setting another DNS server in your computer network settings or on your router is that Telkom is doing some kind of DNS grabbing/hijacking and there is no easy solution to bypass this.
That's now my conclusion too. Just spent more time resetting winsock, ipconfig /release/renew, netsh int ip4/6, flush dns, etc. Multiple computer reboots (boring), even though my PC is quite fast with lots of RAM and a 500GB SSD.

As for VPNs - I've used several over the years (both free and paid-for). In moments of cerebral weakness, (or just nearly drunk), Betternet (free version) works "OK", but no servers to choose from.
My paid-for VPN is IPVanish which seems pretty good for me. Of course, there are oodles of other ones vying for our money. Tracking down the best deals, best "anonymity", best trial version, best ease of removing, customer service, most world-wide available servers, least impact on download/upload speeds, prettiest (and most user-friendly) interface, easiest installation process, etc, can take lots of time.

I signed up, paid and trialed several well-known ones, which didn't/wouldn't work properly for me. Then spent days/weeks with "customer support" to resolve "issues", eventually cancelling and then tried to get my money back.
(Not always as easy as they promise - some are better than others.)

I'll try and tinker with my Telkom Alcatel modem settings, but as you say, some changes might "work" at first, until they don't.

Another ISP might be better for me, (and even cheaper), but the one I've got my eye on is not available yet where I live.

Or - there's a Telkom wifi outdoor depot at the end of my street which is offering speeds of "up to 100 Mbps", for Rp 50,000 a day (24 hours).
I tried it once so far and got 15+ Mbps download speed, (still faster than my 10 Mbps IndiHome package).
Unfortunately, it's too hot sitting there in the heat, no immediate refreshments available, and virtually no "privacy" (as if).

Could go in the middle of the night, I suppose - they provide power-point outlets so we can plug in our laptops, charge up our smartphone batteries, etc.
I might try it some night - hopefully, it won't be raining.
 

Josh

New Member
Apr 7, 2010
18
1
3
Sanur
I use OpenVPN for my private VPN on my own server and I am the only one with access to it so based on this and on my experience security is pretty high.

But OpenVpn is offering a paid solution based on the same technology too.
You can find it via their website openvpn.net by clicking on the VPN Service button or under privatetunnel.com directly.

Their client is compatible with all operating systems and with Tunnelblick on the Mac (No... Mac OS is NOT an operating system).
Actually its a "housewife-proof" 2 click software after it is installed and running but might require a bit (not that much) of a setup first.
Security is good enough for private use and its bypassing all filters and DNS redirects in most country's worldwide.
For company connects and top secret data I wont use it but for private... who cares.
Their unlimited plan is 30 bucks a year. There are smaller plans and a free 500 MB one too for testing.

I personally have never used paid services as I have my own private one since almost 10 years so I cant recommend any provider...
 

spicyayam

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2009
3,592
342
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Thanks for the OpenVPN suggestion. I used the free trial and it worked well, so bought a year service. The price is cheaper than most VPNs I have seen and as you said, easy to setup.

The only servers they have to connect to are in Europe and US. Having some in Asia or Australia would make it almost perfect.

Pages load much quicker, so just for that it's worth the money. Imagine how much time you waste over a year hitting refresh!
 

JohnnyCool

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2009
1,414
88
48
Sanur
"Connection Reset" messages with IndiHome

The "Connection Reset" messages on many websites using IndiHome turned out to be something at Telkom's end.
Not knowing what the exact problem was, I'd spent many hours trying all sorts of stuff - until yesterday afternoon when I'd finally had enough.

The problem is also present at a nearby venue using IndiHome so I realised it couldn't be something to do with my computers/installed software/network settings, etc.

So I rang the Telkom 147 number to lodge a complaint, expecting to get some kind of runaround.
To my surprise, the young woman dealing with my report was extremely polite and helpful.
A couple of hours later, I received an email stating that a technician was working on my "discomfort" and the issue would be resolved "soon".
Yeah right (I thought to myself.)

Today, no problems whatsoever.
 

spicyayam

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2009
3,592
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Thanks for that JC it does seem better (and yes I have the VPN off). Amazing no one else has complained or even the Telkom staff noticed the problem ???
 

Markit

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2007
9,317
1,110
113
Karangasem, Bali
You muthafukas with your optic cable and broadband have some real problems. I'm still battling to get some cable on the fecking poles on my road (owned by the army).

Apparently there's a new commander in the army point here that isn't interested in "coffee" money so nothing is happening. Just my luck to move to a country that is renown for corruption just when everyone is cleaning up their act - just when I need them! Typical!