[SOLVED] One specific site times out on home network

[sjnew]

Recently one specific website (rpgcrossing.com) that I've been using normally for months has begun timing out every time I try to access it at home. Every other website I use is still working fine; it's only this one site that times out. I've tried 2 different computers (one Windows 10 PC on ethernet, one Chromebook on wireless) and my android phone, and used Chrome, Firefox and Edge browsers but the result is always the same: an error message saying that the website timed out. I checked DownForEveryoneorJustMe.com and it said the website is up and available, and I went to the local library and I could access the website on both my android phone and on the library computer just fine, so it has something to do with my home network somehow.

Here's what I've tried:
Reset my modem and router.
Run Windows Troubleshooter on my network connection (it said there was nothing to fix).
Checked for driver and firmware updates for my router (there were none available).
Released and renewed my DHCP through my router dashboard.
Checked if my IP address is on any blocked or banned lists (it's not and there's no reason why it would be. I don't have the skills to do anything sketchy with my network even if I wanted to, which I don't.)
Checked if my firewall or my McAfee antivirus is blocking the website for some reason (I don't see any indication that it is.)
Checked my LAN settings under Internet Properties and none of the boxes are checked.
I haven't been banned from the site. I could browse the site and log in normally with my username and password at the library. (It's just a forum about DnD and other games and I haven't been breaking any of their rules at any point.)
I'm not using a proxy or VPN.
My ISP is Cox and my router is a Linksys WRT54GSV4.
I haven't changed any settings on my router or network recently.

I ran a Traceroute test and a Ping test from my router dashboard. I'm not tech savvy enough to know how to interpret the data, but here it is:
traceroute to rpgcrossing.com (198.143.133.202), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets
1 10.5.168.1 (10.5.168.1) 6.618 ms 9.774 ms 14.614 ms
2 100.118.110.64 (100.118.110.64) 6.978 ms 6.792 ms 6.769 ms
3 100.121.20.14 (100.121.20.14) 38.645 ms 12.193 ms 9.499 ms
4 68.1.1.75 (68.1.1.75) 15.564 ms 13.569 ms 13.862 ms
5 bbr2.xe-0-2-2.peering-cox-4.nym007.pnap.net (208.122.44.73) 14.435 ms 14.181 ms 12.620 ms
6 bbr1.ae102.dal.pnap.net (64.95.158.173) 50.487 ms 50.123 ms 52.343 ms
7 bbr1.phx010.pnap.net (64.95.158.169) 82.862 ms 75.506 ms 72.157 ms
8 64.95.160.1 (64.95.160.1) 75.784 ms 71.008 ms 78.345 ms
9 64.95.158.70 (64.95.158.70) 72.984 ms 72.273 ms 73.563 ms
10 border5.ae1-bbnet1.phx010.pnap.net (69.25.168.1) 72.013 ms 72.010 ms 75.448 ms
11 69.25.120.26 (69.25.120.26) 72.930 ms 72.748 ms 72.839 ms
12 agg-c01c02.d03.s02.phx01.singlehop.net (108.178.63.250) 74.252 ms 73.071 ms 82.231 ms
13 aswg-c16.d03.s02.phx01.singlehop.net (108.178.63.202) 83.290 ms 73.657 ms 73.956 ms
14 * * * Request timed out.
15 * * * Request timed out.
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 * * * Request timed out.
18 * * * Request timed out.
19 * * * Request timed out.
20 * * * Request timed out.
21 * * * Request timed out.
22 * * * Request timed out.
23 * * * Request timed out.
24 * * * Request timed out.
25 * * * Request timed out.
26 * * * Request timed out.
27 * * * Request timed out.
28 * * * Request timed out.
29 * * * Request timed out.
30 * * * Request timed out.

PING rpgcrossing.com (198.143.133.202): 56 data bytes
--- rpgcrossing.com ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100% packet loss

Thanks for taking the time to read this post! I'm sorry it's long but I wanted to include any information that might be useful. I appreciate any help!

 

[SamirD]

Sometimes there's a routing issue on the Internet and there's nothing you can really do about it until it clears up. It works at the library because the traceroute there will take a different path. You can post the traceroute from the library as a comparison and I'll tell you exactly what's different and what may be going on.

 

[kanewolf]

There have been threads (BT I think) where parental controls in the router got turned on without the user knowing. This has caused odd problems with people not being able to get to specific websites.
One thing you can do to test is us a laptop on WIFI. Then use it with your phone hotspot. If it works with your phone, then it may be something like the parental controls problem.

 

[SamirD]

There have been threads (BT I think) where parental controls in the router got turned on without the user knowing. This has caused odd problems with people not being able to get to specific websites.
One thing you can do to test is us a laptop on WIFI. Then use it with your phone hotspot. If it works with your phone, then it may be something like the parental controls problem.

This shouldn't be the issue because the packets pass from the cox network to the peering provider and then time out on the destination side.

If it was being blocked at the router, the time out would still be in the user's network or in the first 1-2 hops on the traceroute.

 

[kanewolf]

This shouldn't be the issue because the packets pass from the cox network to the peering provider and then time out on the destination side.

If it was being blocked at the router, the time out would still be in the user's network or in the first 1-2 hops on the traceroute.

Ping (traceroute) could be allowed but HTTP blocked, but it is probably not the case. Testing with a cellular hotspot can eliminate (or implicate) the ISP or even website owner.

 

[SamirD]

Ping (traceroute) could be allowed but HTTP blocked, but it is probably not the case. Testing with a cellular hotspot can eliminate (or implicate) the ISP or even website owner.

OP already tried at the library and it's working fine so probably just an Internet routing issue that will get fixed at some point by some one.

Now one workaround I just thought of that might work is if the OP uses a vpn because that will usually end up taking a much different route, so has a high chance of working.

 

[sjnew]

Thanks SamirD and Titan! I appreciate you taking the time to respond to this post. I have tried using my phone at different places and if I'm on my home network wifi I can't reach the site, but if I'm on a different wifi I can. It'll be a few days before I can get back to the library but I'll see if it's possible to run a traceroute test from there.

I can look into a vpn, but I don't know much about them yet. I'll have to research that.

 

[SamirD]

You're welcome! Great that you can at least access it from elsewhere. And you know what might help--contact them about your inability to reach their site via cox. They can then tell their host who can move it up the ladder hopefully to the source of the issue and fix it.

The basic premise behind a vpn is that it is kinda like the concept of a wormhole in space--your data will go into the vpn and pop out somewhere else taking a completely different route through the internet. Sometimes this helps, sometimes this hurts--but in your case I think it would definitely help since you just need to be hitting the site from somewhere else for it to work.

And for vpn, I really like the vpn gate project. It can be set up using built-in windows clients (l2tp/ipsec and sstp), and should be able to work to test our theory and give you back your access until it's really fixed:

VPN Gate - Public Free VPN Cloud by Univ of Tsukuba, Japan

 

[sjnew]

Thank you! I will research that and try to figure it out. I'll try to find some contact info for the site and see if they can help, too.

Also, is there any chance that buying a new router would help, or is that unlikely since the problem is on the other end?

 

[SamirD]

Buying a new router would do nothing since it's the same route. The VPN would be the best bet and feel free to ask questions.

 

[sjnew]

Thanks again to SamirD and Kanewolf for the help! Just to update the situation, in the process of researching the options recommended (and a few trips to the library) I was able to get in contact with someone from the site I was having trouble with, and they checked into it. According to what they said, their firewall had erroneously banned my IP while the server was under a heavy load, and they fixed the problem and I can access the site normally again. I can't say I completely understand how it all works, but the problem is solved so I don't need to!

Thanks again for the assistance, and I hope you all have a great week!