Click here if you can't connect to the TFP

[Halx]

Here's a short story: (Skip to the end if you just want to get to the chase.)

I moved into my new apartment on Saturday. The same day, I had cable and internet installed. Naturally, I immediately plugged in my laptop and headed for the TFP. I was slightly curious when I could not connect to the site though. I tested other sites to see if I was actually connected and they worked. I tested a few porn sites to see if it could be content filtering, but I saw the boobs. I tested the rest of my favorites and I could connect to each one with lightning speed. It appeared that I could reach every site on the internet EXCEPT THE ONE I OWN!

I then tried to connect to the TFP on my iPhone. I was connected to the WiFi through my phone, so I figured it was a valid triangulation point. I connected just fine through the phone. Hmm. I thought it was just my laptop at that point. I suddenly couldn't wait to unpack my tower. (That sometimes has other connotations.)

Just last night, I finally got around to setting up my computer and immediately tried connecting to the TFP. No dice. My wife could not connect on her computer either. The plot thickens. Well, not really... it actually narrows because now I can deduce a few things and nail down the culprit.

I call up tech support for my ISP and I cut to the chase. After some consultation with their superior, the tech support agent points me in the direction of the router that was provided by them.

This is a Linksys cable modem/router/WiFi access point. It also has a built-in firewall. Now let me tell you something: unless you are running an e-commerce website, firewalls are USELESS. They give you the piece of mind of protecting you from evil nasty hackers, but the truth is that they just protect you from yourself. If you are a decently intelligent internet user then you'll never need a home firewall, let alone an anti-virus program. I've never had either and I'm still batting 1.000.

ANYWAYS, the firewall was enabled. I disabled it and VOILA! I could connect.

The moral of the story is: firewalls are useless and prevent you from accessing the best site on the internet.

In other news, I'm trying to figure out what it is exactly about the TFP that prevents firewalls from letting traffic through. As soon as I figure that out, I will fix it. For the time being... if you can't reach the TFP, I hope this message reaches you somehow.

[Lasereth]

Holy cow that's really weird how it just blocks TFP.

[dlish]

maybe its the government ban catching up to u halx.

one day im expecting a blackout myself...but for the time being im glad im still here

[MexicanOnABike]

I have a few forums and randomly, they will be blocked. I have to reset my router and reset my net conection. then, if i'm lucky, it's back. stupid net!

[snowy]

I've never had that problem with my router--or anyone else's, for that matter! Lucky me.

[Manic_Skafe]

Well I guess that'll teach you not to move again.

[World's King]

It could be the porn...

[Crack]

I blame the Subservient Chicken

[ngdawg]

Yea, I've found firewalls to be more trouble than they're worth-antivirus software as well.
My boss here, who fancies himself a geek, keeps asking me if I installed Macafee on my pc. Nope and never will....
Now, anti-spyware-yep, got it. But only idiots who open any and all emails and/or solicitations and unknown warez sites run a risk of getting a virus.

At school, chats were blocked, but I almost always was able to get into TFP chat during class.

[Seer666]

Am I the only that thogut "how am I going to click this if I can't connect"? That is weird on the firewall though. Good luck figuring it out

[Sion]

that's a strange tale and I have no idea what's behind it, but I don't think encouraging people not to use firewalls is a good idea. I used ZoneAlarm for years and never had trouble connecting to this or any other site. I now use the built in fw that comes with WinXP and have never had an issue.

As for the protection that a firewall provides, consider this: back in 01 when I first got ZoneAlarm, I had it set to give a warning pop-up whenever any unauthorized attempt to access my computer occurred. by the end of that first day, I had disabled the pop-up, as it was going off about every 10 or 15 minutes. Yes, that's right....multiple times per hour. Most of the time, these unwanted access attempts were just random port scans being conducted by hacker bots. You know...looking for unprotected computers to invade and possibly infect with a virus or keylogger, or steal financial information.

Now I will grant you that safe net habits are your best protection against most threats, but it is still my opinion that a firewall is a necessity.

[Martian]

Windows XP doesn't come with a firewall. It says it's a firewall, but it's really just a packet filter with delusions of grandeur.

It's true that your average home user will probably be okay without a firewall. Me, I'd rather have it just to be on the safe side. If properly configured, it shouldn't cause any problems.

I don't use AV software, but I don't have to. Most users should probably have that as well.

[Sion]

Originally Posted by Martian

Windows XP doesn't come with a firewall. It says it's a firewall, but it's really just a packet filter with delusions of grandeur.

hmm...news to me. But thats ok, because I'm also behind a hardware firewall thats built into my router.

[Redlemon]

Originally Posted by Seer666

Am I the only that thogut "how am I going to click this if I can't connect"?

You will be able to read the Google cache of this page, however.

[grumpyolddude]

I've used Zone Alarm, it never blocked TFP. Dumped when I got a router that had a built in firewall. Still never blocked.

At work, we cower behind a Sonic Wall. It has caused some strange issues, but TFP has never been blocked there, either.

I've never used a cable provider, but my mother's house has WOW cable. I can get TFP there as well.

Freakish, Halx. Glad they could work it out for you.

[fatmanforprez]

Well, I am going to make a whole lot of assumptions and mix them with anecdotal evidence to say that i have a theory. Some background, I used to be a phone tech for a living and now I pretend to be a "Network Engineer".

Back when i was doing the 20 hardest calls that my brand took in any given day I would get about 1 call a week from a guy who had a site on a coloc. It was ALWAYS his own site that he could not reach.

To get to the punch line the problem was invariably that the web farm they had contracted their site out to had a bad habit of changing the TCP source port, without either dumbing the problem down or getting into techno-babble, this is bad form. SPI on the router would drop the connection (as it was designed to do and normally should do) and they had a problem with only their site.

The solution, disable SPI.

[Mister Coaster]

Sorry to dig up an old topic, but I have the same problem.

It appears that it's the cable modem's settings that are disallowing me TFP access (I'm at work right now). I have been able to connect using public wifi from my home laptop, so that's how I know it's the cable modem.

What I'm unable to find are the software settings for that external piece of hardware. I realize that I'm just overlooking something obvious, but I have been unsuccessful in the past few weeks looking for it.

Also, props to Redlemon for coming to my rescue.

[Cynthetiq]

whew... here i thought there was a new problem!

have you looked at the firewall on the cable modem?

[Mister Coaster]

Would that be an actual switch, jumper or something like that on the cable modem itself, or will it be a setting I have to change through the computer?

If the former, I'll look. If the latter, I'm stumped.

Thanks for the quick response.

[Cynthetiq]

it's something you'll do on the computer connecting to the router itself.

what model cable modem? is there also a router? what model if there is one also?

[Mister Coaster]

I'll have to look at it tonight. Of course once I'm there I won't be able to connect and tell you about it... I'll look for some other wifi in my area. I have your e-mail, so I'll contact you that way.

Thanks again!

[Jozrael]

Originally Posted by Sion

back in 01 when I first got ZoneAlarm, I had it set to give a warning pop-up whenever any unauthorized attempt to access my computer occurred. by the end of that first day, I had disabled the pop-up, as it was going off about every 10 or 15 minutes. Yes, that's right....multiple times per hour. Most of the time, these unwanted access attempts were just random port scans being conducted by hacker bots. You know...looking for unprotected computers to invade and possibly infect with a virus or keylogger, or steal financial information.

Is why I consider a firewall like a condom: you're stupid for not using one, unless you have some other method of preventing the above (some other method of birth control).

[wooÐs]

Erm, use an anti-virus.

[Shauk]

if it's a dsl modem, most of them tend to be accessable from putting 192.168.0.1 in your web browser address bar

if it's cable, try 192.168.100.1

those are the only 2 i've ever had to use in my hojillion plus years of accessing modems.

routers are entirely another story though.

*crosseyed*


as far saying firewalls are useless, i'll just disagree. Firewalls are only as useful as the sum of it's parts, the parts being, the features programmed in to it, and your aptitude in utilizing or disabling those features as necessary.

That said, I use a pretty light combination.
Firefox w/ NoScript running (making allowances for trusted sites) keeps the busiest road from the internet to my computer fairly safe.
UAC/Windows Defender/Windows Firewall in windows 7 seem pretty well tuned and able to do their jobs, but I mean, yeah, it's just a home PC, not a mission critical corporate server.
the firewall on the router is kinda *meh* but it works.

I don't run an antivirus, but i'll download a freebee once a year or so to do a scan, usually turn up clean. It's more of an issue on laptops than home computers if you're in the habit of connecting to unsecure networks, it's basically the digital equivlent of unprotected sex.
I plugged in to a public network for a lan party once, instantly contracted the RPC virus that would shut your computer down every minute or so. That was fun. so firewall/AV software is fine for computers that have an active sex life, so to speak.

[wooÐs]

mah kumpyootr's a hoar.

[Shauk]

Originally Posted by wooÐs

mah kumpyootr's a hoar.

When I lived in downtown Seattle, I had a neighbor who's Router SSID was "Slap me while I suck it"

I never could introduce myself.

[wooÐs]

LOL