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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2186 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for February 9, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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How does your router connect to the wider internet? It takes my whole router (virtualized on an x64 box) around 5-10 seconds to reboot and reconnect to my ISP and my VPN.

The router is an integrated modem-router, ~20Mbs ADSL, copper to the cabinet then fibre to the exchange.

I realise it's low powered hardware but that should be offset by being specialised to the task, right? Rebooting takes <30 seconds. It's not the best router but it's less than 5 years old, and when it's connected it works without any issues.

It could be a couple of things, but the most likely in my estimation is either:

  1. It is attempting to pull provisioning files that your ISP is, for some reason, failing to provide, resulting in lengthy sequential timeouts, or
  2. Your ISP is for some reason imposing the delay in authentication deliberately, causing the modem to have to repeatedly retry authentication until your ISP finally permits it.

It seems very likely to me that the issue is on the ISP side.

I am super unfamiliar with ADSL, all my providers just wired a twisted pair Ethernet cable into the apartment.

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