Compass Networks DNS issues with D-Link DSL-2878

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Compass Networks DNS issues with D-Link DSL-2878

Chrisblobster

24 posts

Geek

#293736 10-Feb-2022 21:14

Hi there, I'm having ridiculous trouble with Compass fibre since upgrading to a Gigabit LAN/WAN capable router/modem (D-Link DSL-2878) to attain the 300/100 Mbps speeds of my plan. The trouble is, as far as I can tell, that Compass DNS servers are ridiculously slow resolving addresses - it might be anything from 10-30 seconds before a page starts loading, but once loading it loads at a speed in keeping with the fibre speed. Speed tests give me a reliable 300-320 Mbps down, and 100-110 Mbps up, although sometimes waiting for the speed test to start takes a long time due to the DNS issue. Once I use a website it will then resolve instantly for a time period, but without accessing the website for a while the DNS resolution will start taking ages again. Worst of all is that I'm working from home using Autodesk Revit and being a cloud-based software with workshared models there are significant delays synchronizing the models and polling other users of the models, and also those users report delays when their instance of Revit polls mine to see if I've got a lock on any model elements I'm editing.

I did some tests with ping in Linux - the Linux ping command tries to ping the address or IP once a second, but pinging addresses currently it can only do a ping every 8-10 seconds - if I switch to the IP for the same address the command is back to its usual 1 ping per second. The strange part of this is that my old modem resolves DNS instantly using the same ISP-specified DNS servers, but of course it is limited to only 100 Mbps WAN/LAN. Attempts to get Compass to investigate this issue have been fruitless, with the rep I'm chatting with unable to get info from the technical team to see what is causing this issue. I've got a support request in with D-Link too.

If there is anyone else using Compass do you or did you find DNS to be slow with them? If anyone also has the DSL-2878 and has had issues with Compass I'd be curious to know.

I'm at the point of changing ISP to be honest, but am wary that Compass will do their best to hit me with $199 ETP, so I'll be sure to give at least 30 days notice.

Cheers,

Chris W, Chch

michaelmurfy

meow
13278 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2865077 10-Feb-2022 22:12

The issue is your router. The DSL variant dlink routers are not great and likely with the additional speed it has put additional load on it.

1) Make sure you have rebooted your router. This is an important first step.
2) Consider factory resetting your router and setting it up from scratch again - may help.
3) Consider purchasing something like a Fritz!Box 7490 from Trademe and use that - they're still great routers despite their age.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? Please consider supporting us by subscribing.
Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

Chrisblobster

24 posts

Geek

#2865091 10-Feb-2022 23:04

michaelmurfy:

The issue is your router. The DSL variant dlink routers are not great and likely with the additional speed it has put additional load on it.

1) Make sure you have rebooted your router. This is an important first step.
2) Consider factory resetting your router and setting it up from scratch again - may help.
3) Consider purchasing something like a Fritz!Box 7490 from Trademe and use that - they're still great routers despite their age.

Do you have any links I can read explaining why the DSL variants are not great?

Reason I ask is that the only negative reviews I read on it before buying said that wireless was pretty poor, but nothing to indicate the DSL-2878 would do anything unexpected connecting to UFB via it's WAN - all the internet-able devices apart from mobile phone are connected via Cat5e or better. Some NZ ISP's have guides how to connect the DSL-2878 to their UFB networks, and several ISP's across the ditch offer it for connection to the NBN over there. Every review I've read about it here in NZ says speed was fine which for me is true also apart from the slow DNS issue I'm having (which I still don't know if is my router or my ISP at fault), and I only have 300/100 fibre - surely with gigabit WAN/LAN ports the DSL-2878 should make light work of 300 Mbps fibre?

EDIT - I've already rebooted multiple times, and reset to factory default a couple of times (including just now), and the slow DNS issue persists.

Cheers, Chris, Chch

michaelmurfy

meow
13278 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2865111 11-Feb-2022 00:15

I've personally tested and reviewed hundreds of routers and have experience in this space. Just because a router has Gigabit ethernet ports doesn't mean it can route Gigabit - there are plenty of posts on here proving that point. The DSL routers are designed for ADSL / VDSL and so normally are only good for up-to 200Mbit from testing and is considered a low end router. You may get more, but there are other factors in the routers software that normally prevent them from performing their best. If Compass had problems with their DNS servers then there will be a much, much bigger outage here.

Seriously, take my advise and get a cheap Fritz!Box 7490 from Trademe - they work well. Another router worth looking at is the Spark Smart Modem. They'll work fine with Compass but also are designed for UFB and can even both route Gigabit fine.

cyril7

9061 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2865115 11-Feb-2022 07:13

And if for a test you over ride the DNS in you laptop to say 8.8.8.8 does the issue go away.

Cyril

Chrisblobster

24 posts

Geek

#2865127 11-Feb-2022 07:47

michaelmurfy:

I've personally tested and reviewed hundreds of routers and have experience in this space. Just because a router has Gigabit ethernet ports doesn't mean it can route Gigabit - there are plenty of posts on here proving that point. The DSL routers are designed for ADSL / VDSL and so normally are only good for up-to 200Mbit from testing and is considered a low end router. You may get more, but there are other factors in the routers software that normally prevent them from performing their best. If Compass had problems with their DNS servers then there will be a much, much bigger outage here.

Seriously, take my advise and get a cheap Fritz!Box 7490 from Trademe - they work well. Another router worth looking at is the Spark Smart Modem. They'll work fine with Compass but also are designed for UFB and can even both route Gigabit fine.

I haven't had issues with the data speed of the router - I get 940 Mbps between 2 Linux PC's connected to separate LAN ports on the back of the router, as tested with iperf, and my 300/100 fibre gives me consistent 310-320 down and 100-110 up via speedtest.net - it's just the DNS delays causing issues. I even tried testing an old Huawei B315s-607 Skinny modem, but despite getting an IP address and being able to ping stuff from the Huawei config page I couldn't get to the internet from any device not direct connected to the LAN ports on the Huawei.

There are a small handful of Fritz!Box 7490's on trademe, but none local to me - I can grab a Spark Smart Modem locally however so will do that unless D-Link or the ISP can come up with a solution in the next few days.

Regards,

Chris, Chch

Chrisblobster

24 posts

Geek

#2865129 11-Feb-2022 08:00

cyril7:

And if for a test you over ride the DNS in you laptop to say 8.8.8.8 does the issue go away.

Cyril

With the DSL-2878 in PPPoE mode there is no way to manually configure primary and secondary DNS - those are both supplied by the ISP. The same 2 DNS servers work fine with my slow old TP-Link WD9970, but again that only has 100 Mbps WAN/LAN so cannot attain the 300 Mbps download speed of my fibre connection, which was why I bought the DSL-2878 to replace the WD9970 in the first place - ironic that the slow DNS on the DSL-2878 actually makes web browsing slower than with the WD9970 🤨

Regards,

Chris, Chch

Ge0rge

2059 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2865130 11-Feb-2022 08:09

Chrisblobster:

cyril7:

And if for a test you over ride the DNS in you laptop to say 8.8.8.8 does the issue go away.

Cyril

With the DSL-2878 in PPPoE mode there is no way to manually configure primary and secondary DNS - those are both supplied by the ISP. The same 2 DNS servers work fine with my slow old TP-Link WD9970, but again that only has 100 Mbps WAN/LAN so cannot attain the 300 Mbps download speed of my fibre connection, which was why I bought the DSL-2878 to replace the WD9970 in the first place - ironic that the slow DNS on the DSL-2878 actually makes web browsing slower than with the WD9970 🤨

Regards,

Chris, Chch

Cyril7 isn't saying to change the DNS in your router - you need to go into the network settings on whatever device it is that you are using and change the DNS there - may require you to set a static IP as well.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

cyril7

9061 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2865132 11-Feb-2022 08:24

Hi, as Ge0rge says, I made the comment expecting you to adjust your device not the router as a test. Re the routers you have chosen (both mentioned) they both fit in a category that would never appear on my horizon.

Cyril

skyplonk

451 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#2865238 11-Feb-2022 10:19

Yes, I use Compass.

No problem with DNS here.

Primary DNS Server: 203.152.100.49
Secondary DNS Server: 203.152.107.67

I have a DIR-853 and its rock solid.

I'm on their FibreMax plan.

yitz

2083 posts

Uber Geek

#2865260 11-Feb-2022 11:00

No issues either here on Compass UFB (also in Chch).

It sounds like you have hardcoded DNS search order for a previous router/ISP in your device before it falls back to something that works.

Maybe the dig utility can be used to show more information about DNS query response times.

michaelmurfy

meow
13278 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2865335 11-Feb-2022 12:00

@Chrisblobster Just a note also, you're not going to find confirmation bias here.

I'm talking about routing speed, not switch speed. Routing has to go via the routers CPU and networking stack where switching is between switch ports on the router, they're both separate. There has been some good advise provided that I recommend following. Like I say, you have got a low end router and I fully bet this is the cause of your issues. Replacing it with a router that has hardware accelerated NAT (routing) is the best thing to do and I have provided some cheap options for you to do so.

You could try using a hard-coded DNS server to test as per the above also, but really you bought the wrong router for the task.

Chrisblobster

24 posts

Geek

#2866583 11-Feb-2022 18:05

cyril7:

Hi, as Ge0rge says, I made the comment expecting you to adjust your device not the router as a test. Re the routers you have chosen (both mentioned) they both fit in a category that would never appear on my horizon.

Cyril

I've now done just that and can report that DNS is resolving a magnitude more quickly - I used the Google pair of 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, but as a test tried to link direct to the ISP DNS servers, and that also worked much better although I think Google DNS seems to have the slight edge in responsiveness.

I've adjusted my main desktop, and my work PC - still my laptop, Zoneminder/web server, and HTPC to go.... 🙃

Regards, Chris, Chch.

michaelmurfy

meow
13278 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2866585 11-Feb-2022 18:10

Chrisblobster:

I've now done just that and can report that DNS is resolving a magnitude more quickly - I used the Google pair of 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, but as a test tried to link direct to the ISP DNS servers, and that also worked much better although I think Google DNS seems to have the slight edge in responsiveness.

Bingo, your router is the problem here as suspected.

There will be clients you can't adjust easily so you're seriously best to get another router or if you bought your current one recently why not attempt a return?

Chrisblobster

24 posts

Geek

#2866590 11-Feb-2022 18:27

michaelmurfy:

@Chrisblobster Just a note also, you're not going to find confirmation bias here.

I'm talking about routing speed, not switch speed. Routing has to go via the routers CPU and networking stack where switching is between switch ports on the router, they're both separate. There has been some good advise provided that I recommend following. Like I say, you have got a low end router and I fully bet this is the cause of your issues. Replacing it with a router that has hardware accelerated NAT (routing) is the best thing to do and I have provided some cheap options for you to do so.

You could try using a hard-coded DNS server to test as per the above also, but really you bought the wrong router for the task.

I'll keep on with the router, as the gigabit WAN/LAN side of things works as it should - setting the Google DNS IP's at the device(s) fixes the crappy DNS performance and is easy to do - I've edited resolv.conf on all 4 regular use Linux PC's, and also changed my Windows 10 work PC - DNS now works massively faster on all PC's

For now my internet is working as responsively and as fast as it should, so I'll hang fire on buying another modem/router, but the 2 choices you mentioned seem to be highly regarded - I'll keep those in mind, cheers.

Regards, Chris, Chch.

cyril7

9061 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2866593 11-Feb-2022 18:28

Hi yeah the DNS proxy in the router will be toast, try another router.

Cyril