Laggy browsing on UPC - DNS issue or something else?

oceanclub

Upgraded to Horizon bundle complete with new box with 120Mb. Have switched from my old but reliable router (WRT54G) to using the new box.

However, I noticed that access web pages is very laggy, so I tested DNS settings using DNS Benchmark. From the graph shown and from the recommendations listed, I assume the box is the issue:



(See full text below)

I went into the box and changed the DNS setting to using the Google DNS servers (8.8.4.4 & 8.8.8.8).

(One negative of this is that I can't access gwlogin.net anymore but can access the box directly so that's fine.)

Box now speedier but accessing URLS occasionally still gives a hang. I've tried using ping but don't see any lost packets or even particularly slow ping times so am confused.)


ý Only the built-in default resolvers were benchmarked.
Please consider taking the time to create a custom resolver list.
This is a reminder about the tremendous benefits to be gained from benchmarking the "Top 50" resolvers that are found for you by the Benchmark's custom resolver list builder. When you have time, don't forget to give that a try. The results will astound you! You can find the option to do this on either the application's System Menu (Alt-Spacebar) or on the Add/Remove nameservers dialog on the Nameservers page.


ý System has only ONE (router based) nameserver configured.
It appears that only one local (router gateway) DNS nameserver, with the IP address of [192.168.192.1], is currently providing all DNS name resolution services to this system. This configuration is not recommended because most consumer-grade routers provide inefficient and under-powered DNS resolution services.

Unless the DNS resolvers your router is using is under your control, it may not be providing the best or complete name resolution services. For example, is it using multiple redundant DNS nameservers?

Users of GRC's DNS Spoofability system have determined that consumer-grade routers can be crashed by the receipt of specific DNS reply packets from the Internet. This opens the possibility that Internet-based criminals could acquire access to your router from the Internet as well as to the private network in controls.

Many consumer-grade routers fail to provide the full range of DNS lookup services. This may have been detected by the benchmark and noted below.

Recommended Actions:

Unless you have some specific reason not to, you should give serious thought to disabling your router's provisioning of DNS services (which it is providing for all computers on your local network). After this is done, a fresh reboot of your computers will likely reveal the multiple DNS nameservers provided by your ISP. This is a superior configuration, without an under-powered router acting as a incompetent middleman and impeding all DNS access.

Note that if you can determine the IP addresses of your ISP-provided nameservers (which may be visible in your router's web configuration) you could manually add them to the nameservers being tested by this benchmark, while also leaving your router providing DNS. This would allow you to compare the performance when running through your router versus "going direct".


þ System's sole nameserver is alive and replying to queries.
Although this system has only one DNS resolving nameserver, at least it is alive and replying to DNS queries. (If it were not, you would likely be painfully aware, since it would be difficult to accomplish anything requiring Internet access.)


ý System nameserver is SLOWER than 2 public alternatives!
This benchmark found 2 publicly available DNS nameservers that are reliably faster than the slowest nameserver currently being used by this system. If you were to adjust your system's configuration to use the faster of these nameservers instead of what it is currently using, your DNS lookup performance, and all use of the Internet, would be improved.

How should I resolve this?

Thanks,


P.

Morf

I would suggest that your question would get a better response in the specific broadband forum with a number of UPC related broadband threads.