Stuck in First Gear

Calls started coming in early November with an unusually high number of United members thinking their high-speed internet service was down. The problem wasn’t United’s service, though. It was a global internet client that works in concert with processing information to get users where they’re trying to go.

Chris White, internet subscriber service manager, remembered taking several calls that weekend.  As he and others began probing the problems users faced, they discovered that many of them were using their own routers that employed Cloudflare Domain Name System (DNS) servers, and Cloudflare was experiencing a days-long outage that caused its equipment to stop processing URL information.

The DNS is like a phone book of the internet. When users type in the URL code of their favorite website (such as www.ucs.net), the DNS servers translate that address into a unique numerical IP address that their computer understands (think a house number and street address).  

United high-speed internet users that experienced problems that weekend had personally obtained routers that were set up to find internet addresses through Cloudflare, and the Cloudflare outage made it impossible for them to find websites they wanted as they used the internet.

“Subscribers experiencing problems were using several different routers, most commonly one branded ‘Eero,’ that wasn’t the Calix router that United provides with our service,” White said. “There were a lot of phone calls when Cloudflare went down. Folks originally thought it was our service. We explained to them the problem and provided guidance to resolve it.”

For some, White and others assisted them to change their DNS in their equipment. Other users unboxed the Calix router they were issued when their service was installed and utilized that instead to get them back up and running. “Subscribers are more than welcome to use their equipment, no problem,” White said. “We will install our ONT and help you get your network up and going. We always tell them, though, to just  know that if  they call in with a problem, we’re unable to troubleshoot other vendors’ equipment. Unless it’s one of the United-issued  Calix routers, we can’t troubleshoot it. We do make that clear at the beginning.”

Chris MacIntyre, vice president of internet services, said several reasons exist for high-speed internet subscribers to use their own equipment. Many have made a prior investment and are unwilling to part due to personal preference. Others believe their equipment to be more secure to network management and control, particularly in the Internet of Things (IOT) space (internet-controlled devices in the home).

“This can be problematic in today’s environment, mainly because analytics, management, software and firmware upgrades and security are all left to the user,” MacIntyre said. “Should the router die, users are left with no other option than to purchase another, which can be expensive and leave users down for an extended period.”

Additionally, if users who are not savvy or unable to manage their equipment and find themselves in a situation where access to the router is needed, there is little support, if any, available to assist, such as changing a password, adding a network, changing DNSes, or installing a mesh network, he said.

United’s robust network uses the latest technology while continuously making advancements to improve and enhance the user experience, he said.  Technicians strive to keep everyone connected without fail and United’s network possesses multiple layers of diversity to do just that.

“There are a number of benefits gained by using United’s equipment beyond not charging our subscribers for it, which most other providers do,” he said. “United only purchases the most recent equipment for our subscribers. United’s engineers are prompt with all software and firmware upgrades and vet those prior to pushing to users.  

“While users are always free to use the equipment they wish to use, United’s service tries to take the guesswork out to provide subscribers with an exceptional service experience.”