DNS Server Issue after 10pm

[Scott1976]

Hi, I have an issue with the BT/EE dns servers after 10pm. It’s a weird internet works perfectly all day but at 10pm, certain websites can’t be accessed, WhatsApp, Facebook and my sons games on his laptop 

we have had BT engineers out at the house replaced our hub to the newest one available and as they come through the day they can’t find an issue, the last engineer from open reach blamed the smart meter. So I actually complained to electricity customer service, they sent an engineer out tested the smart meter and no noise was leaking from meter so they confirmed that the smart meter sends its reports at 6pm and if there was an issue your hub wouldn’t drop as it’s not on the same network 

the line has been checked continuously at least 30 times in the last six months, new line installed from street onto house but still at 10pm it drops / certain websites you can’t access, out PC is on Ethernet cable and everything else is on wifi, you do the classic speed test on google and says 40 Mb download and 8mb upload, so then you reset the hub, still nothing. Then at 6am everything works again all websites, WhatsApp etc 

so after reading all the issues other people are having with DNS, why haven’t BT / EE done anything to fix it yet ??

[Kimberlin]

@Scott1976 

I'm assuming you are not able to change the native DNS server settings on the BT Hub, so have you considered changing the DNS server settings in the network adapter settings on your laptop for example? There are some good alternative DNS servers available.

You could perhaps try a DNS cache flush to see if that helps.

[gg30340]

Make sure you do not have BT Webprotect active or any parental controls active.

https://www.bt.com/help/security/learn-about-bt-web-protect

https://www.bt.com/help/security/how-to-keep-your-family-safe-online-with-bt-parental-controls-an

[Scott1976]

No unfortunately these have already been tried, it’s definitely something on BT’s end and customer service don’t seem to be able to help

[Scott1976]

I have tried everything changed DNS settings on laptop and even attempted to change on the hub but this won’t allow me to change it even when I was logged in as admin, I have phoned BT and asked why can’t I change settings on HUB, the customer service agent couldn’t help, passed on to technical who said he is not good with DNS errors but did admit that they are getting more and more calls about it 

[gg30340]

You can not change the DNS settings on the BT hubs because  BT Parental controls and BT Webprotect work at the BT Network level and not just on the BT hubs or your devices settings. This is so that everything that connects to your hub is "automatically" protected and can not be changed by children without the password to your MyBT. 

Because it is a time dependant issue I would suggest that it is something to do with the parental controls. If it were just a DNS issue it would happen at all times not just between the times you have listed.

The BT Customer Services reps will no doubt not have the knowledge how to investigate this so you should call BT and ask to speak to the technical department and ask them to investigate if Parental controls and or Web protect are activated on your line even although they are showing as not being activated through your MyBT.

You should also check if any of your antivirus or malware programs, which often have parental controls and web protection have that facility and if they are active.

[Scott1976]

I have phoned BT before and web protect is off and BT parental controllers are also off, on BT,s end , I would understand if this was solely on my PC but everything that’s connected to the WIFI at 10pm has the same issue - Can still go to Google, Netflix etc but anything that is games related or WhatsApp, Meta just drops that must be a BT issue on there network I have lost the connection so many times I am looking at other service providers now , I have been a customer with BT for 25 years but the last 2-3 years have been slowly getting worse, imagine you 12 year old son telling you it’s 10pm dad the internet goes off at 10pm 

[Crimliar]

Just one little quick heads up.  I've seen something similar happen at someone else's house.  What they'd done is bought a BT router off eBay.  That router was still associated with it's previous users "Parental Controls" settings, not the current users settings!

*Being very careful how I phrase this, because I'm sure some of the regulars in here will already have realised the other VERY major issue!  Oh, and not owner, because in most cases with BT supplied equipment it is not owned by the user!

[gg30340]

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@Scott1976wrote:

I have phoned BT before and web protect is off and BT parental controllers are also off, on BT,s end , I would understand if this was solely on my PC but everything that’s connected to the WIFI at 10pm has the same issue - Can still go to Google, Netflix etc but anything that is games related or WhatsApp, Meta just drops that must be a BT issue on there network I have lost the connection so many times I am looking at other service providers now , I have been a customer with BT for 25 years but the last 2-3 years have been slowly getting worse, imagine you 12 year old son telling you it’s 10pm dad the internet goes off at 10pm 

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BT Netprotect and Parental controls work on every device that is connected through the BT hub. It is NOT device specific. It works at the BT Network level not at the local level.

How do you and BT account for it always happening at the same time if it is not some sort of timed control software on the BT network causing it. Does it happen to your mobile devices when using 4/5g? Does it happen to any of your son's game machines when used at a friends house after 10pm.

There have been issues like this reported previously and were resolved when they were investigated properly by BT.

I have nothing further to offer but please keep us updated how it eventually gets resolved.

[Scott1976]

BT open reach are blaming the smart meter and can’t do anything further, to answer some for your questions I have given up with BT they don’t seem to understand the issue as when they test the line all works satisfactory 

no my 4g / 5g stays on fine, the issue is solely in the house, my sons games and devices work fine outwith the house, my sons PS5 had the same issue but was able to change the DNS on the device and it works after 10pm on our WiFi connection but I can’t change it on Laptop or my iPhone for example