Q: Can't connect to one site with Airport Extreme
I'm using an arris dg1670a cable modem (in bridge mode) that connects to my airport extreme (and then on to my computer and wireless devices). This has worked fine for several years, but this week I cannot connect to one particular site (a particular university web site where I log in to get my email). I get this message:
Gateway Timeout: can't connect to remote host
I can connect to every other web page on the internet except for this page.
If I put the airport extreme on bridge mode (or connect my computer directly to the arris modem) I can connect to the university web site with no problem). I tried resetting the airport extreme to factory defaults, and also shut down the entire network for 24 hours, but the problem still remains. This suggest to me the problem lies with the airport extreme which appears to be blocking the university web site.
Does anybody have experience with this as I'm totally lost as to next steps.
Thank you.
IMac, Mac OS X (10.4.10)
Posted on Oct 1, 2015 9:28 AM
I've had this same issue on three separate occasions, each time with the same web site or web address.
The first time that it occurred a few years ago, like you, I was convinced that the AirPort router was blocking the connection because I could connect my Mac directly to the modem and access the website that way. So, I contacted Apple Support.
Apple Support said that it was not possible for the AirPort to be the cause of the issue, mentioning that the AirPort does not block outgoing connections in any way. They told me to contact the website administrator to report the issue.
I was not convinced at all, and thought that this appeared to be a typical "blame the other guy" situation, but I went ahead and got a hold of the web admin folks by connecting my Mac directly to the modem and explained the situation to them via email. I expected them to blame the AirPort Extreme.
The website folks asked for the MAC Address of the AirPort Extreme and I sent that info back to them. In about an hour, I got another email back asking me to try the connection again.....and it worked perfectly using the AirPort Extreme.
So the unexpected and surprising answer here is that it was the web site server that was blocking the AirPort Extreme from connecting.....because it thought for some reason that it was being spammed from a particular MAC Address.....which was my AirPort Extreme.....so the server blacklisted the MAC address and would not allow a device using that MAC Address to connect.
When the issue occurred again about a year later, I emailed the admin support folks at the website and the "block" was removed within an hour or two. Same for the the third occurrence.
Now, I am not saying in your case that it is the email server that is blocking the AirPort Extreme. But, given my experience, and Apple Support's insistence that the AirPorts do not block outgoing connections in any way.....I think you might agree that this is a possibility that you may not have considered.
Good luck!
Posted on Oct 1, 2015 10:52 AM