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Browsing name resolution terribly slow (~11s)

Anonymous
2021-06-29T19:50:56+00:00

My DNS name resolution when visiting websites is very slow (average 11 s).

What troubleshooting steps can I perform to separate the possible causes?

  • Windows
    • nslookup - times out
    • Manual ethernet settings with specific DNS server IPs (google, and my ISP)
    • DHCP auto-generated settings
  • My hardware
    • test DNS/network with other machines
      • Apple iPhone on my home wireless, OK
      • Debian (buster) sandbox, some 1-2s latency, but nothing approaching 11s
  • My Router
    • Cycle the modem (why? internet is not _slow_, only name resolution)
  • My ISP
    • Speed test from IPS, and other third-parties

Description of Problem

Typically this happens with web searching and links to unvisited sites.

But I also suffer when I access a webapp like microsoft's outlook.office.com.

The interface is quick and responsive, but the data loads slowly.

If I visit a webapp with advertising, ads generally appear late, so clicking on the wrong things.

That said, I can log into my Windows computer at work (RDP) and I have no problems.

I can stream music and work without noticeable latency. 

***=> This leads me to the conclusion my internet speed is good, but name resolution is bad.***

My configuration

Here are my DHCP generated settings:

> ipconfig

Windows IP Configuration

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.198

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

> netsh interface ipv4 show dnsservers

Configuration for interface "Ethernet" 

DNS servers configured through DHCP:  192.168.1.1 

Register with which suffix:           Primary only

Configuration for interface "Loopback Pseudo-Interface 1" 

Statically Configured DNS Servers:    None 

Register with which suffix:           Primary only

System

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700T CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz

Installed RAM: 32.0 GB (31.9 GB usable)

System type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Storage: 77G/238G

Edition: Windows 10 Pro

Version: 21H1

Installed on: ‎2021-‎05-‎07

OS build: 19043.1052

Experience: Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.2020.0

What I tried

1.) Speed test ISP. Tried several third-party "speed-test" websites, including my own service provider's test. With the except of one very low, one skewed 600/200 Mb/s, all the rest were ~900/900 Mb/s.

2.) Try DHCP and Manual Ethernet settings. I've been using Manual while developing a project (easier with set IP). When I first changed back to DHCP from Manual, everything started going quickly. But within 2 minutes I noticed the slow down again. I've used a few sites (ebay.com for it's generally quick UI, google search with links to never visited URLs) it's slow again.

3.) NSLOOKUP. I intended to add arguments to test various DNS addresses, but it only times out. I thought I might be using the command incorrectly but the command was fast immediately after the change, and now is broken again (and no argument timeout or retry will help):

> nslookup -timeout=5 superbad.com

DNS request timed out. 

timeout was 5 seconds.

Server: UnKnown

Address: 8.8.8.8

DNS request timed out. 

timeout was 5 seconds.

DNS request timed out. 

timeout was 5 seconds.

DNS request timed out. 

timeout was 5 seconds.

DNS request timed out. 

timeout was 5 seconds.

*** Request to UnKnown timed-out

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Internet and connectivity

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-07-05T16:30:20+00:00

    I found this page How to Resolve DNS Issues on Windows 10 – Step by Step Guide (2021)

    ipconfig /flushdns

    ipconfig /registerdns

    ipconfig /release

    ipconfig /renew

    NETSH winsock reset catalog

    NETSH int ipv4 reset reset.log

    NETSH int ipv6 reset reset.log

    So far so good!

    7 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2021-07-06T15:11:38+00:00

    Wow! Your response was fast.

    I'm not convinced my DNS service is slow..

    "My DNS name resolution when visiting websites is very slow (average 11 s)."

    Best wishes for your research.

    I take it by your quoting my OP without argument, you find my comment misleading or contradictory.

    Please allow me to explain my position. In this comment I am making a distinction between "DNS Service" (google dns, cloudflare dns, opendns, my ISP, whatever my router does at dns 192.168.1.1) and all the points in between when I click a link. For me this includes:

    1. status of my ISP service (good, bad)
    2. status of my internet connection to the point of entry of my house (good, bad)
    3. status of my router (good, bad)
    4. status of my network from router to my computer (good, bad)
    5. status of my computer hardware (good, bad)
    6. status of my OS system (good, bad)
    7. status of my browser (good, bad)
    8. status of the server I am tying to access with the browser (good, bad)

    8^2 = 64 possible different combinations!

    I've mostly ignored the latency issue, but it's galling because I pay a lot for gigabit service to my house, and I feel everything should be fast. Of course that's just a knee jerk reaction. All the evidence shows the speed and quality of my connection is good. so that's just 49 possible combinations! hahaha

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2021-07-06T14:32:39+00:00

    The DNS service that your computer uses for name resolution on the internet is not under your computer's control. Most people use their ISP's DNS service, and some people use a third-party DNS service. If you think your DNS service is slow, contact the DNS service provider

    Yes. I understand. I've used Google's (8.8.8.8) and my ISP's--which was actually quite difficult to get from them. They rather have me select DHCP in my OS settings to remove complexity from the troubleshooting process.

    Your router has its own DNS server, that is uses for resolving addresses on your local network.

    I have discovered this during this troubleshooting process. Do you know how the router in turn resolves names?

    That's the one that was used by the commands you ran.

    ?? Not sure what you're saying here.

    "Displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and refreshes Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) settings." ( https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/ipconfig)

    ipconfig & NETSH winsock are referenced in other places as steps in troubleshooting latency (https://superuser.com/questions/932004/steam-constantly-timeouts)

    It has nothing to do with your internet access.

    I also don't understand this comment. I don't have a problem with "internet access". Name resolution is slow while browsing, and not while working remotely with other computers (full windows 10 GUI over RDP), or streaming audio/video.

    If you're convinced that your DNS service is slow, and you want to look for a faster service, try the free namebench utility, which is now owned by Google. "It hunts down the fastest DNS servers available for your computer to use."

    I'm not convinced my DNS service is slow. I'm experiencing slow page loads when clicking never-visited before websites, and while using webapps (ebay, amazon for example) versus simpler content sites. I'm even noticing this site answers.microsoft.com is loading slowly.

    I've noticed speed up after running the above commands; however, the problem--as of today--does persist.

    I'm struggling to quantify this slowdown. I will post here any progress or solutions.

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2021-07-06T14:36:24+00:00

    I'm not convinced my DNS service is slow..

    "My DNS name resolution when visiting websites is very slow (average 11 s)."

    Best wishes for your research.

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2021-07-05T16:48:23+00:00

    The DNS service that your computer uses for name resolution on the internet is not under your computer's control. Most people use their ISP's DNS service, and some people use a third-party DNS service. If you think your DNS service is slow, contact the DNS service provider

    Your router has its own DNS server, that is uses for resolving addresses on your local network. That's the one that was used by the commands you ran. It has nothing to do with your internet access.

    If you're convinced that your DNS service is slow, and you want to look for a faster service, try the free namebench utility, which is now owned by Google. "It hunts down the fastest DNS servers available for your computer to use."

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