Mobile Broadband - new e5186 router blocks netflix?

[perthMat]

Hi all,

I signed up to optus 2 weeks ago for home broadband on 4g, got the Huawei e5186 (I think) modem/router. Everything works fine straight out the box EXCEPT the modem will not allow any device in the house to connect to netflix. I can't do it via apps on android, ios (phones or tablets for both), the built in app on the sony TV or even get onto my laptop and visit netflix.com.

Can anyone help? I spent an hour yesterday with optus tech support sending me back and forth between the TV and mobile broadband help desks without much joy (I am assured it is a mobile issue, we have no optus TV products). I don't want to spend my life on hold again, and logging in to the modem I have found you more or less can't change any settings in there (I was thinking using a different DNS might help?). Everything else works fine, we have tried using my partners mobile (also on optus) as a wifi hotspot and netflix works on all devices when we do it that way, so it seems like something specific to the modem set up or the sim card in the modem. Might test putting my wife's sim in the modem, but htat's a pain because they are different sizes sims. Oh, and if I use a VPN, then I can connect to netflix again straight away.

Thoughts? Would love to hear if anyone has experienced similar. And for any optus tech support reading this - yes I have turned it off and on again (several times now).

Thanks

[Davelew]

Hi

I have no experience of this modem but a way to test if a different DNS address would work is on your iPad or similar. You most likely know how to change the address but if not here goes.

Go to settings>wifi>tap to the wifi network you are on>enter the DNS address you want to use.

This should override the DNS address on your modem.

Dave

[perthMat]

Thanks Dave, I will give this a test when I get home. Hopefully it is something this simple - then it's just a matter of figuring out if Optus will help me change it in the modem or if I have to go and buy a modem that isn't so locked down. I'm not very tech savy generally, but I feel like there are some things like this I should be able to attempt.

[10000000000GB]

I've never heard anyone complain about this issue. There are people on Whirlpool forum, in the Optus Home Wireless Broadband thread, that might have some ideas.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/18?g=128

My E8732 doesnt have a DNS section... not that I can find.. But I did find the data metering section, so the search wasn't in vain.

DNS can also be changed by using a browsing proxy, or messing around with the software network adapter in Windows properties ipv4 section.

[perthMat]

I'll take a look. It is a mystery to me and seemed a mystery to my initial contact point at tech support as well. Certainly an unexpected hiccup in the service so far.

Thank you.

[Aman_B]

Hi @perthMat, Optus  certainly doesn't block any apps or websites. May I please confirm what erroe do you get when trying to connect? 

[perthMat · Accepted solution]

Hi Amam,

this seems like it might have been a 48 hour problem. After 2 days, netflix has started working again on all devices. So I am not really sure what happened or why, or why it is working now. I did not end up making any changes to any settings. The error was always along the lines of "you are not connected to the internet", including getting no connection errors on chrome when trying to visit netflix.com (while successfully viewing other web pages in seperate tabs at the same time).