Trying To Solve Slow Getting To Web Page, But Fast Speed Once There

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Hi All!

For the last many days, when I type in a URL, there is a very long delay until the browser switches to the web page. If I click the "X" and then the Reload arrow, it usually quickly goes to the page. Sometimes I have to do this X-Then-Reload cycle more than once.
For Example: I typed mac-forums.com and waited about 4 minutes until the page began loading. Once it began, it was loaded in less than one second.

As soon as the browser switches to the web page, it loads very, very quickly- every time. The delay is the browser switching to the page. (Perhaps finding the page?)

Speed test sites show our speed upload & download are within specifications (100 Mbps Upload & 10 Mbps download)

Ping tests with Terminal.app show pinging to a site in the US (where we live) is usually between 7 & 28 ms. Ping to a distant web site will give 200-300 ms latency. (Examples: mac-forums.com = 8 ms Baidu.com in China = 228 ms)

I have tired rebooting the cable modem manually. The router re-boots every day on schedule, plus manually on demand.
Many reboots of the computers didn't solve it either.

I've also tried turing off WiFi and using an ethernet cable direct to the router. The problem remains.
We always clear our cache and cookies, so clutter probably isn't the cause.

For Additional Tests- Our streaming TV set loads as fast as usual & keeps up fine. Testing with the phone on WiFi isn't a a valid test because it has always been super
slow no matter whose network I am on- our home network or a public WiFi. (It's a very low end $25.00 Android phone.)

I've tried my MacBook Pro (2007 using 10.11.6), my wife's MacBook Pro (2006) using 10.6.8 & her iPad (2018) using iOS 13.
I've tried Safari, Firefox & Opera on the MacBook Pros and Safari only on the iPad. Same problem.

Since the pages load very quickly, but it takes a long time for the browser to get to the page (or perhaps find the page), I sure an lost for a cause.

Do you all know what the cause, and hopefully repair, is for this?

Thank You for helping! I appreciate the education.
Enjoy This Day!
Paul
 
M

MBAmtloin

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On my MBA 2010, 4gb-ram, edge chromium took care of this when safari and opera took a couple of seconds more to load and launch website even when the cookies were enabled and set
i think the new Safari from lsat week is sharper, which might speed up things.
other than that, having 8GB of ram might speed up things.
 
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chscag

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Speed test sites show our speed upload & download are within specifications (100 Mbps Upload & 10 Mbps download)

Hey Paul.... I hope you have the above backwards. ;)

But, to try answer your question, what are you using for DNS settings? Slow loading web pages could be a DNS problem.
 
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...the pages load very quickly, but it takes a long time for the browser to get to the page (or perhaps find the page)...

That sounds typical for a domain name server problem.

Try this:

First I'd look for a DNS Changer Trojan. They are very rare, but not yet extinct.

Download and run:

DetectX Swift (free/shareware)
DetectX – sqwarq | security for your mac

Let it fix anything it finds.

Even if DetectX Swift finds and eliminates something, or if it find nothing at all, you aren't done. Do this next:

In Safari,
Safari menu --> Preferences --> Advanced tab --> check Show Develop Menu In Menubar

In Safari,
Safari menu --> Preferences --> Extensions tab --> delete all extensions you haven't put there yourself intentionally (if none, delete all and leave blank)

In Safari,
Develop Menu --> Empty Caches

Quit Safari.

Now you need to fix up your domain name server...

Apple menu --> System Preferences --> Network --> Advanced --> DNS tab

Remove all DNS servers (on the left) that your ISP didn't tell you to put there, leaving only those your ISP recommended.
If your ISP didn't give you guidance on this, or if you want to try something other than what your ISP suggested (maybe better than what your ISP offers) remove all of the DNS servers there and use only OpenDNS:

208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

Relaunch Safari, and see if things are better.

I hope this helps. Please let us know how things go.
 
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One last thing to add...your DNS may be set in the hardware of your modem/wireless router. If none of the above helps, go to the Web site for your modem, and find instructions for resetting the DNS settings in your modem.
 
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Thank You All for taking time to reply and share your knowledge. Unfortunately, due to situations, I have not had much time to investigate. Hopefully soon I can get more time to devote to fixing this frustrating problem.

Chscag asked what I am using for DNS settings. For this, I managed to confuse myself.
The router pages show the DNS as different settings in different places:
Under "DHCP Server" the "Default Gateway" is 192.168.0.1. The DNS fields for "Primary DNS" and 'Secondary DNS" are blank.
If I go to the "internet" tab, it has Primary DNS as 64.233.217.2 and Secondary DNS is 64.233.217.3. The page also has "Default Gateway" with 74.199.80.1

On the Dynamic DNS page, it says "Not Available". I can click a button for DDNS & it asks for a log in password, domain name & update interval. I don't know if this will help the problem, but more importantly- I don't know what to put in the boxes- particularly what to put for Domain Name.

On the computer (using mine for a sample- didn't check my wife's), the System Preferences - Network -Advanced - DNS page has 192.168.0.1 in the left hand box "DNS Servers", but it is greyed out. (That's the URL I type to get to the router). The right hand box, "Search Domains" is empty.



Thank You Randy for making this helpful diagnostic list. I found it very useful for both diagnosing and learning. I plan to keep it in my Troubleshooting file.
Step-By-Step from your list:
A) DetectX Swift didn't find any troubles. I also tried Malware Bytes. Again no problems were found/
B) Show Develop in Safari Preferences is something I use daily after I clear History & before I close Safari. i use it to clear caches.
C) My Extensions box was empty

D) System Preferences - Advanced - Network - DNS Tab: The only entry is the 192.168.0.1 that I enter to access the router. It is grey'd out, so I can't delete it.

This is where I chickened out (for fear of wrecking something) & wish to verify your instructions. Is it OK to leave the 192.168.0.1 that I can't remove and put the Open DNS entries in the box? Or, does the 192.168.0.1 have to leave first? (For which I can't figure out how)

I tried going to the Router & Modem manuals to figure out how to reset the DNS settings. The modem manual is mute on the subject and the router only mentions Dynamic DNS, which I didn't understand, but will study soon.
Perhaps I should call the ISP and ask them if they can remotely reset the DNS settings. Does this sound helpful?

MORE DIAGNOSTICS-
1) Connecting a computer to the router with an ethernet cable still gives the same problem. Does that mean that it si not a WiFi signal problem?

2) Mail has started to often "time out" when it checks for mail. It will take certain accounts offline after a few minutes. My guess is that Mail can't find the server, just like web pages. Does this help in diagnostics?

3) Since this problem started, the printer is very, very slow. The screen on the machine will say "Receiving Data" for up to 5 minutes for a one page text document. Sometimes it fails completely and I have to delete the document from the printer queue and start over with a new "Print" command from the application. (Word, Text Edit, etc)

The Set Up: The computer connects to the router by WiFi or ethernet. The printer is connected to the router by ethernet.

?? This makes me want to think the problem is before the modem, since the modem is not involved with printing- But the router is involved.


4) For other computing tasks (not network related) the computers and iPad are working just as fast as ever- so I think I've ruled out OS or hardware problems. Also note that the problem started at the same time for all 3 devices (2 are MacBook Pro & one iPad)


At this point, I am still confused about:
A) What Chscag asked regarding what I am using for DNS settings. (There are so many places in the router with DNS entries or blank spots I don't know which is the important one.)
B) If it is OK to add the Open DNS to the existing 192.168.0.1 in System Preferences - Networking - Advanced - DNS
C) Should I call the ISP and ask them to reset the DNS? (I could not find out how to reset it on my own.)
D) And, I am very much confused about what all the items in More Diagnostics (above) indicate. Do they help figure out the source of the problem?

Thank You All again for helping. I apologize if I don't get back to the project immediately. Circumstances are in the way (as often..)

Enjoy Today & Thank You Again For Helping!
Paul
 
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I wanted to send a Thank You to MBAmtloin, Chscag & Randy B. Singer for helping me with this, now seemingly resolved, problem.
It was, as mentioned by Chscag & Randy B Singer, a DNS problem.

I apologize for the very delayed reply to everyone's help. I have been working to resolve some IRS, Social Security, Medicare, etc. problems so incase I goofed things all up, I didn't want to touch anything in uncharted territory until the critical stuff was settled.

The OpenDNS that Randy suggested, applied to my MacBook Pro (the Test Dummy for this), made the computer find the web sites even faster than before the problem first occurred. It's working great. Interestingly, Apple Mail has (had) been giving offline errors randomly for various accounts. Now it is working just fine.

Next I'll change the DNS in my wife's iPad & MacBook Pro.
If I get brave, I'll try setting the router to OpenDNS, as Randy suggested in #5, above. I'll try to set it in the modem. (If I can figure it out from the Arris the instructions. I'm not sure, but from what i have read in the manual so far, the ISP has control. I'll ask Arris to be certain.)

Thanks Again Everyone & Be Sure to Enjoy Today!
Paul
 
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