The connection has timed out

[wagonmaster2]

Every once in a while when I try to access a web site I'll get a message " The connection has timed out - The server is taking too long to respond".

Who, what, or how, is it determined that "the server is taking too long to respond"? I'm using Firefox as a browser on a HP laptop using Vista. Can this "timing" be set different or longer? These messages and delays are getting frustrating.

Thanks for any ideas on how to get rid of this.

Wagonmaster2

[RedneckExpress]

Your browser when you navigate the internet opens connections to different servers as you go from site to site. Each time you go to a new page, you open a new connection to the server to get data.

Sometimes, your internet connection will futz a bit and the browser will fail in its attempt to open the website as your internet connection is not facilitating it.

Sometimes, the website you're trying to load reaches its limit on how many connections it can handle and has to ignore your request until there's an opening, this is usually outside of the maximum wait time the browser is designed to try.

What internet service are you using? Park WiFi is notorious in some lower budget parks for bogging down because of too many high bandwith users.

Cellular internet can also cause this if your tower is overloaded or the service is slow.

On most browsers the timeout is hard coded and cannot be changed.

[alvinc]

There are several timeouts involved before you get this message. The total is around 20 seconds.

I'm not sure that you would want to make it longer. Of course this is my opinion. If I can't make a connection because of network congestion, then I want to know sooner rather than later and find something else to do with my time.

It is frustrating to wait....I know I've been there. The high quality sites have a front end that monitors the load and if the servers are too heavily loaded they will send a html page back that tells you something. Most sites don't do this and you will be hanging.

One way of testing whether it is the web site you are trying to access or pipe congestion is to bring up another web browser (not a new tab) and try connecting to a web site with big pipes; like google. If Googles search page comes up in a reasonable amount of time, then the other web site is to blame. If you getting to the Google search page is slow, there are too many people trying to use the shared pipe to the Internet.

[alvinc]

Summary:

We need Campgrounds and Hotels to advertise the speed of their Internet download connection. Make it a selling point that they have a faster downstream link than the other, similar, businesses around them. It is no longer good enough that they have "High Speed Internet". We want to know how "High Speed" it is.

The following may look like a Rant; reader beware!!

Details:

I have found that RV campgrounds have very small connections to the internet. They will claim that they have High Speed Internet, which may be true, but what is the definition of High Speed. As it turns out anything that is faster than 54K bits per second (Kbps) is considered High Speed.

This means that the campground or hotel can install a DSL "High Speed" internet connection and advertise that they have "High Speed Internet". So how fast is a DSL connection? For a business connection (using AT&T as an example), the cheapest is High Speed Internet Basic which ranges from 224 Kbps to 768 Kbps.

Lets assume that 10 people in the campground are using the internet at the same time. At the cheapest throughput (224 Kbps) this means that each user will have between 22.4 Kbps (all users hitting pages at same time) to 224 Kbps (only one user) of throughput. Reality is somewhere in between.

Of course the hotel and campground owners can buy more throughput from the internet provided, but each step costs more money.

It is no longer good enough to look for "High Speed Internet", we need to begin asking what speed connection that they have to the Internet. Both campground and hotels.

A sample conversation:

Ring, ring, ring

Them: "Hello, this is The RV Campground. How can I help you."

Us: "We were thinking of visiting. Is Wifi Internet service available?"

Them: "Yes. We have Wifi with High Speed Internet."

Us: "How fast is your High Speed Internet?"

Them: "Uh, I don't know. It is a DSL connection."

Us: "How many campsites to you have, and how fast is your DSL connection?"

Them: "We have 100 campsites and I don't know how fast the DSL connection is." We hear some mumbling in the background as the person asks their co-workers.

Them: "We don't know."

Us: "Can you please find out and call me back at xxx-xxx-xxxx. And I would suggest that you advertise this information. Thanks"

At this point we can do some math in our heads, that since the campground will be full that weekend and they probably have the cheapest DSL package.....the Internet connection will be slow.


NOTE: Does it seem strange that we quibble over congestion of a 802.11b (11 Mbps) Wifi network, to find that the Campground only has a 1 Mbps connection to the Internet. Even in my home with a 802.11g (54 Mbps) Wifi network my internet connection is only 12 Mbps.

[wagonmaster2]

Thanks for the explanations. It makes more sense now and I'll just go to another site or browser when I run into a delay now.

Wagonmaster2

[Wanabee FTer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2 Thanks for the explanations. It makes more sense now and I'll just go to another site or browser when I run into a delay now.

If it's a slow server or over congested CG, going to another site or using a different browser will not help. Some of the worst CG connections I have used were TangoInternet. Only a couple CG's using this company have worked OK for us.

PS
I am in a CG now with Tengo and had to call and cancel service. I had a good strong wifi signal, but no throughput. Sporadic at best.

[alvinc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanabee FTer If it's a slow server or over congested CG, going to another site or using a different browser will not help. Some of the worst CG connections I have used were TangoInternet. Only a couple CG's using this company have worked OK for us. PS I am in a CG now with Tengo and had to call and cancel service. I had a good strong wifi signal, but no throughput. Sporadic at best.

You are correct. I offered the trick of using another browser instance to a known fast website to determine if the slow down being experienced was the current website, or the path to the website (Wfi, CG, ISP, or web in general).

Its not perfect, but is quick and easy to do. If both the connections, desired website and google, are slow, its probably time to find something else to do for a while.

Choose a time when fewer people are on the CG network, say between midnight and 4 am...... Just kidding

[FreshAir]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanabee FTer If it's a slow server or over congested CG, going to another site or using a different browser will not help. Some of the worst CG connections I have used were TangoInternet. Only a couple CG's using this company have worked OK for us. PS I am in a CG now with Tengo and had to call and cancel service. I had a good strong wifi signal, but no throughput. Sporadic at best.

I did the same. Canceled. Life is to short to put up with that BS. It's an insult.

Pat