[SOLVED] I can't reach my server in a browser via the domain name

Support
1

Problem Description
I can reach my server using the internal ip (10.0.0.x), but not from the public address ( 68.32.x.x), nor from the domain name (xxxxxxx.freedombox.rocks)

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Login to FreedomBox using internal ip - everything normal.
  2. try https://xxxxxx.freedombox.rocks: error message:
    "This site can’t be reached xxxxx.freedombox.rocks took too long to respond.
    Try:

Checking the connection
Checking the proxy and the firewall
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT"

  1. My router (Comcast / Xfinity) allows port forwarding and assigning a device to DMZ, so I put the server in the DMZ zone, and also forwarded 53, 80, 443, just in case.
  2. My router has one public IP that is the same for all devices - I used IPchicken to figure out what it was. I can ping that address. FUNNY: I CAN ALSO PING XXXXX.FREEDOMBOX.ROCKS ! I set up the Dynamic DNS feature in Freedombox and pointed it at this public ip. If I do: https://ddns.freedombox.org/ip, it returns a very long address (not IPV4) - but when I plug this into a IPV6 converter, it says it isn’t valid, and so does ddns (?).
  3. I tried PageKite, but the domain I created always gives an error on the pagekite site. pagekite has a lot of javascript errors as well, and my browser gives dozens of popups, I ended up disabling this.
  4. Let’s encrypt says things are great.
  5. so does the ddns service page in freedombox
  6. Edit to add: I just noticed I can reach my server via domain name if I go through Brave (Chrome) using a Tor window. (?).

Expected Results
I expect to be able to reach my freedombox in my browser using the domain name xxxxxx.freedombox.rocks

Actual results
I can only reach my freedombox using the internal ip 10.0.0.x

What else should I try / what other info should I share?

Thanks for any help!

2

I did some further testing after I found out I can reach my website through TOR -

I tried from my cell phone - I turned off wifi, and tried using a 4G connection (public internet), and I can reach it through there!

Then I found this: I can't access my site but everyone else can (only my IP address doesn't work) | DigitalOcean

It looks like my router DNS is stuck or something (I don’t know the technical terms) - looks like I need to either clear the cache on the router or just wait.

I’ll wait a day, then report back - then probably this issue can be closed!
Thanks!

3

This phenomenon is called NAT loopback. There are some ways to get around it.

  • You can use another router: TP-link is a good choice in my opinion, as all the models support it out of the box.
  • You can also edit the hosts file on your computer like:
    192.168.1.55 your_freedombox_domain.com
    Changing the DNS on my device, as suggested in the discussion you linked, never worked for me, and I wouldn’t like Google (8.8.8.8) nor CrimeFlare (1.1.1.1) to be my DNS. :smile:
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4

Ok, so yes, I think that’s what’s going on. I checked with my provider (comcast), and looked at the router - it looks like the router CAN support NAT loopback, but Comcast has it disabled. And they won’t enable it even for business customers, from the posts I could find.

I can still hit the box internally using the internal / local IP. The only thing I can’t do from my home system is run the control panel, since it denies access using the IP. But there is a workaround - just open a TOR window (in Brave / Chrome), which anonymizes my IP (I think), and fools my router into thinking the request is coming from outside the network.

So, this isn’t a freedombox issue - can we mark it resolved with the workaround?

Thanks for the support!

1 Like