Unable to access site- Firefox,Zone Alarm,Tesco Mobile

[oldhippydude]

Not been on the site for a few weeks since I changed how I get the internet on my laptop.

I was using a router with an EE mobile sim in it.
I shifted to tethering to a mobile with a Tesco Mobile sim. Nothing else in the system changed.

Since then my Zone Alarm firewall has not wanted me to get onto the site giving me the following message

"Secure Connection Failed

An error occurred during a connection to www.planetofthevapes.co.uk. PR_CONNECT_RESET_ERROR

The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be verified.
Please contact the website owners to inform them of this problem."

I am fairly sure that it is not really a problem with the site, or if it is then it is only a problem that affects folk running idiosyncratic systems.

Not really looking for any help or advice. I have a solution that works for now and plans to move to linux that should fix the problem for good. I just thought I should post what I have found in case it is useful to somebody else.

My research seems to indicate that it is a problem that mainly affects users of Firefox and Zone Alarm.
The solution seems to be to uninstall Zone Alarm or shift browser. I made my life more difficult by not wanting to uninstall Zone Alarm and having a dislike for all other major browsers.

I did install Brave (a privacy orientated browser). That had the same problem. I am now using the Tor browser and that is a solution I am happy with for now.

The normal solution for normal people to the problem is to uninstall Zone Alarm and just use the windows firewall. Since normal people never thought of switching off the windows security in the first place, then they do not have the problem, so not sure anyone will benefit from this post, but here it is. just incase.

 

[Simon G]

It might be an 'adult content' thing ... I can't access POTV on my phone or my laptop when tethered to my phone. Is the Tesco sim 'unlocked' for adult content?

 

[oldhippydude]

It might be an 'adult content' thing ... I can't access POTV on my phone or my laptop when tethered to my phone.

That Is a problem I have come across, posted on here a few times.
It was my first thought.
I thought there would be a setting to turn such a filter off.
It is Ms Hippydudes Phone and I did search it for such a setting before rulling it out.

The firewall message and my internet research into it seems to point in another direction.

 

[Simon G]

That Is a problem I have come across, posted on here a few times.
It was my first thought.
I thought there would be a setting to turn such a filter off.
It is Ms Hippydudes Phone and I did search it for such a setting before rulling it out.

The firewall message and my internet research into it seems to point in another direction.

I think (as far as I know anyway) all sims come like that now and you have contact Tesco to have it taken off, you can't do it yourself to stop kids doing it themselves and spending all night on pornhub.

I can try on my phone right now to tell you exactly what mine says as a 'message' but it's something that doesn't suggest that's what it is (if that makes sense) it's very much along the lines of what you posted above.

 

[oldhippydude]

I think (as far as I know anyway) all sims come like that now and you have contact Tesco to have it taken off, you can't do it yourself to stop kids doing it themselves and spending all night on pornhub.

I can try on my phone right now to tell you exactly what mine says as a 'message' but it's something that doesn't suggest that's what it is (if that makes sense) it's very much along the lines of what you posted above.

Been looking into it now.
I think you are absolutely right.
The firewall message was just a read herring, leading me on a false path.

 

[zouzounaki]

the way to switch it off depends on the mobile provider. with o2 i had to phone them and ask them, then have an argument with a guy who told me i had to go in the shop to verify my age because i don’t have a credit card. he eventually turned it off for me. EE have it somewhere in the account settings on their website. dunno about tesco.

 

[Simon G]

the way to switch it off depends on the mobile provider. with o2 i had to phone them and ask them, then have an argument with a guy who told me i had to go in the shop to verify my age because i don’t have a credit card. he eventually turned it off for me. EE have it somewhere in the account settings on their website. dunno about tesco.

https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/broadband-mobile/tesco-mobile/

All Tesco mobiles are set to restrict access to adult content, but you can also choose to restrict content suitable for 12+. Content blocking will only work when the device is using the mobile network, not the home WiFi.

 

[zouzounaki]

https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/broadband-mobile/tesco-mobile/

All Tesco mobiles are set to restrict access to adult content, but you can also choose to restrict content suitable for 12+. Content blocking will only work when the device is using the mobile network, not the home WiFi.

ah so it says you need a credit card.

 

[oldhippydude]

@zouzounaki & @Simon G Thanks. Now I am back on track it is not a problem. I will work out my best way forward.
For now Tor does what I need.

If parental controls are the problem, I can sort that easier than when I thought it was a firewall/browser problem

I have choices to make that have to be worked out, that are easier now that I am convinced I was chasing a red herring with the firewall thing.

I either unlock the EE router so i can put a non EE sim in (EE can fuck off), or I put a Tesco (or other) sim in a cheap smartphone to tether to my laptop. Nobody can really help with this choice. The unlocked EE router would be a better internet connection than connecting via Ms Hippydudes Galaxy S5. I imagine the connection from an Alcatel that is several years old would be even slower. If I put the sim in the router I get better internet speeds but loose free calls. My payg dumb phone only costs me about £30 year,

Sometimes it is hard to tell if I am being green or just being tight.