Connection Issues: What, Why and Resolution (27 October 2022)
We are aware that some people are having difficulty connecting to Power Diary and wanted to provide some more information about this.
Yesterday, as part of our continuous improvement program, we implemented an additional layer of security called DNSSec. This helps prevent potential attackers from tricking DNS resolvers into diverting traffic to fake websites instead of the intended address.
You can learn more about DNSSec and why it’s crucial here.
So, what happened?
There was a brief period when we had an invalid configuration during the implementation. It lasted only 20 minutes, but if the DNS used by your Internet Service Provider updated during this period, then they will have invalid values.
Unfortunately, they keep using these until they update again. As a result, some users have experienced difficulty reaching Power Diary’s servers, but the majority have not been affected.
The exact DNS resolver update schedule varies on the ISP but can be up to a day.
Unfortunately, DNS infrastructure is controlled by ISPs worldwide and is not something we can update.
Suggested Solutions💡
The solutions which have worked for people are:
- Try a different internet connection, such as your mobile phone or,
- Use DNS servers that update on a faster schedule. Google’s servers, 8.8.8.8, do this, are highly secure, and are free to use, no matter what ISP you have. Here are some instructions on how to do this.
We sincerely apologise for this as we are aware of the disruption this has caused some of our customers and their clients. We are constantly trying to improve our security, especially in light of all the recent attacks on businesses. It is important that we apply security upgrades to ensure the ongoing protection of the data managed by Power Diary and unfortunately, this can temporarily impact Power Diary.