Unknown Network Connection Error
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The third-party SimpleNote app I use, ResophNotes, stopped syncing last week.
It says “Unknown Network Connection Error” when it tries. I can login just fine in browser.
Is there a server down that it connects to? Something else? Any thoughts appreciated. :) -
Hi. I’ve not noticed any server problems. For syncing, your app will connect to simperium.com. The browser app makes the same connection. Are you running the browser and ResophNotes on the same device/computer? I ask this because sometimes different internet providers have different routing problems.
Have you changed the Simplenote password recently? That can cause problems.
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The browser and ResophNotes are on the same device (desktop).
I have not changed the password in 10+ years 😅
Thanks for the thoughts! I am not sure what caused it to stop syncing. I checked the Windows firewall. I tried a vpn. Nothing 😞
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I may have found a clue. I started a separate thread focused on the Simperium authentication endpoint:
https://forums.simplenote.com/forums/topic/is-auth-simperium-com-still-supported/
On my system:
api.simperium.comresponds normallysimperium.comresponds normallyauth.simperium.comresolves and responds to ping, but HTTPS connections to port 443 time out
I’m seeing the same ResophNotes “Unknown Network Connection Error” and AlephNote also reports it cannot communicate with
auth.simperium.com.Not sure yet whether that’s the cause, but it seems related.
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Good find!
Explains why some things are working, and some not.
Given the software I’m using is quite old, I’m guessing the developer won’t update to use a different url, so I’ll have to cross my fingers they fix auth.simperium.com
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Hi @arebelspy,
auth.simperium.com should be working, but you may be experiencing security blocks, especially when the issue is intermittent, or specific to users (instead of widespread outage).
There can be many different reasons why you may see the issue, such as country-specific blocks, for example.
Would you mind further assisting us by providing some details about your connection? Specifically, if you could please provide a traceroute, it would be very helpful!
- On Windows, open a command shell (Command Prompt) and run:
tracert simperium.com - On macOS/Linux, open a terminal and run:
traceroute -I simperium.com
Please be aware that we have received several reports indicating that some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in certain countries are blocking our sites, so I recommend checking any blocked sites at the ISP level as well.
- On Windows, open a command shell (Command Prompt) and run:
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Here is my tracert to simperium.com
C:WindowsSystem32>tracert simperium.com
Tracing route to simperium.com [192.0.84.247]
over a maximum of 30 hops:1 2 ms 2 ms 2 ms RT-AC88U-0F20 [192.168.1.1]
2 12 ms 4 ms 6 ms fdr1-hllkwaxx-lo-0.bb.as20055.net [50.35.96.1]
3 12 ms 7 ms 6 ms lr1-hllkwaxx-b-be-19.bb.as20055.net [204.11.67.210]
4 7 ms 8 ms 7 ms cr2-sttowajm-b-be-17.bb.as20055.net [209.46.6.111]
5 10 ms 6 ms 5 ms cr2-sttowajm-a-be-11.bb.as20055.net [137.83.81.92]
6 7 ms 8 ms 7 ms agg2-tkwlwank-be-10.bb.as20055.net [209.46.5.179]
7 7 ms 11 ms 9 ms pr1-tkwlwana-be-13.bb.as20055.net [204.11.67.165]
8 9 ms 9 ms 11 ms sea-b4-link.ip.twelve99.net [213.248.74.144]
9 6 ms 4 ms 6 ms sea-b1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.132.157]
10 26 ms 27 ms 32 ms sjo-bb3-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.132.152]
11 38 ms 34 ms 33 ms lax-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.139.150]
12 67 ms 66 ms 69 ms dls-bb1-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.140.237]
13 64 ms 65 ms 65 ms dls-b5-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.136.183]
14 86 ms 68 ms 65 ms automattic-ic-307705.ip.twelve99-cust.net [62.115.46.234]
15 67 ms 64 ms 65 ms as2635.network [198.181.119.77]
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 65 ms 64 ms 65 ms 192.0.84.247Trace complete.
———————————–Ran it twice, the second time was identical up to step 14, then:
14 79 ms 77 ms 78 ms automattic-ic-307706.ip.twelve99-cust.net [62.115.46.238]
15 70 ms 71 ms 69 ms as2635.network [198.181.119.83]
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 68 ms 94 ms 68 ms 192.0.84.248 -
Hi there!
Following up here as per this forum thread, to let you know that we’ve escalated this issue to our infrastructure team to investigate and resolve. We’ll post an update here as soon as we have progress to share.
In the meantime:
- Official Simplenote apps (web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) should continue to work normally as they use a different authentication path
- Third-party clients that authenticate directly via Simperium (such as ResophNotes and AlephNote) may remain affected until the block is resolved
We’re sorry for the disruption and appreciate your help in tracking this down!
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Hi everyone,
We have some updates about this issue I shared on this thread also.
To summarise it, the “Unknown Network Connection Error” is caused by a temporary IP block triggered by multiple failed auth attempts (anti-credential-stuffing protection). AlephNote has been given an exemption and should be working. ResophNotes appears abandoned so a fix isn’t possible there.
Hope that helps! Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help.
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Hi,
I’m a long-time ResophNotes user and I’m experiencing the same issue. After reading this thread, I downloaded AlephNote (I had never used it before) to see whether the exemption would solve the problem.
Unfortunately, AlephNote also fails to connect and displays the following error:
“Could not communicate with server auth.simperium.com.”
ResophNotes and AlephNote fail from the same computer and internet connection, while the official Simplenote web app works normally.
Is there anything we can do on our side to have the temporary IP block removed or avoid triggering it again? Should we stop all login attempts for a certain period, change our Simplenote password, or provide our public IP address privately to the support team for investigation?
Thank you for looking into this
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Hi @saulosiqueira,
It sounds like AlephNote may no longer be maintained either.
It’s hard for us to tell you how exactly to troubleshoot, since these are 3rd party plugins. We’re here to support the official Simplenote app, however. We recommend using the official Simplenote app instead.
Simplenote Support Forums 