Rangecast FAQ
[FAQ-1258] Screenwise Panel interferes with internet connectivity


Page Type: SYMPTOM


OVERVIEW

Screenwise Panel is software that invites people to participate in a survey of internet usage. If installed, the survey intercepts some or all internet connections, and may expect someone to manually specify which person at the location is using the computer. This interferes with software that expects to use the internet in an automatic mode.


SYMPTOMS

When Screenwise Panel interferes with the Rangecast software communicating with rangecast.com, the symptoms will be (a) on the sender, a "Network Error" message; and (b) on the status page, a "Feed Offline" message.

When Screenwise Panel interferes with the Rangecast software communicating with Amazon S3 cloud storage, the symptoms will be (a) on the sender, a yellow box on the "Files" line; and (b) on the status page, an "Upload Connectivity Error".

In both cases, the result will be a total or partial loss of content from the feed site (it becomes effectively useless for recording audio files to play in Rangecast.)

Note: the above symptoms may also be caused by other hardware or software issues that interfere with reliable internet connectivity.

If a Rangecast software update is attempted while Screenwise Panel is blocking internet access, this may erase or corrupt critical files needed for the operation of the Rangecast software.

To test if Screenwise Panel is responsible for the loss of internet connectivity, you can open a web browser and try navigating to various sites. It is important to know that the browser may cache some information from previous internet usage, so even if some websites appear to load normally, that does not prove that Screenwise Panel is not causing problems currently. Also, performance may differ between HTTP and HTTPS, so both modes of connectivity should be tested.

After trying various pages, you may encounter a block from Screenwise Panel where the software refuses to allow network connections until you tell the software which of the participating survey panelists is using the computer. [img-screenwise]


METHOD

Screenwise Panel should be removed from the PC and LAN, so it is not sitting between the Rangecast software and server. Any software that blocks internet access until someone manually presses a button is inappropriate in the context of automated systems such as a Rangecast feed site.

Technical inspection of network responses during a Screenwise-caused outage suggests that the block may occur at the level of the router/LAN not the PC. For example, in the following source code captured in response to an outbound network request, note that the IP address reporting that the internet is blocked is "192.168.1.1", which is the address of the LAN router (not the PC.) [img-screenwise-router]


CITATIONS

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