I dealt with a really odd issue a couple years ago where a problem with my external IP was causing DNS requests to route incorrectly and as a result, I couldn’t log into certain gaming services. I tried leaving my modem off all night to get the ISP to auto-assign a new external IP which fixed it for a few hours, and then the change was detected and I got reverted to my original IP.

Trying to talk to Comcast support about this was so painful. I’d wait to get connected to a human, and as kindly as possible, I’d try to explain that this is not a typical issue and before we get into the usual script, let me tell you the diagnostics I’ve done. All the various changes, reboots, and resets I’ve tried on both the modem and router, which has led me to the conclusion of the issue being in DNS routing. But inevitably, they would respond with some version of, “So, first, can I have you locate the power button on your modem?” When they finally understood what I was trying to tell them, they’d say, “So, let me escalate this to my supervisor. They’ll call back shortly.” By which they meant, they’ll call you in nine hours at five in the morning. Not my favorite experience.