Intermittent hosting: causes and fix

Introduction

If your website, email or FTP works for a while and then stops responding, it may look like the hosting is down. However, when the problem only happens from one specific connection, the server or firewall may be temporarily blocking your IP.

This can happen because of failed login attempts, repeated email errors, incorrect FTP connections, malware on a device inside your network or activity that the system interprets as suspicious.

This guide explains how to verify it and what information to send to support.

How to identify whether the issue is intermittent

Before opening a support ticket, try to answer these questions:

• Does the website fail for everyone or only for you.
• Can you access it from mobile data.
• Does email fail on all devices or only on one network.
• Does the control panel load from another connection.
• Does the problem resolve itself after a while.
• Have you tried another browser or device.

If everything works from mobile data or from another network but not from your usual connection, there is a strong chance that your IP is temporarily blocked.

Why the server may block an IP

The most common causes are:

1. Failed attempts to access the control panel.
2. Incorrect passwords in email, FTP or webmail.
3. Too many simultaneous connections from the same network.
4. An infected computer inside your network.
5. Applications trying to send email with wrong settings.
6. Bots or scripts running from your connection.
7. The firewall detecting suspicious activity.
8. Repeated attempts against WordPress, Joomla or PrestaShop.

The block is not meant to stop you from working. It is there to protect the server and the hosted accounts.

How to check your public IP

1. Open a website that shows your public IP.
2. Copy the IP address shown there.
3. Do not confuse the public IP with a local address such as 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x.
4. Send that IP to support together with the affected domain.

Steps to solve it

1. Test from another connection

Use mobile data or a different network.

• If it works from another connection, the service is probably active.
• If it fails from every connection, there may be a general incident or a problem on the website itself.

2. Restart the router

On some connections, restarting the router may assign a new public IP. This can help confirm whether the block was tied to your IP.

This does not always work, because some providers assign a fixed IP or keep the same IP for a long time.

3. Review saved passwords

An email client with an old password may try to connect many times and trigger blocks.

Review:

• Outlook
• Thunderbird
• Apple Mail
• mobile apps
• FTP clients
• backup connections
• SMTP plugins in WordPress

Update the correct password on every device.

4. Review FTP access

If an FTP program is trying to connect with wrong details, it may generate many login failures.

Check the host, username, password and port.

5. Scan the devices on the network

If the block keeps returning, there may be an infected device, a browser extension or an application sending suspicious traffic.

Run an updated antivirus scan and pay special attention to the computers that use email or FTP.

6. Contact support

Send a support ticket with:

• The affected domain.
• The affected service: website, email, FTP, panel or all of them.
• Your public IP.
• The approximate time of the failure.
• The error message shown.
• Tests performed from another network.
• Recent changes in email, FTP, plugins or passwords.

With your IP, support can check whether a block exists and what caused it.

Conclusion

When hosting works intermittently, especially if it fails only from one network, the cause may be a temporary security block on your IP. Test from another connection, obtain your public IP and send it to support together with the affected domain.

If the block keeps returning, review passwords, email clients, FTP access and the devices in your network to fix the root cause.