The Problem
If you’re from Germany and use Deutsche Telekom (DTAG), or from Spain during La Liga matches, this most likely applies to you.
Many users have recently been complaining about connection issues related to their vPilot, Track Audio or vacs. Many applications use Cloudflare, a global network and security company that makes websites and apps faster, more secure, and reliable by acting as a reverse proxy and content delivery network (CDN).
In other words, many apps rely on Cloudflare to distribute data (web pages, audio, gaming data, etc.) faster. However, problems arise when the network path between your ISP and Cloudflare is sub-optimal or broken. Due to these network pathing problems you experience what is called a routing issue.
For Spanish users, during La Liga matches the Spanish authorities make their ISP block certain Cloudflare routes due to piracy.
What Is a Routing Issue?
The internet is not a single network, it is thousands of independent networks that exchange traffic (data) with each other.
A routing issue occurs when:
- Traffic is sent through a longer or congested path than necessary,
- a preferred route is missing or withdrawn, or,
- two networks (e.g. DTAG and Cloudflare) do not properly peer or exchange traffic efficiently.
Think of it like driving. The destination is reachable, the road technically exists, but traffic is being forced through multiple detours, toll roads, or traffic jams.
How to Fix It
Realistically you’ve the following options (going from easy to complex):
- Use a VPN.
- Switch from IPv4 to IPv6 (or vice versa).
- Try a mobile hotspot (careful as it might use a lot of data).
- Switch internet provider.
These are mitigations, not real fixes. Unfortunately, unless your ISP does not resolve the routing issues internally or with their partners this issue will persist.
Sources
vacs Discord
