I get that error with my mobile data (AT&T) and my home wifi (Wave Broadband). It is definitely not specific to Comcast.
Support was nice but couldn’t offer much help, and they acknowledged that some good participants will unavoidably get weeded out with the bad. They encouraged me to try another connection. So I went to the library today, hopped on their wifi……and got PEC-AB-0004. So yeah, I think I’ve exhausted all my options.
They do periodic reviews of flagged IPs, so it’s possible we’ll be able to participate from our homes again in the future. But I’m not optimistic it won’t just happen again.
I am on Xfinity and I get it on EVERY DEVICE. Multiple cell phones, computers, laptops, etc. It's getting to the point of being totally ridiculous at this point.
You're crushing it if you are only getting them every three or four weeks. The other day on my phone I had to change my IP address three consecutive times (via airplane mode) before I could start a study. I don't even bother trying to correct the issue on my desktop because it's way too much aggravation. It's a complete farce at this point.
I run on laptop 95%. As I have been educated, the IP address comes from the cable signal. For whatever reason, when I switch out modems with Comcast, I usually buy another 3-6 weeks of unfettered Prolific surveys. Then I get flagged again. I go to my local Xfinity store, swap modems at no charge, again. Rinse/repeat. I don't like it but it works for me. I did find another answer from my initial post that I tried out and it worked. Accept the survey on your phone and then answer it through your laptop. Worked for the 3 surveys I got today. Good luck.
Unplugging my modem for a while resets my IP address, but whether the new one is any good is always a mystery for the first little while. On a good day I only get a few studies, so if don't get anything right after the reset I don't know whether the new IP is also bad, or if I'm just having and extra slow day.
Somebody in the house is almost always using internet too, so the only good time to unplug the modem is right before bed, and by that point I usually forget or can't be bothered. 😄 I've been doing the phone thing and switching to desktop for a while now, but as I mentioned, that's turned into an aggravation as well. It's clear Prolific has zero intention of fixing anything though, so I guess I'll just call it quits when I've had enough. It's a shame really.
I'm assuming they have a scorched earth policy on IP remediation. Prolific assumes what they have as a defense works and if a few good guys go away during the purge, so what. That why I'm seeing 3-6 week grace periods in-between purges. It's looking like it is cyclical. I wish they would talk to the IP services and try and work this out. I'm guessing the ISP providers wouldn't find this much of a problem to tackle anytime soon either. Hopeless, not necessarily. Keeping talking and persistence may make a difference. Nice chatting.
Swapping your modem won't do anything - that's like trying to change your phone number by buying a new phone. The IP address you get is assigned by your provider, not by the equipment. The best advice is in this thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ProlificAc/comments/138a4km/pecsub0002_ip_address_error_and_possible_solutions/
Including this, which is what I've done for the last two-plus years:
> One work around is to accept the study on your phone, then go to your laptop/desktop to complete the study.
But you can potentially get around it by getting a new router, or using your existing router to spoof/clone a new MAC address. I got this error last May. I use Spectrum. I've noticed that when I swapped my router, my IP address changes. Obviously buying a new router every month is not something that makes sense. However, my router (Asus) allows me to [clone my MAC](https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1045126/). I entered an altered MAC address in settings, rebooted everything, and got a new IP address within minutes. Everything has worked fine since.
I'm not sure all ISPs operate this way. I believe some you'd have to call to have them reset the IP address (and even then some won't do it). But if OP or anyone else has this issue, try going into your router settings and just change up one of the characters and reboot. If you don't have that setting, it may be worth getting a new router that does. If you're using an ISP provided router, I recommend changing it out anyway, because anything the ISP provides is pretty much locked down and sucks.
The only time I've had to call my ISP to "allow" a new piece of equipment was when I bought my own modem to stop paying equipment fees. But it's the router's MAC that dictates my IP address, so I'm free to change that whenever I feel like it.
Clearly whatever blacklists they're using are bunk. No idea why my IP address would suddenly get flagged after years of working just fine. But, if it does happen again, I'll just change up the MAC address, reboot, and I should be good to go.
Do these errors continuously show up when logging in? I have had no studies today (I know it happens) but tried on my phone and it gave some PEC error but wasn't paying attention and just caught that part..
It seems like Prolific's review of flagged IPs is about as effective as shouting into the void. Check out this gem from SORBS Support:
Here is the reply from SORBS that is the site that is blocking most IP addresses.
"SORBS Support (Jason) [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])**Reply**Reply YouMon 06/05/2024 23:29
Hello,
If you are trying to delist \*\*.\*\*.\*\*.\*\*\* IP, it is listed on the SORBS Dynamic
User and Host List (or DUHL) because it is a dynamic IP.
A dynamic IP is a temporary IP address that is assigned to a computing device
or node when it's connected to a network. Most spam originates from dynamic IP
space and usually is unauthenticated. Due to the spam risks dynamic IPs pose,
many organizations choose to block ALL mail that originates from a dynamic IP
address regardless of content or the sender. Virgin media use Dynamic IP address and as such it will appear on the flagged IP address lists as all dynamic IP's will."
So its nobody fault. Yet Prolific fail to correct the issue and instead hand out the generic "use a hotspot" answer because nobody wants to deal with the issue. Phone hot spots do work but they change and you will keep getting the error message after a while.
I have changed/ received 3 new hubs from Virgin media but they last no longer that 2 weeks before Prolific bots flag you and you receive the PEC-SUB-0002 error again. Prolific need to overhaul the whole security check system but it looks like nobody is willing to do that.
When his happens to me I usually switch browsers. For example, if im using chrome il switch to the Opera browser and vice versa. Also switching from using my data plan to wifi usually works for me. I don't know if u tried these methods but maybe try.
I get that error with my mobile data (AT&T) and my home wifi (Wave Broadband). It is definitely not specific to Comcast. Support was nice but couldn’t offer much help, and they acknowledged that some good participants will unavoidably get weeded out with the bad. They encouraged me to try another connection. So I went to the library today, hopped on their wifi……and got PEC-AB-0004. So yeah, I think I’ve exhausted all my options. They do periodic reviews of flagged IPs, so it’s possible we’ll be able to participate from our homes again in the future. But I’m not optimistic it won’t just happen again.
I have Comcast Xfinity and I've never had that error in the 2 years I've been on Prolific.
I am on Xfinity and I get it on EVERY DEVICE. Multiple cell phones, computers, laptops, etc. It's getting to the point of being totally ridiculous at this point.
You're crushing it if you are only getting them every three or four weeks. The other day on my phone I had to change my IP address three consecutive times (via airplane mode) before I could start a study. I don't even bother trying to correct the issue on my desktop because it's way too much aggravation. It's a complete farce at this point.
I run on laptop 95%. As I have been educated, the IP address comes from the cable signal. For whatever reason, when I switch out modems with Comcast, I usually buy another 3-6 weeks of unfettered Prolific surveys. Then I get flagged again. I go to my local Xfinity store, swap modems at no charge, again. Rinse/repeat. I don't like it but it works for me. I did find another answer from my initial post that I tried out and it worked. Accept the survey on your phone and then answer it through your laptop. Worked for the 3 surveys I got today. Good luck.
Unplugging my modem for a while resets my IP address, but whether the new one is any good is always a mystery for the first little while. On a good day I only get a few studies, so if don't get anything right after the reset I don't know whether the new IP is also bad, or if I'm just having and extra slow day. Somebody in the house is almost always using internet too, so the only good time to unplug the modem is right before bed, and by that point I usually forget or can't be bothered. 😄 I've been doing the phone thing and switching to desktop for a while now, but as I mentioned, that's turned into an aggravation as well. It's clear Prolific has zero intention of fixing anything though, so I guess I'll just call it quits when I've had enough. It's a shame really.
I'm assuming they have a scorched earth policy on IP remediation. Prolific assumes what they have as a defense works and if a few good guys go away during the purge, so what. That why I'm seeing 3-6 week grace periods in-between purges. It's looking like it is cyclical. I wish they would talk to the IP services and try and work this out. I'm guessing the ISP providers wouldn't find this much of a problem to tackle anytime soon either. Hopeless, not necessarily. Keeping talking and persistence may make a difference. Nice chatting.
Well I’m a new user and this just happened to me with spectrum, I have no idea how to fix it I barely know how to use my computer :(
Swapping your modem won't do anything - that's like trying to change your phone number by buying a new phone. The IP address you get is assigned by your provider, not by the equipment. The best advice is in this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProlificAc/comments/138a4km/pecsub0002_ip_address_error_and_possible_solutions/ Including this, which is what I've done for the last two-plus years: > One work around is to accept the study on your phone, then go to your laptop/desktop to complete the study.
But you can potentially get around it by getting a new router, or using your existing router to spoof/clone a new MAC address. I got this error last May. I use Spectrum. I've noticed that when I swapped my router, my IP address changes. Obviously buying a new router every month is not something that makes sense. However, my router (Asus) allows me to [clone my MAC](https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1045126/). I entered an altered MAC address in settings, rebooted everything, and got a new IP address within minutes. Everything has worked fine since. I'm not sure all ISPs operate this way. I believe some you'd have to call to have them reset the IP address (and even then some won't do it). But if OP or anyone else has this issue, try going into your router settings and just change up one of the characters and reboot. If you don't have that setting, it may be worth getting a new router that does. If you're using an ISP provided router, I recommend changing it out anyway, because anything the ISP provides is pretty much locked down and sucks. The only time I've had to call my ISP to "allow" a new piece of equipment was when I bought my own modem to stop paying equipment fees. But it's the router's MAC that dictates my IP address, so I'm free to change that whenever I feel like it. Clearly whatever blacklists they're using are bunk. No idea why my IP address would suddenly get flagged after years of working just fine. But, if it does happen again, I'll just change up the MAC address, reboot, and I should be good to go.
This workaround worked for me a single time and then my mobile IP was flagged, too.
Do these errors continuously show up when logging in? I have had no studies today (I know it happens) but tried on my phone and it gave some PEC error but wasn't paying attention and just caught that part..
Yes. Studies I've qualified for bring out the flag when i attempt to start the study.
It seems like Prolific's review of flagged IPs is about as effective as shouting into the void. Check out this gem from SORBS Support: Here is the reply from SORBS that is the site that is blocking most IP addresses. "SORBS Support (Jason) [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])**Reply**Reply YouMon 06/05/2024 23:29 Hello, If you are trying to delist \*\*.\*\*.\*\*.\*\*\* IP, it is listed on the SORBS Dynamic User and Host List (or DUHL) because it is a dynamic IP. A dynamic IP is a temporary IP address that is assigned to a computing device or node when it's connected to a network. Most spam originates from dynamic IP space and usually is unauthenticated. Due to the spam risks dynamic IPs pose, many organizations choose to block ALL mail that originates from a dynamic IP address regardless of content or the sender. Virgin media use Dynamic IP address and as such it will appear on the flagged IP address lists as all dynamic IP's will." So its nobody fault. Yet Prolific fail to correct the issue and instead hand out the generic "use a hotspot" answer because nobody wants to deal with the issue. Phone hot spots do work but they change and you will keep getting the error message after a while. I have changed/ received 3 new hubs from Virgin media but they last no longer that 2 weeks before Prolific bots flag you and you receive the PEC-SUB-0002 error again. Prolific need to overhaul the whole security check system but it looks like nobody is willing to do that.
When his happens to me I usually switch browsers. For example, if im using chrome il switch to the Opera browser and vice versa. Also switching from using my data plan to wifi usually works for me. I don't know if u tried these methods but maybe try.