Everything you need to know about the 'cannot connect to P2P network' error message.
In this article:
Why might I be getting this error message?
If you use Exodus in a network with a firewall or tightened network security, you may see an error message that Exodus cannot connect to P2P networks.
Typically this happens when Exodus is used in an environment that has network restrictions. Many times these P2P connections are blocked outside of your computer.
Exodus connects to individual blockchain networks via P2P (peer-to-peer). Many shared networks block these types of connections. The following ports are what Exodus uses on each P2P network:
Bitcoin: 8333
Litecoin: 9333
How can I fix this?
Use Exodus on a home network or a network you have full control over. This will solve the problem for most customers.
If you are running Exodus on a computer with a VPN, try to relaunch Exodus with the VPN turned off. Some VPN providers block the P2P ports above.
If you have a firewall or network restrictions on your computer or router, remove the restrictions on the services and ports above for both UDP and TCP.
You could consider changing your DNS settings to use a less restrictive DNS provider. Changing DNS providers is free, and can speed up your internet. One option is OpenDNS. OpenDNS uses the following name servers:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
If you decide to look into OpenDNS, you can refer to their official guide here: OpenDNS setup guide.
Quit and restart Exodus. On startup, Exodus checks various P2P connections for new deposits made to your addresses. So if your network issues remain unfixed, then you’ll need to restart Exodus to give it a chance to catch new deposits.
If you click on the asset's icon, you're given the option to manually refresh your wallet to re-sync with the network. If you can't connect to P2P networks, this will work to refresh your individual assets until you can go through the other troubleshooting steps above.
How can I check my router settings?
Exodus connects to multiple (dozens, if not hundreds) of P2P nodes from each blockchain network. This behavior could appear to your router as a DoS (Denial of Service) attack since there are data streams coming in from multiple outside sources.
If set up to do so, your router could start rejecting or throttling these connections. This could cause the 'cannot connect to the P2P network' error. Or, you may notice that while Exodus is running, your browser and email clients (or any other app connecting to an outside source on the net) are either very slow or unable to connect to a destination on the network.
As a temporary workaround, you could consider disabling your router's DoS protection. Note that doing so might expose your network to risk.
To configure DoS protection on a Netgear router, follow their official guide: What does “Disable Port Scan and DoS Protection” do?
To configure DoS protection on a TP-Link router, follow their official guide here: What is DoS Protection and how to configure it?