# Lightning Channels - Unable to connect to peer

**URL:** <https://community.umbrel.com/t/lightning-channels-unable-to-connect-to-peer/19508>\
**Category:** Bitcoin and Lightning\
**Created:** [October 13, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/lightning-channels-unable-to-connect-to-peer/19508 "2024-10-13T16:23:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sportaroy](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/sportaroy/32/2066_2.png) [@sportaroy](https://community.umbrel.com/u/sportaroy)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/lightning-channels-unable-to-connect-to-peer/19508/1 "2024-10-13T16:23:58Z")

</div>

Error message in LITD:

UNABLE TO CONNECT TO PEER  
rpc error code = Unknown desc = dial proxy failed: socks connect tcp  
_ip address_:9050-  
\>_ip address_:26658: unknown error  
TTL expired

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheDecentralizedVet](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/thedecentralizedvet/32/5887_2.png) [@TheDecentralizedVet](https://community.umbrel.com/u/TheDecentralizedVet)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/lightning-channels-unable-to-connect-to-peer/19508/2 "2024-10-13T17:25:40Z")

</div>

> [@sportaroy](#):
>
> UNABLE TO CONNECT TO PEER  
> rpc error code = Unknown desc = dial proxy failed: socks connect tcp  
> _ip address_:9050-
> 
> > _ip address_:26658: unknown error  
> > TTL expired

It looks like you’re encountering a networking issue, possibly related to a proxy connection or a socket error. Here are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot the problem:

1. **Check Proxy Settings** : Ensure that your proxy settings are correctly configured. If you’re using a SOCKS proxy, verify that the IP address and port (9050 in this case) are accurate.
2. **Network Connectivity** : Test your internet connection to ensure it’s stable. You can do this by trying to access a website or running a ping test.
3. **Firewall/Antivirus** : Check if your firewall or antivirus software is blocking the connection. You might need to add an exception for the application you’re using.
4. **TTL Settings** : The “TTL expired” message indicates that packets may be getting lost or that there’s a routing issue. You could try resetting your router or checking your network configuration.
5. **Retry the Connection** : Sometimes, simply retrying the connection can resolve transient issues.
6. **Logs and Documentation** : Look at the logs for more detailed error messages. Documentation for the application you’re using might also provide specific troubleshooting steps.

If you still face issues after trying these steps, providing more context about the application and your setup might help in diagnosing the problem further.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sportaroy](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/sportaroy/32/2066_2.png) [@sportaroy](https://community.umbrel.com/u/sportaroy)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 10:15pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/lightning-channels-unable-to-connect-to-peer/19508/3 "2024-10-13T22:15:53Z")

</div>

Thanks for the help!

1. Check Proxy settings:

I believe they are correct as 10.21.21.11:9050 as this is apparently the “IP within the Container”.

1. Good network connection. However, from terminal in the umbrel node,  
ping -c 3 8.8.8.8  
ping: socktype: SOCK\_RAW  
ping: socket: Operation not permitted  
ping: =\> missing cap\_net\_raw+p capability or setuid?

2. Opened ports 8333, 9050, 9001 to the device on my router.

3. Hmmm…maybe

4. Tried many times

5. Yes, working on that.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sportaroy](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/sportaroy/32/2066_2.png) [@sportaroy](https://community.umbrel.com/u/sportaroy)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 1:50am UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/lightning-channels-unable-to-connect-to-peer/19508/4 "2024-10-15T01:50:03Z")

</div>

Will mark this as closed. I think I didn’t have the ports opened on the router correctly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hakuna](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.umbrel.com/hakuna/32/549_2.png) [@Hakuna](https://community.umbrel.com/u/Hakuna)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.umbrel.com/t/lightning-channels-unable-to-connect-to-peer/19508/5 "2024-10-21T12:29:07Z")

</div>

- You don’t need port forwarding on your router for Tor
- It’s more likely a temporary connection failure of the Tor onion network

This happens quite often, and obfuscate by design, but likely that the Tor part your peer uses has a connection problem with the Tor part your node uses. Restarting Tor creates a new entry gateway and rebuilds your Tor hops into and out of the network, which may resolve it for you. But keep in mind, that if you intend to run a high available / routing / speedy node, you can’t rely on Tor alone unfortunately.
