Why I Couldn't Access My Own Site (But My Phone Could): A Cloudways Auto-Ban Story

· Vicente G. Reyes · Aug. 24, 2026, 3:38 p.m.
Summary
The blog post discusses a frustrating experience where the author, Vicente G. Reyes, could not access his own website due to an auto-ban by Cloudways' bot protection system. After troubleshooting various network components and realizing his phone was routing through a VPN, he found that his home IP had been banned after failing a CAPTCHA challenge. The takeaway emphasizes the importance of verifying network paths and being aware of automated security measures that can disrupt access.