The daemon regularly reports top blocks that are years in the past.

For example (IP addresses are anonymized):

    2016-Oct-23 06:13:27.789171 [P2P2][123.45.67.89:18080 OUT] SYNCHRONIZED OK
    2016-Oct-23 07:13:00.252292 [P2P2]WARNING: no two valid MoneroPulse DNS checkpoint records were received
    2016-Oct-23 07:46:18.650151 [P2P6][89.123.45.67:18080 OUT]Sync data returned unknown top block: 1163525 -> 227082 [936443 blocks (756 days) ahead] 
    SYNCHRONIZATION started
    2016-Oct-23 08:16:10.241713 [P2P0]WARNING: no two valid MoneroPulse DNS checkpoint records were received
    2016-Oct-23 08:16:14.973720 [P2P6][234.56.78.90:18080 OUT]Sync data returned unknown top block: 1163542 -> 1134708 [28834 blocks (40 days) ahead] 
    SYNCHRONIZATION started
    2016-Oct-23 08:16:17.184723 [P2P6][234.56.78.90:18080 OUT] SYNCHRONIZED OK
    2016-Oct-23 08:16:52.855773 [P2P6][76.54.32.109:18080 OUT]Sync data returned unknown top block: 1163542 -> 89742 [1073800 blocks (851 days) ahead] 
    SYNCHRONIZATION started
    2016-Oct-23 09:18:35.376071 [P2P2][111.222.33.44:18080 OUT]Sync data returned unknown top block: 1163582 -> 1009827 [153755 blocks (213 days) ahead] 
    SYNCHRONIZATION started
    2016-Oct-23 09:19:53.890182 [P2P1][109.87.65.43:18080 OUT]Sync data returned unknown top block: 1163584 -> 211310 [952274 blocks (767 days) ahead] 
    SYNCHRONIZATION started
    2016-Oct-23 09:20:21.270223 [P2P9]WARNING: no two valid MoneroPulse DNS checkpoint records were received
    2016-Oct-23 09:20:24.152227 [P2P9][222.111.0.99:18080 OUT]Sync data returned unknown top block: 1163585 -> 1148462 [15123 blocks (21 days) ahead] 
    SYNCHRONIZATION started
    2016-Oct-23 09:20:26.717231 [P2P6][222.111.0.99:18080 OUT] SYNCHRONIZED OK
    2016-Oct-23 09:20:29.281235 [P2P9][56.78.90.123:18080 OUT]Sync data returned unknown top block: 1163585 -> 399859 [763726 blocks (636 days) ahead] 
    SYNCHRONIZATION started
    2016-Oct-23 09:22:34.896279 [P2P9][222.111.0.99:18080 OUT] SYNCHRONIZED OK

According to [this answer][1], this is not my problem; it just means that a peer has a different top block. It might be running behind, or it might be on a forked chain.

Usually this is not a problem. The 'status' command will return that I reached the top block on my chain. But shortly after the latest hard fork I did end up on the wrong chain. I made payments that didn't arrive and were not recorded on the valid chain. How can I find more reliable peers? Or fewer unreliable peers, to be precise. I have a long peer list, and always 8+0 connections.


  [1]: https://monero.stackexchange.com/questions/1854/what-is-the-best-way-to-pop-the-top-block-from-the-monero-blockchain-and-fix-a-b