[ClaraT]

Has anyone encountered intermitent problems sending email wirelessly?

I have an 800/G4 ibook with airport extreme which I installed and just set it up this weekend. My email account is .mac, but my outgoing server is Verizon (DSL).

Today at home with my wireless Netgear 802.11g router and later at a Starbucks T-Mobile hot spot I couldn't send email. It worked on and off at home (and of course, when I was on the phone with the Verizon dsl rep), but I never could send at the hot spot.

I can receive mail and surf the web. Interestingly I had problems with the MacNN website not loading occasionally and had to do a "force quit" when this page got hung up and the little rainbow circle kept spinning. (I'm crashing a lot more since going wireless in the last 3 days.)

The error message in email that comes up when it won't send is saying something about "the server is not authenticating, choose another server". So I'll choose another server and still no go. I've reset user name, password. etc.

As I said it's been an intermitent problem and I'm trying to isolate the problem. The fact that I had the same issue at Starbucks that I have at home tells me it's not the router, but perhaps the AE card?

This probably belongs over in the networking forum, but I thought I'd stop in here because so many ibook people are here using airport extreme.
I did a search and couldn't find anything related to my problem.

Thanks in advance,

ClaraT

[ClaraT]

Originally posted by ClaraT:
Has anyone encountered intermitent problems sending email wirelessly?

I have an 800/G4 ibook with airport extreme which I installed and just set it up this weekend. My email account is .mac, but my outgoing server is Verizon (DSL).

Today at home with my wireless Netgear 802.11g router and later at a Starbucks T-Mobile hot spot I couldn't send email. It worked on and off at home (and of course, when I was on the phone with the Verizon dsl rep), but I never could send at the hot spot.

I can receive mail and surf the web. Interestingly I had problems with the MacNN website not loading occasionally and had to do a "force quit" when this page got hung up and the little rainbow circle kept spinning. (I'm crashing a lot more since going wireless in the last 3 days.)

The error message in email that comes up when it won't send is saying something about "the server is not authenticating, choose another server". So I'll choose another server and still no go. I've reset user name, password. etc.

As I said it's been an intermitent problem and I'm trying to isolate the problem. The fact that I had the same issue at Starbucks that I have at home tells me it's not the router, but perhaps the AE card?

This probably belongs over in the networking forum, but I thought I'd stop in here because so many ibook people are here using airport extreme.
I did a search and couldn't find anything related to my problem.

Thanks in advance,

ClaraT

Me again. I can NOT send to this forum via wireless. I get a message that the page can't be found.


In order to submit this I had to hook back up directly to my ethernet cable that goes to the dsl modem. What is up?

ClaraT

[NYCFarmboy]

I use localhost as my outgoing email server.....which uses the Mac OS as its own email server on my laptops:

download and run this:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...ixenabler.html

then in your outgoing smtp server type in "localhost".

should work most places to send email that way irregardless of which network you are on.

[ClaraT]

Originally posted by NYCFarmboy:
I use localhost as my outgoing email server.....which uses the Mac OS as its own email server on my laptops:

download and run this:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...ixenabler.html

then in your outgoing smtp server type in "localhost".

should work most places to send email that way irregardless of which network you are on.

Thanks, I'll give it a go later. This .mac email is getting on my nerves though. I keep getting "the smtp does not recognize your password for this account", or "select another server" boxes popping up. I had a few instances with this problem prior to installing the AE and the Netgear router, but it's been chronic for the past few days.

Could it just be coincindence that the email program is acting up now?

Something's strange though w/the wireless setup (is it a firewall?) that I can NOT post to this forum unless I'm physically connected to my computer and the dsl box with the ethernet cable.



ClaraT

[amazing]

Clara: What email software are your using, and what ISP? Most ISP won't allow you to use their email servers if you're connecting from outside their network, for instance when you're connecting from Starbucks. That's why you'd have to use webmail (your ISP implements webmail, right?) from outside the network.

The exception to this comes if you can enable SSL in your email software (Entourage enables it under the advanced options.) This means that you're authenticating via username and password when you send email, so most ISP will implement that at their servers. If you can retrieve email when connected to your home network using SSL, then you should try it at Starbucks.

The built-in OS X firewall doesn't interfere with wireless email. Something's wrong with your setup if you can't retrieve email via a wireless hookup on your home network. Can you browse OK?

Try this: Setup a second admin User account, and login as that user. Configure the laptop correctly for everything, and then check you email via wireless. Does it work? If it does (and it certainly should) then you've got some messed up user settings in the primary user account.

Another problem you might be having is if you're using AOL, which uses some very non-standard settings on their DSL broadband and their software in general. That's a separate issue, and the best solution for that is to get rid of AOL. If you've got AOL and don't want to do abandon your email address, you're going to have to become familiar with MTU settings.

[polendo]

I have the same problem. Right now I'm at the Hilton and I can't send email using Mail.app

I got around it by using webmail.

[ClaraT]

Originally posted by amazing:
Clara: What email software are your using, and what ISP? Most ISP won't allow you to use their email servers if you're connecting from outside their network, for instance when you're connecting from Starbucks. That's why you'd have to use webmail (your ISP implements webmail, right?) from outside the network.

The exception to this comes if you can enable SSL in your email software (Entourage enables it under the advanced options.) This means that you're authenticating via username and password when you send email, so most ISP will implement that at their servers. If you can retrieve email when connected to your home network using SSL, then you should try it at Starbucks.

The built-in OS X firewall doesn't interfere with wireless email. Something's wrong with your setup if you can't retrieve email via a wireless hookup on your home network. Can you browse OK?

Try this: Setup a second admin User account, and login as that user. Configure the laptop correctly for everything, and then check you email via wireless. Does it work? If it does (and it certainly should) then you've got some messed up user settings in the primary user account.

Another problem you might be having is if you're using AOL, which uses some very non-standard settings on their DSL broadband and their software in general. That's a separate issue, and the best solution for that is to get rid of AOL. If you've got AOL and don't want to do abandon your email address, you're going to have to become familiar with MTU settings.

Thank you. Your interest in helping me enjoy wireless fully is very appreciated.

My ISP (internet service provider, right?) is Verizon DSL.

Email is .mac.

Will NEVER use AOL. (I rarely say never, but of this I am certain. I'll go back to pen and paper first.)

I will follow your suggestions about setting up another account but I'm not hopeful that's where the problem is and here's why:

I can be at my desk with the ethernet cable hooked directly up to my computer and verizon modem/router and be surfing, sending and receiving just fine.

Then I'll disconnect the ethernet cable (plug it back into the Netgear router and go wireless.) So I can still be on the 'net, receive mail and actually SEND a couple of emails. All is well. Life is good. It's working.

Then I'll take the ibook up to the next floor (at home). . .still getting a strong signal, still surfing the net, still getting emails coming in, still able to send one or two. Then, BAM! No more sending out emails. Still have a strong signal, still browsing the 'net, but no way can I get a message sent and delivered.

I go back downstairs, plug the ethernet cable back into the ibook and whoosh! the mail goes out.

So the darn thing IS working, but it's not consistent.
If you think it's the way the email is configued I'm open to doing what you say.

I'll also report back later after I've been to Starbucks again and see if I can send via the webmail as you suggest.

When I have time I'm going to call Apple tech and discuss this and a few other things. My computer is crashing quite a bit and when I open Apple help the rainbow thing twirls forever. . .very slow.

Again, thanks for your interest and help.

ClaraT

[Switched2Mac]

ClaraT,

You may have either:

1. DNS resolution issue.
2. Wireless connectivity issue.

How do you check this? You get the DNS names and IP addresses of both your Verizon and .MAC mail servers (for smtp, since you seem not to be able to send mail).

You then go back onto your wireless at home. Open a terminal session and try pinging by DNS name first. If this fails, try pinging by IP address.

Let us know the results in the thread....

[ClaraT]

Originally posted by Switched2Mac:
ClaraT,

You may have either:

1. DNS resolution issue.
2. Wireless connectivity issue.

How do you check this? You get the DNS names and IP addresses of both your Verizon and .MAC mail servers (for smtp, since you seem not to be able to send mail).

You then go back onto your wireless at home. Open a terminal session and try pinging by DNS name first. If this fails, try pinging by IP address.

Let us know the results in the thread....

Eh. . .what is DNS? Do I get this information from Verizon and Apple (for the .MAC)? Since Verizon is my outgoing mail server why do I need the info for smtp for .MAC as well?

Sorry I'm a bit slow. This is all very new for me.

Yet again, I sent one email wirelessly, then a few minutes later the next one would not go until I plugged back in directly to my computer and to the DSL box, bypassing the Netgear router. The part that's getting to me is that sometimes it sends and sometimes it doesn't.

Thanks for hanging in here with me.

ClaraT

[ccsccs7]

Originally posted by ClaraT:
Eh. . .what is DNS? Do I get this information from Verizon and Apple (for the .MAC)?

DNS stands for Dynamic Name Server. There are a bunch of dedicated computers on the Internet which have listings for all the web sites that you can get to. When you try to connect to a site, your program asks the server for the address (it's how you can put in www.macnn.com and get the actual computer network address or IP of 216.22.45.53) so it can connect to it.

Open Network Utility in Applications-> Utilities. Click Ping. Then put in the mail server address name (example: smtp.mail.yahoo.com) in box and click "Ping." When the responses start coming back, you'll also get an IP address
(example: Ping has started ...

PING smtp.mail.yahoo.com (216.136.173.18): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 216.136.173.18: icmp_seq=0 ttl=247 time=76.124 ms
64 bytes from 216.136.173.18: icmp_seq=1 ttl=247 time=68.835 ms
64 bytes from 216.136.173.18: icmp_seq=2 ttl=247 time=84.928 ms
…
___________________

216.136.173.18 would be the IP address of smtp.mail.yahoo.com)

Now, when you have the problem, you can use these two address forms to pin point your problem. (Try pinging the

[The Placid Casual]

Originally posted by ClaraT:
Eh. . .what is DNS? Do I get this information from Verizon and Apple (for the .MAC)? Since Verizon is my outgoing mail server why do I need the info for smtp for .MAC as well?

Sorry I'm a bit slow. This is all very new for me.

Yet again, I sent one email wirelessly, then a few minutes later the next one would not go until I plugged back in directly to my computer and to the DSL box, bypassing the Netgear router. The part that's getting to me is that sometimes it sends and sometimes it doesn't.

Thanks for hanging in here with me.

ClaraT

As Amazing said:

"What email software are your using, and what ISP? Most ISP won't allow you to use their email servers if you're connecting from outside their network, for instance when you're connecting from Starbucks. That's why you'd have to use webmail (your ISP implements webmail, right?) from outside the network."

If you are connected to your usual ISP, you can send email through their (your) SMTP server.

When you are out and about wirelessly connecting to people, you are not connected via your own ISP, so won't be able to use your usual SMTP server.

For example, in my case, my smtp server is via Pipex ISP.

However, I have an email account with the UK ISP Virgin.net.

Thing is, I can only send out from smtp.pipex.net as that is who I'm usually logged on to the internet with. Virgin will not let me send email through their servers while logged on with someone else, so I have to use the Pipex SMTP server even with my virgin net account to send mail correctly.

Thing is, when you are connecting wirelessly, adopting the 'foreign' network's SMTP settings is not possible, and you can't connect to your own as you are most probably not connected with your own ISP, so you have to improvise:

As NYCFarmboy says, there *is* a fix at:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...ixenabler.html

This *should* solve all the problems and do all the hard configuration stuff for you, allowing you to send emails from any network.

[ClaraT]

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
As Amazing said:

"What email software are your using, and what ISP? Most ISP won't allow you to use their email servers if you're connecting from outside their network, for instance when you're connecting from Starbucks. That's why you'd have to use webmail (your ISP implements webmail, right?) from outside the network."

If you are connected to your usual ISP, you can send email through their (your) SMTP server.

When you are out and about wirelessly connecting to people, you are not connected via your own ISP, so won't be able to use your usual SMTP server.

For example, in my case, my smtp server is via Pipex ISP.

However, I have an email account with the UK ISP Virgin.net.

Thing is, I can only send out from smtp.pipex.net as that is who I'm usually logged on to the internet with. Virgin will not let me send email through their servers while logged on with someone else, so I have to use the Pipex SMTP server even with my virgin net account to send mail correctly.

Thing is, when you are connecting wirelessly, adopting the 'foreign' network's SMTP settings is not possible, and you can't connect to your own as you are most probably not connected with your own ISP, so you have to improvise:

As NYCFarmboy says, there *is* a fix at:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...ixenabler.html

This *should* solve all the problems and do all the hard configuration stuff for you, allowing you to send emails from any network.

Wow, lots of learning! But I'm up for it--thanks loads.

So the issue of sending email from hotspots outside of my home as been addressed, but what about this intermittent problem of sometimes it sends fine wirelessly and sometimes it doesn't. Any explanation for this?


To reiterate--here at home I can be on the internet and receiving my email wirelessly. Zipping along just great. I can even send a few out--wirelessly.
Then all of a sudden as I press send I'll see the little arrow in the upper right corner, spinning and spinning and the message will never leave the outbox. An error window will appear that a connection couldn't be made. I then plug the ethernet cable back into the ibook and then the woooosh sound is heard and the mail is sent.

So perhaps I have two different issues here--one is the ISP and the other is??. . .any thoughts.



clara t