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Problem getting mail through my Hughes connection

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GW
Advanced Tutor

Problem getting mail through my Hughes connection

I use Thunderbird to fetch my mail from six Microsoft accounts (Outlook & Hotmail). Last night I kept getting  a "can't connect to pop3 server" error and no mail. No problem connecting to my webmail interfaces or any other site by browser. I rebooted my modem which had been up for 33+ days and the problem resolved. I got my mail.

 

This morning (8½ hours after reboot of modem) I got the same error and no mail. I tried several different computers on my network with the same result. I connected my phone to a computer using Vz as internet provider and Thunderbird got my mail. No problem. That seemed to confirm the problem is with Hughesnet.

 

I rebooted the modem again and was able to get mail through my Hughes connection again. Next time it happens I'll screenshot the exact error message but it definitely has to be a conflict between Hughes and M$. This has never happened before. Any ideas?

@Amanda, @Liz, @GabeU

30 REPLIES 30
Amanda
Moderator

Hi GW - can you ping the mail servers you are trying to connect to? Most recent articles point to pop-mail.outlook.com being the Outlook server. Hotmail is probably live.mail.com

 

Does your router have a custom DNS setting? If not, try the generic Google DNS 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4 in the router, powercycle the device you are using and try again.

 

~Amanda

GW
Advanced Tutor

Hi Amanda. Those are the correct server names. I can ping them now but the next time Thunderbird can't get my mail I bet I can't.

 

Everything in the ASUS router is set to automatic but I think it goes to OpenDNS for better security. The underlying numbers are 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220. It's been that way since 2016. Is it a problem?

 

The only two times times this happened, rebooting the modem was the immediate fix. I'll try these other things the next time it happens.

Hi GW, The next time you do have an issue then please do try to ping the servers before anything else. I suspected DNS being an issue since rebooting the modem helps. If there is some sort of discrepancy on the server you are trying to reach and the DNS address used to resolve, rebooting would fix the issue at least until something changes but I don't think the OpenDNS is at fault. I don't see your ASUS hooked up, do you only use it in certain instances? -Amanda
GW
Advanced Tutor

Hi Miss Amanda. The router is always connected. It's the only thing connected to the modem. I can see it from my side of the modem by looking at Connected Device Info.  See screen cap. The time coincides with the completion of the modem reboot this morning.

 

I hope my mail doesn't goof up again but I'll do the pings and capture the T'bird error popup if and when it does. It does pop up with each connection attempt to all the mail servers.

 

router.JPG

 

 

Hey GW,

 

It seems our MAC table might be a little off 🙂 That address returns as a Canon device, so then yes I do actually see it. I think the only thing we can do now is wait to see if the connection breaks again and get those ping results. In the meantime I'll bring it up with engineering and see if this something they are already or have already worked on.

 

~Amanda

GW
Advanced Tutor


@Amandawrote:

Hey GW,

 

It seems our MAC table might be a little off 🙂 That address returns as a Canon device, so then yes I do actually see it. I think the only thing we can do now is wait to see if the connection breaks again and get those ping results. In the meantime I'll bring it up with engineering and see if this something they are already or have already worked on.

 

~Amanda


Hmmm. I do have a Canon laser that's plugged into the router and my main computer is plugged into the router. There's also a Samsung laser that connects to the router by wifi. The router is plugged into the modem.

GW
Advanced Tutor

That MAC address is my Canon printer connected to the router by ethernet cable on 192.168.1.102.

This is beginning to make my head hurt Smiley Frustrated

 

Edit: This keeps getting weirder all the time. The modem still thinks my printer is my router even though it's been disconnected for an hour and the modem has been rebooted twice and the router rebooted once.

 

network map.JPG

Hey GW,

 

IIRC, the way the addresses are reported in our tool is based on the connected device. If the connected device is capable and allows for the device name/information to be displayed to the modem, we use a reference table of known MAC addresses matching their respective manufacturer. In some cases we can't make the match, so we don't get a device name. 

 

In your situation it looks like your router is reporting to the HughesNet modem the first device in numerical order in the last octet (.102 before .32 because its ordering by the first number) or perhaps by LAN port order, or by order the devices were detected as connected (virtually, in this sense) by the router. I bet you could play around with connecting/disconnecting devices wired or wirelessly to prove or disprove how the router does its thing.

 

~Amanda

GW
Advanced Tutor

Hi Amanda,

 

Well, this provided a nice diversion from the basic issue, which hasn't come up again yet. I think you're right with lowest number last octet observation. For some reason the modem stays stuck on the 192.168.1.102 device even when that printer hasn't been connected to the router for hours and when nothing else is connected to the router and despite the fact the router itself is 192.168.1.1. And even after a firmware update on the router. I guess it will stay this way assign a lower static IP OF .100 OR .101 to another device.

 

No amount of connecting, disconnecting, twiddling or fiddling makes any difference between the modem and the router. Neutering the wi-fi in the modem does nothing but give me the expected  perma-state code. The only thing that makes a difference is wiring my main computer directly into the modem. Then the modem admits to being connected to my d-PC at 192.168.1.32 and the router while still reading the router as my network printer. Go figure.

 

But anyway, I always have a router connected even if you can see it from your side of the dish. Have a nice weekend old friend.

Well this is weird! Definitely going to play around with this as soon as construction in our lab is done. Seems like the modem is either failing or taking its sweet time getting the latest info. I'll leave your thread open in case this happens again. I had a good weekend, hope you did too. Spent most of it troubleshooting my home network. Android devices apparently do have a downside...

 

~Amanda

GW
Advanced Tutor


@Amandawrote:

Seems like the modem is either failing or taking its sweet time getting the latest info.


Normally, this statement would scare the bejeezus outta me. Now that I have 10 GB of viable 4G LTE backup, I'm fearless Smiley Happy

Hey GW

I just realized that my wording was not how it sounded in my head. I meant failing to get the info, not failing as in total hardware failure 🙂 I've only seen one weird hardware problem with those (can't access 192.168.0.1, but can access 192.168.42.1) which is being investigated by hardware engineers here after I had the unit shipped in. Reminds me I should check in!

 

~Amanda

GW
Advanced Tutor

Last night I started having a different confict with Thunderbird and the microsoft mail services. This time it was on the send side with my computer mostly unable to pass the smtp authentication at the server. This was with all servers and all mail accounts. After more than sufficient twiddling around I could eventually get my mail to go though. I could ping all the smtp servers.

 

The problem persisted early this morning and continued when I returned to my computer this afternoon. In one instance I tried many times over several hours this morning to send a stinkin email to a financial adviser with no success. When I returned I tried several more times and tried all the tricks. No go. Other accounts were very problematic but not as bad. Again I could ping the servers.

 

After I enjoyed all of this nonsense I could stand, I rebooted the modem which had 6-something days on the clock since the last reboot. Once again, problem instantly resolved and has not recurred 2:20 after the reboot and many emails sent without issue.

Thanks GW, good thing we kept this open. I'll take a look at the historical data on the server to see what I can find before sending to network engineering. 

 

~Amanda

GW
Advanced Tutor

Not a bit of trouble since the modem reboot 24 hours ago. 17 emails sent.

Thank you Amanda. Great weekend to you.

GW
Advanced Tutor

The send started goofing up again this morning. After trying numerous things, I finally rebooted the modem. Instant fix. This also has to be a problem caused by Hughes.

Hey GW

 

Just checking in. Had any re-occurrences lately? There's been a lot going on as far as network changes, so I wanted to see if maybe we inadvertently fixed it.

 

Thanks

Amanda

GW
Advanced Tutor

Hi Amanda. No problems with this issue since my last update.

 

Nothing is ever permafixed though. Even though you made your post five hours ago, I still haven't received my communtiy mailer notification to my preferred email. After being off-duty for the entire months of October and November last year (and being functional ever since) it appear to be kaput and feeding only into my unused  hughes.net email address once again.

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV


@GWwrote:

 

Even though you made your post five hours ago, I still haven't received my communtiy mailer notification to my preferred email. After being off-duty for the entire months of October and November last year (and being functional ever since) it appear to be kaput and feeding only into my unused  hughes.net email address once again.


For some reason, once in a while, the forwarding of the Community notifications to my MSN address will just stop.  How long it stops for ranges from a few hours to weeks.  Why this happens I have absolutely no clue.  When it does, and if it hasn't started working again in a few hours, I'll change my Hughes mail forwarding address to my gmail account (then forward from there to my MSN account), which works.  I'll then try my MSN address every couple of days until it finally starts working again.  

 

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it.  😞  

GW
Advanced Tutor

Funny, my notifications started up again beginning with your post.