Cox, and how they suck balls.

[Error401]

I'm really getting tired of Cox cable. Oh, it's fine and dandy when it comes to high speed cable internet. I have no problems with that. But, here's a little known fact, they won't let you use external SMTP (outgoing) email servers. All my outbound mail has to go through the stupid cox SMTP server. I rent webspace and have my own domain, and with I have my own SMTP server, but Cox won't allow it's use. Ok, I let that slide. I set up my email client to send outbound mail through the cocks smtp server. Everything is fine and dandy.

Now what's happening is that I can no longer send emails with attachments. Every time I try to send an email with an attachment, the email is apparently transfered, but right at the end my cable modem "connected" light goes out and all internet activity stops. Checking the router reveals that it's like cocks has turned my service off. No IP on the front side of the router, and attempting to renew the dhcp does nothing. I have to cold boot the modem and the router to get hooked back up. Immediately try to resend the email, same thing happens. Doesn't matter who the recipient is, or their ISP (tried sending stuff to various friends on different ISPs).

So I check cock's tech support and yes, there is a limit to email attachments, 5Mb, and binary files are converted to text when going through their system, with a 35% increase in filesize. Ok, no biggie, but I just tried to send Team 17 an attachment that was a whopping 600Kb, factor in the bloat and it comes up 810Kb (still way below the limit). WTF I think. I get no error message, just a dead connection. If I could use my own smtp I wouldn't have that problem. And just as a point of referance, Team has sent me multiple 4 and 5 Mb attachments through an AOL email. It just kind of irks me that Cocks sucks balls like that.

--EDIT-- Now get this, I just sent the same 600Kb file from one of my external accounts (through the cocks server) to myself using a second external account and it went through just fine. WTF.

 

[FastEddy]

Have you tried to use your external smtp account with authentication? This is a must for me with my cable system.
Might be worth a try.

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

Cox now offers packages without port blocking call them, it might fall uder commercial but I just got a company 256k up and down with no port blocking for $79.99 a month.

 

[Error401]

I screwed with it forever, until I found this on the Cox customer support site:

Q. Why do you require the use Cox outbound (SMTP) email servers?

A. It reduces the number of SPAM and virus emails originating from our customers. Most Internet Service Providers have adopted this practice to reduce spam. We must take this action to ensure that a few bulk emailers do not get the entire Cox.net domain blacklisted from sending mail to other Internet Service Providers.

Q. Will this hinder my ability to send email?

A. This will not impact the majority of customers, but there are bound to be some people using third-party mail servers. Any software configured to use an SMTP server other than smtp.region.cox.net to deliver email directly to a recipient’s server will no longer work. An indication of this problem may be a message similar to this in your mail client:

A time-out occurred while communicating with the server. Account: ‘otheraccount.otherisp.com’, Server: ‘othersmtp.otherisp.com’, Protocol: SMTP, Port 25, Secure(SSL): No, Error Number: 0x800CCC19

Customers using third party email services must configure their email clients to use smtp.region.cox.net to send outbound email. Please remember that operating an email or other server on a residential Cox High Speed Internet connection is a violation of our Acceptable Use Policy. Email Software Settings

Sucks don't it?

Originally posted by HumboldtBlazer
Cox now offers packages without port blocking call them, it might fall uder commercial but I just got a company 256k up and down with no port blocking for $79.99 a month.

That would be nice, but right now I can't afford it.

 

[FastEddy]

That sucks.
Looks like you will need to use the web-mail from your hosting company to send large files.

You think you have e-mail issues! 90% of my e-mails don't get where they are going due to the big-boys using spam filters. Try having InkJet or Cartridge in an e-mail.

 

[lykan]

Hrmm to avoid spam/hack I belive my host(friend) uses different ports for mail.

I guess it would be near impossible to get a hosting service to change the ports they use for mail, thats just BS man.

I have a FTP server, HTTP server, and a mail server running on my box in the back. I would be PI$$ED off If I they blocked those ports.

To block the ports is one thing, but then to be so damned cheap they limit the size of your mails is another.

If they deny you use of third party servers, then theirs had better support any option you would look for in another.

 

[Error401]

Funny thing is, they don't block port 21, but leter on in their acceptable use policy they state that users are not permitted to run any type of server, or machine that provides any type of server like function on their network (home users). Sounds alot like possible entrapment to me. I had to dig like a mofo to find that info.

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

You guys complain but if ports were not blocked on home accounts everyone would suffer and the service would be degraded. I get 2.5 to 1.5 at any given time which is an extreme amount of bandwidth. If Port 25 alone was open expect a quarter of that. I see this from an administrators eyes I guess thats why I get it. It's utimatley done for the good of all.

 

[Error401]

True, it is, and I see it that way too. My gripe is with the way it is done. My point in my last post is that port 21 (ftp) is not blocked, yet all SMTP traffic must go thru the cox smtp server. It's true that there is probably a damned good reason that it's set up that way, but it sure sucks for honest users like me. The way I see it is that cocks is bending me over and fiddlesticking me out a a piece of that $15/month that I pay to have my domain. Why would cox get blacklisted for email comming off some other server that's not part of their net? If I was to use a non cox server, then wouldn't that server and/or domain get blacklisted and not cox? And as for spam, why are they so concerned about outgoing email, when every fiddlesticker on the planet is sending me offers for meds to make my pecker as big as a bus, and it gets put right in my inbox? Hell, I don't even check my cocks boxes anymore.

I aint mad at you HB, your point is very valid. My original post was about the fact that when I try to send emails with attachments to people, my modem get's disconnected from the cable net, just like the service got cut off, or I unplugged it. I have to reboot the router and modem to get back on the network.

 

[lykan]

I have absolutely no complaints at all. I see the implications and I understand it completely. From both the end user point, and that of an admin.

The problem I see is that most of these policies are not stated up front in bold. They are buried it in the bottom in fine small print. I get used to running an FTP, and small low raffic web server for 59.00 a month, then that is the service I expect. One day it quits working, and they want more money for the service.

Let me know up front. I will realize the expense to benfiet ratio and make my decision on sign up. Not after I get my services cut in mid-stream.

 

[Error401]

The first time I got a hosted domain I tried setting up the outbound email like the instructions said. it never would work. After about a month of digging and looking around, I finally found the info I posted about the SMTP servers.

So yeah, it was awful nice to find out the hard way, after the fact.

 

[El Pirata]

Aww, quit bitching Error! Cox is cool!

 

[Team 17]

What the HELL is COx!!

 

[Error401]

Cox cable (TV and High speed internet, my ISP).

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

Error Cox's stand point is a server from a customer on a Cox IP will get that IP, and maybe a whole IP block blacklisted. I understand this a lot more now do to the fact that I myself administer a network with an email server and have seen first hand the havock and hell it brings. I only pay 39.99 a month for my service, damn $59.99 is a lot Lykan!

 

[Error401]

I can understand if someone was running an email server on the cox network. I was referring to someone at home utilizing an email server outside of the cox network for outbound email. Maybe I need to brush up on email servers and how they work, but I just don't understand why all outbound emails have to go thru cox and their server (with their BS file size limits). All the while cox does not filter inbound port 21 requests (ie you can run an ftp server at home). I used to work with a guy that has a friggin .com tied to his home user cable connection, along with an exchange server, webcam video streaming, and a web server. I could bust his nutz so hard it wouldn't be funny, but I don't have too big a gripe with him right now. It's all tied to some IP resolving service with port renumbering or some poop. Like I said before, it's honest dumbasses like me that get fiddlesticked.

 

[Error401]

Well, I tried to send my dad a pdf today. It was about 1Mb and it happened again. File (email) transferred, then the modem disconnected like always, I sat there and waited. About 30 seconds later the modem went thru it's reinitializing routine and got back on the Cox network, then my email client said that the email was sent. Dad email me back about 10 minutes later saying he got it fine. So I called Cox tech support and layed it out for them. i got up to L2 support and the guy was real cool. I like talking to tech when they know you're a tech. Dude eventually told me that Cox has installed some new spam filters and they have been getting more calls like mine relating to emails with attachments getting filtered. the modem disconnect is still baffling to me (and him), but I'm going to have to do some more testing on my end then get back to them. they don't support internal networks or routers, Macs or Microsoft Entourage (Mac version of outlook). I'm going to swap out the router, config outlook express on a winbox and use my cox box. Depending on that setup will let me know WTF is going on. Dad sent me the same file back using his cox account and he had no problems at all and is on the same cox hub as me. It'll be interesting to see what happens. The L2 guy also querried my modem and said that it was in the green hardcore so I doubt that it is the problem.