Outlook cannot connect to PlusNet email server

[#1]

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@redsox9 wrote:

@stuck  @plusnettony 

The app sent a test to the PlusNet server. Result: "Your email server rejected your login."

I can send mail so I don't really mind if it's SMTP.  If the certificate prompt pops up I just say send anyway.

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I am a tad confused here - you state that you cannot login but you can send emails?

Using Outlook?

IIRC correctly using the exact SAME credentials you can log in to the mailbox using webmail and send emails?

Webmail is using the IMAP service interface and connects direct.  Something is very odd here!  Which special character(s) are in you password?  I am unconvinced that they are all clean!

[#2]

damn i just checked and that is why i have them redirected here... money!

[#3]

@Townman 

That is the curious thing.  Outlook cannot connect to the incoming server but can connect to the outgoing one. A secondary mailbox used by my wife works fine. My password is in small case, caps, number and a special character. Webmail works fine.

[#4]

@Townman 

Something is very odd here! Which special character(s) are in your password? I am unconvinced that they are all clean!

Fullstop is the special character I use. The password is accepted by Member Centre, Webmail and the outgoing server. Why does the POP3 incoming server reject it?

[#5]

I will set up a test later today.

[#6]

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@redsox9 wrote:

The password is accepted by Member Centre, Webmail and the outgoing server. Why does the POP3 incoming server reject it?

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If this is the default mailbox, then you can add to that ... and the radius server accepts it!  If the reason were understood, we would have to focus on for a fix!!  All of those components have separate authentication processes.

Can you please run the IMAP server connection diagnostic?  I believe you have conformed that the SMTP diagnostic is OK.  If you can show for sure that IMAP is also OK and that just POP3 fails, then there is a well profiled case for support to focus on.

I have now tested a secondary A.B email address with a full stop in the password and POP3 works fine.

curl.exe -v  pop3s://mail.plus.net -u '****.****@**********.plus.com:T**n.M1*&'
* Host mail.plus.net:995 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.26
*   Trying 91.204.208.26:995...
* schannel: disabled automatic use of client certificate
* Connected to mail.plus.net (91.204.208.26) port 995
< +OK POP3 ready <651762727.1757666294@mail.enmail.co>
> CAPA
< +OK Capability list follows
< TOP
< USER
< UIDL
< SASL PLAIN LOGIN
< .
> AUTH PLAIN
< +
> **********************************************
< +OK logged in.
> LIST
< +OK POP3 clients that break here, they violate STD53.
1 4018
* Connection #0 to host mail.plus.net left intact

I am not inclined to change my account password to include a full stop (too many implications).  Might you consider changing your account password to use something other than a full stop.  Yes, I am clutching at straws.

@plusnettony - would it be possible to get someone look at the server logs please?

[#7]

UPDATE

@plusnettony / @dave 

I have reproduced this condition with a free-online test account ... where the login credentials are the EMAIL ADDRESS for a secondary mailbox using POP3.

• POP3 using email address on secondary mailbox works fine for Plusnet and Force9 brands
• IMAP and SMTP work fine for free-online secondary mailbox using email email address
• POP3 using account+mailbox works fine for free-online

@redsox9 - does the above help any?

[#8]

@Townman 

Can you please run the IMAP server connection diagnostic? I believe you have conformed that the SMTP diagnostic is OK. If you can show for sure that IMAP is also OK and that just POP3 fails, then there is a well profiled case for support to focus on.

Ran the diagnostic and connected successfully to imap.plus.net. but not the POP3 server.

[#9]

@redsox9 

For the avoidance of ambiguity...

1. Which email brand is this
2. Is this the default mailbox or a secondary mailbox
3. How are you authenticating - email address or account+mailbox
4. Are you on the Plusnet network or connecting via some other party

The reproduced scenario is...

1. Free-online
2. Secondary
3. Email address
4. On network (static IP address)

[#10]

@Townman 

1. PlusNet
2. Default
3. Email address
4. IP address dynamic

[#11]

@Townman 

Add on network

[#12]

Thank you, that is what I thought we were looking at!!  Having reproduced your experience in a specific space required absolute confirmation of your scenario.  I cannot get a failure on Plusnet POP3 using a default account.

To exclude my "it works" scenario, grasping at straws can you please run the diagnostic using account-name?

curl.exe -v  pop3s://mail.plus.net -u 'accountname:password'

If that fails we are left with the full stop in the password as being the potential smoking gun here.

I have tagged key staff here.  I will look at other channels this afternoon.

[#13]

@Townman 

To exclude my "it works" scenario, grasping at straws can you please run the diagnostic using account-name?

Log in failed on POP3 server

[#14]

@Townman  @plusnettony 

Changed my password to one without the full stop but still cannot log in to the incoming POP3 server.

Can log in as usual to Member Centre and Webmail and can send email from Outlook.

[#15]

Do you have other 'special' characters in your password? If so, can you try removing them and replacing with ! or @ . I'm not saying it will work, just want to test a theory out.