Sending mail from a non-Plusnet connection - SMTP authentication

[#1]

Quote from: MJN

Just thinking out loud Bob, but would it not be better finding and curing the cause of the problem rather than applying a sticking plaster for this one user?

I've actually done both!
The rate limits are intentional.

Quote from: MJN

Surely the rate limits are intended to be equally applied across all authenticated users, regardless of where they connect from?

No they're not. You'd be surprised how many peoples' accounts get compromised (through inadvertent mistakes on their own part may I add).

[#2]

Bob, just checked and it's static as you thought.  Thanks for your help.

[#3]

Quote from: MJN

Surely the rate limits are intended to be equally applied across all authenticated users, regardless of where they connect from?

Just think this through. A user on a PN connection has his PC compromised; as a result a spammer gets hold of his account login and password. They then use those on another compromised PC connected to another network to send out spam via the PN relay server. this results in the PN relays being blacklisted (again) and ALL PN users suffer.
There is good reason for PN assuming that people away from home are just using the email to stay in touch via essential emails and will not be send out mass emails to loads of recipients.

[#4]

Quote from: jelv

Just think this through. A user on a PN connection has his PC compromised; as a result a spammer gets hold of his account login and password. They then use those on another compromised PC connected to another network to send out spam via the PN relay server. this results in the PN relays being blacklisted (again) and ALL PN users suffer.

Perhaps I did not make my point particularly clear. I completely agree that rate limits are a necessity, it is merely the fact that this user was being limited to 8 recipients - and that the solution appears to be a whitelisting of his IP address (perhaps an incorrect assumption on my part?)  - that struck me as an less than ideal approach to addressing the issue.

Quote

There is good reason for PN assuming that people away from home are just using the email to stay in touch via essential emails and will not be send out mass emails to loads of recipients.

What has that assumption been based on? My away-from-home e-mail habits are no different to at-home. Actually, if anything I think I send more e-mail when I'm out and about as it is often the time when I have the most time to do so!
Whilst not being privy to the pattern profile of spam from Plusnet users with compromised PCs I am nevertheless surprised that the biggest culprits, and therefore those that need the most rigorous controls, are authenticated users submitting e-mail from off-net connections.
If the user's authenticaiton credentials are being used by a 3rd party then sending e-mail to >8 recipients is not what I would call mass e-mail so let's not stray to far from the underlying point.
Mathew

[#5]

I don't think PN users sending email from other networks is the main issue. I suspect that it's where a PN user has been compromised when spammers using stolen details who are more likely to be using a non-Plusnet connection.

Quote from: MJN

What has that assumption been based on? My away-from-home e-mail habits are no different to at-home. Actually, if anything I think I send more e-mail when I'm out and about as it is often the time when I have the most time to do so!

Point taken. In fact thinking about it I suspect you are likely to try to deal with all your emails in one session whereas if you were at home you may deal with each as it came in. In which case 8 in an hour is not many!

[#6]

Quote from: jelv

Point taken. In fact thinking about it I suspect you are likely to try to deal with all your emails in one session whereas if you were at home you may deal with each as it came in. In which case 8 in an hour is not many!

To be fair, this particularly limitation of only 8 recipients does sound like a bit of an anomaly so I suppose it is probably only right to consider the general principle of rate limits rather than this particular specific example.
Mathew

[#7]

Quote from: artmo

Bob, just checked and it's static as you thought.  Thanks for your help.

If you raise a support ticket explaining the situation and providing your IP then I'll see if some changes can be made to relax the rate limiting.

[#8]

Quote from: Bob

If you raise a support ticket explaining the situation and providing your IP then I'll see if some changes can be made to relax the rate limiting.

Thanks Bob will do.

[#9]

Quote from: MJN

What has that assumption been based on? My away-from-home e-mail habits are no different to at-home. Actually, if anything I think I send more e-mail when I'm out and about as it is often the time when I have the most time to do so!

I agree with you there Matthew.  I am away from home for 5 weeks and my email use is much the same as it is when I'm home. 

[#10]

I have always used username+box with the box p/w on my android phone and it has worked fine for some time. However, It won't work on my laptop. Neither does it work on my mates new HTC android. Will try username and username p/w to see if that works when I'm on another network. Is there a definitive answer on which user+p/w combination to use?

[#11]

Quote from: PhyllisTyne

Is there a definitive answer on which user+p/w combination to use?

Both the main account username/password and that of your sub-mailboxes should work. Certainly seems to when I try with your account.

[#12]

cheers Bob,
I'll keep experimenting. Guess port blocks by some ISP/phone networks could be causing the issue then?
PT

[#13]

Bob, I raised a ticket as you requested.  In the meantime I changed my outgoing server to the one you gave me and that is working fine.  However, your tech people seem unwilling to alter my setting to solve this problem without changing my outgoing settings.  Can you can have a word please?  I really don't want to have to change my outgoing server settings everytime I move around.  A previous ISP I had simply made an adjustment at their end to allow  more recipients to be used.

[#14]

Quote from: artmo

I really don't want to have to change my outgoing server settings everytime I move around.

If we were to make a change at this side then it would only be applicable when you're assigned the Bright House IP - it wouldn't work from any other locations/connections you may use.

[#15]

Thanks for the explanation Bob.  Perhaps you can explain why such a small amount of recipients can be used at any one time as I don't understand the limit.
Thanks again for all your help and patience on this problem.