Stupid Newbie Question

Capoftex · 05-31-2004

Ok, right up front, I'm going to admit I'm a newbie to NS and to wireless. But I thought I would seek the help of the pros here to help solve my problem. My company's IT guy hasn't even bothered to call me back....

First the particulars.

I'm using a DELL Latitude C640 with a Pentium M2.2Gig processor running XP Pro. Plenty of RAM, etc. Just got a Netgear WG511 card and WGR614 router.

I have a home office as my main office is 300 miles away. We use Outlook 2000. When I am at home in my home office, I can just plug to either the router or even the direct out of the DSL modem, and all is fine. I open Outlook, hit connect, and it pops up the Username/Password window with no problem. And now, in wireless mode, it works fine at home too.

But when I travel, I get net access via wireless with no problem. But when I open Outlook, it never finds our server, and never gives me the User/Pass window to get in. It just gives me the "server unavailable" message.

If I want to go on via dial up, it works fine. If I want to go on via high speed wired in hotels, it works fine. Just not with the wireless card.

And a couple of weeks ago, I was in a hotel, and had forgotten my card. So they gave me a wireless adapter to use. I got into our mail with no problems.

So why can't it find the email server in wireless when traveling? Do I need to set up a different profile for Outlook or what?

Thanks for any help in advance!

And yeah, I tried searching, but either I used the wrong phrase, or there was nothing there.

Thorn · 05-31-2004

It could be one of several reasons:

Your card is configured to work only with the particulars on your network. It doesn't sound like the case, but there may be something there. If so, your IT guy may be the best source to verify this. (When and if he calls you back.)

Many Hotspot wireless connections specifically block Ports 25 and 110 to probihit mail connections. This prevents "drive-by spamming." To get around that, ask if your company offers any kind of "webmail" service. Webmail is an web interface on the mail sever, which allows you to access your mail via your web browser rather than using a mail client such as Outlook.

Additionally, you should know that for the most part, accessing mail wirelessly via public hostspots is VERY unsafe. Most mail account names and passwords are transmitted in clear text (including webmail), and can be seen by anyone on the network who has a clue about how this stuff works. Anyone who has these can use your accounts for sending messages in your name, such as spam or threats. Since 99.99% of the time most mail accounts names and passwords mirror the company mainframe accounts, anyone accessing this information may be able to do some major damage.

Bottom line, unless you know the provider of the connection, and know that the connection is secure end-to-end (NOT just encypted on the wireless side), you're playing with fire.

Capoftex · 05-31-2004

Thorn,

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, we have webmail all set up, and I was able to use it, but it was having some "reply" problems which caused use problems.
I might be stuck using it.

05-31-2004	#1 (permalink)
Capoftex Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2	Stupid Newbie Question Ok, right up front, I'm going to admit I'm a newbie to NS and to wireless. But I thought I would seek the help of the pros here to help solve my problem. My company's IT guy hasn't even bothered to call me back.... First the particulars. I'm using a DELL Latitude C640 with a Pentium M2.2Gig processor running XP Pro. Plenty of RAM, etc. Just got a Netgear WG511 card and WGR614 router. I have a home office as my main office is 300 miles away. We use Outlook 2000. When I am at home in my home office, I can just plug to either the router or even the direct out of the DSL modem, and all is fine. I open Outlook, hit connect, and it pops up the Username/Password window with no problem. And now, in wireless mode, it works fine at home too. But when I travel, I get net access via wireless with no problem. But when I open Outlook, it never finds our server, and never gives me the User/Pass window to get in. It just gives me the "server unavailable" message. If I want to go on via dial up, it works fine. If I want to go on via high speed wired in hotels, it works fine. Just not with the wireless card. And a couple of weeks ago, I was in a hotel, and had forgotten my card. So they gave me a wireless adapter to use. I got into our mail with no problems. So why can't it find the email server in wireless when traveling? Do I need to set up a different profile for Outlook or what? Thanks for any help in advance! And yeah, I tried searching, but either I used the wrong phrase, or there was nothing there.

05-31-2004	#2 (permalink)
Thorn Did you do the math? Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Villa Straylight Posts: 10,099	It could be one of several reasons: Your card is configured to work only with the particulars on your network. It doesn't sound like the case, but there may be something there. If so, your IT guy may be the best source to verify this. (When and if he calls you back.) Many Hotspot wireless connections specifically block Ports 25 and 110 to probihit mail connections. This prevents "drive-by spamming." To get around that, ask if your company offers any kind of "webmail" service. Webmail is an web interface on the mail sever, which allows you to access your mail via your web browser rather than using a mail client such as Outlook. Additionally, you should know that for the most part, accessing mail wirelessly via public hostspots is VERY unsafe. Most mail account names and passwords are transmitted in clear text (including webmail), and can be seen by anyone on the network who has a clue about how this stuff works. Anyone who has these can use your accounts for sending messages in your name, such as spam or threats. Since 99.99% of the time most mail accounts names and passwords mirror the company mainframe accounts, anyone accessing this information may be able to do some major damage. Bottom line, unless you know the provider of the connection, and know that the connection is secure end-to-end (NOT just encypted on the wireless side), you're playing with fire. __________________ Thorn "I'm The Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I am from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old and I am the man who is going to save your lives and all 6 billion people on the planet below... You got a problem with that?"

05-31-2004	#3 (permalink)
Capoftex Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2	Thanks! Thorn, Thanks for the reply. Yeah, we have webmail all set up, and I was able to use it, but it was having some "reply" problems which caused use problems. I might be stuck using it.

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