ItsGeekToMe.co

When you are here in Florida, you are accessing the Internet from a connection that does not belong to your home ISP, Charter Communications.  When you try to send e-mail through their server, you are doing what is called a mail relay.  This is one way that people who send SPAM get away with sending bulk mail without consequences – they simply relay it through some ISP’s mail server.  I had a long chat with Charter, and found out from their rep that Charter does not allow mail relaying via their servers, so the bottom line is that there is simply no way for you to send e-mails from a mail client such as Outlook while outside of a Charter-owned internet connection.  To get around this, you’ll have to either use Charter’s webmail interface, or my preferred option, scrap the ISP-specific e-mail altogether in favor of something like a free Gmail account.

The slow connection speed is something you’ll have to take up with your local provider.  While it could be a matter of WiFi signal strength, I suspect it’s more a matter of available bandwidth.  It sounds like 240 users are sharing a single data pipe.  I have no way of knowing the system load, but contemporary bandwidth demands being what they are, he’d better have a pretty big data pipe to keep 240 users satisfied.

As for the spam, I assume you mean spam e-mail, so the industrial filter your guy claims to have installed is not going to stop even a single one of them.  The reason is because unlike your outgoing mail, your incoming mail is still coming from Charter’s e-mail server, and although the packets have to pass through your provider’s system, it’s very unlikely he is filtering your e-mail packets based on their content.  By the way, a Gmail account like I mentioned above will go a long way to reducing the amount of Spam that winds up in your inbox.  By the way, “Unsecure” does not even refer to his network.  It means that the wireless connection from your computer to his WiFi access point is not encrypted.  His magic filter won’t help you with that either.

Bonus Web-only Content:

You know, I sometimes go to great lengths to get answers to questions for you, my beloved readers.  Take this week’s question from Kathy S. for example.  I had no idea whether Charter Communications allowed mail relays, so I hit up their website to do some research.  Finding no mention of it in their online help files, I initiated a chat session with their online help personnel.  The following is the log from my (rather unproductive) chat with Charter’s Customer Service rep, of whom I suspect English is not his or her primary language.

You have been connected to TTD Jasonette.

TTD Jasonette :  Hi, Jeff! Thank you for contacting Charter Customer Care. This is Jasonette. How may I help you?

Jeff Werner:  Hello. I write a Computers and Technology newspaper column out of Northwest Florida, called It’s Geek to Me. You can visit my website at ItsGeektoMe.co. I’m currently researching an issue for a Charter Communications customer who is a snowbird visiting our area. It has to do with e-mail access while they are away from your service area.

TTD Jasonette :  I would be glad to assist you with your email concerns.

TTD Jasonette :  Please go ahead with your questions.

Jeff Werner:  Basically, she says that their outgoing e-mail doesn’t work from here. They are getting internet service piped into the condo they are staying in from some local ISP, which has told them to contact Charter to get “a secure outgoing service #” from you. (I assume she means the configuration for a secure outgoing e-mail server). She was told by Charter that no such thing exists, which I believe was told to her simply because she asked the question wrong.

Jeff Werner:  Can you please point me to a page in your help files where I can get port numbers and setup information to provide to her? She must already have a CHarter username and password.

TTD Jasonette :  Thank you, Jeff.

TTD Jasonette :  If your computer is connected to another Internet line, not Charter’s, your computer does not recognize Charter SMTP. It will not allow you to send out emails. Unless, you change the SMTP (outgoing) mail server which your computer can recognize. You can retrieve this information from your current Internet connection provider.

TTD Jasonette :  At home, your computer is connected to Charter, and your SMTP mail server is set to smtp.charter.net . This is why your computer acknowledges the outgoing server, and works properly.

Jeff Werner:  Are you saying then, that there is NO WAY for her to send e-mails through Charter’s server outside of a Charter connection?

TTD Jasonette :  No. I would suggest that they send emails through webmail at www.charter.net. They can also change the outgoing server. For the information about the outgoing server they can use, they can get it from the local ISP they are currently using.

TTD Jasonette :  Please let me know if you are still connected to the chat session at this time.

Jeff Werner:  Yes, webmail was going to be one of my suggestions to her, but she is telling me that because the entire condo is on Wifi, their ISP is recommending she use a secure connection through Charter. The local ISP doesn’t have one, because I think they are simply re-selling a connection from another provider, similar to what a hotel does when you stay there. You get a connection to the Internet, but nothing else.

TTD Jasonette :  I am sorry, but there is no other way for them to be able to send out emails using their email program but to change the outgoing server. They can ask the personnel on that condo where they are staying as to what is the outgoing server they are using.

Jeff Werner:  Well that’s not quite the answer I was looking for. You said above that the reason it wouldn’t work is that their system couldn’t resolve “SMTP.CHARTER.NET” unless it was connected to a Charter connection? I am able to resolve it from the computer I am currently on (it resolves to 209.225.8.224) and I am not connected to a Charter line.

TTD Jasonette :  If you are connected to a different Internet line or different Internet Service provide, the computer won’t recognize the Charter SMTP smtp.charter.net. You need to change it, so you can send out emails using your Outlook or any other email programs.

TTD Jasonette :  *provider

Jeff Werner:  ??? That’s what you said above. But my computer DOES recognize it, and I am NOT connected to Charter.

TTD Jasonette :  Are you also using a Charter Email accoun?

TTD Jasonette :  *account

Jeff Werner:  No! I said that above. Twice.

TTD Jasonette :  I am sorry, but I was talking about Charter email account set up on an email program wherein the SMTP server will not be recognized if the computer is connected to a non-Charter Internet line.

TTD Jasonette :  It would be better if they send out emails through webmail.

TTD Jasonette :  That way, they need not to worry about mail server settings.

Jeff Werner:  I think we have two differing opinions on what you mean by “recognize”. Do you not mean that the assigned DNS Server would be unable to resolve smtp.charter.net to it’s IP address?

TTD Jasonette :  What I meant is that if your computer is connected to a non-Charter Internet connection, you won’t be able to send out emails using your email program where the Charter email address is set up using smtp.charter.net as your outgoing server.

Jeff Werner:  Okay, you’re talking in circles without really answering my question. You don’t need to tell me that it’s not possible because THAT IS WHAT I AM CONTACTING YOU TO ASK ABOUT. I already know they are having problems doing it. I have read all of what you have written, so if you find yourself typing it again, please stop, because that is not helping.

Jeff Werner:  If you don’t understand what I’m asking, perhaps you can connect me to someone who does?

TTD Jasonette :  I am really sorry if I wasn’t able to answer your question. Which portion would you like me to explain further?

Jeff Werner:  What do you mean “your computer does not recognize Charter SMTP”? And please do not tell me “if your computer is connected to a non-Charter Internet connection, you won’t be able to send out emails using your email program where the Charter email address is set up using smtp.charter.net as your outgoing server.”

Jeff Werner:  The Charter SMTP server is nothing more than another computer on the internet. With the right credentials, it should be accessible from anywhere, including outside (non-Charter) lines.

TTD Jasonette :  Thank you.

TTD Jasonette :  Mail relaying is the practice of using, in the case of Charter, its outgoing mail server (smtp.charter.net) to send emails from non-Charter internet connection. Relaying is not allowed by Charter. In order to send emails when connected to the internet through a non-Charter internet connection, please log in to Charter’s webmail service by logging in to your email account at www.charter.net.

Jeff Werner:  Okay, NOW we are getting somewhere. It’s not that “my computer doesn’t recognize it” it’s that “Charter doesn’t allow it.” That’s a big difference.

TTD Jasonette :  Yes, you are right. Charter doesn’t allow it. I am very sorry.

Jeff Werner:  From a security and anti-SPAM point of view, I can see why they would implement this, but it’s not particularly friendly to legitimate customers.

Jeff Werner:  As in the case of this user, there are legitimate reasons why people need to access the SMTP server while away from home, and some people simply do not WANT to use webmail.

TTD Jasonette :  I understand that it is not convenient to legitimate customers.

Jeff Werner:  Well, I have to get back to writing my newspaper column. I will explain Charter’s prohibition to this user, and recommend either webmail, or a non-Charter mail service like Gmail.

TTD Jasonette :  However, it is not impossible that Charter will be working on this matter in the future to make it convenient to our subscribers.

TTD Jasonette :  I appreciate your time chatting with us. Will there be anything else I can help you with today?

Jeff Werner:  Feel free to let me know if that happens. Even though I’m not a Charter subscriber, my column is read by about 150,000 people in 5 states.

TTD Jasonette :  Sure.

Jeff Werner:  That’s all. Thanks.

TTD Jasonette :  You are welcome.

TTD Jasonette :  We really appreciate your business. Thank you for choosing Charter as your Internet service provider.

Uh, okay sure Jasonette. Did I mention that I’m not on a Charter-owned connection?  Or a Charter Customer?  That would make me — oh never mind. 

Until next week, Geeks — good luck and happy computing!

– Geek