Ugh.Googling around, it looks like ISP's started blindly blocking incoming/outgoing port 25 connections. I've been blessed with kick ass connections over the years from ISP's that are pretty legit, so I had no idea this was going down. When Kat's system admin suggested that as the reason for her not being able to send e-mail, I was doubtful. Turns out though, he was right and Bellsouth/AT&T FastAccess DSL is right in the mix of it.
Their thought is that it prevents spammers from using their network.
Uhh -- Because a spammer isn't going to be smart enough to configure smtp on a different port or start port scanning to find open smtp servers from people who have configured smtp to run on a different port?
Right.
What blocking port 25 really does is make it a complete pain in the ass for users with work email to send anything, and forces adminstrators of work email systems to start setting up smtp on random port numbers instead. Is this really what its come to? So much for standards, I guess.
On the face of it, it's not that big of a deal, especially for most people. So you have to use bellsouth's mail server only, big whoop right? The rub is that you not only have to deal with the headache of reconfiguring your mail client every time you are on your home dsl connection, but you are now also willingly giving bellsouth a copy of every email that you send. In the days of such privacy concerns, I'm not sure why I should have to give them access to confidential work emails. Yes, they can monitor my traffic in real time (they're my isp, afterall), but it seems a bit redicolous to simply hand them over copies of everything. What if we were competing against them in something? What if the gub'ment came knocking without probable cause? They haven't earned that kind of trust yet.
I called tech support last night to see if they could offer any reasonable rational and/or possibly provide a decent alternative. I asked, repeatedly, for them to answer in a yes or no way whether or not they were blocking port 25. It took about 15 minutes before the rep. would confirm what we were suspecting (that the port was blocked). After staying on hold for another 30 minutes (I was in the car anyhow.. ;), I spoke with a supervisor named Alex Gonzales. He informed me that they don't block port 25, they "restrict it". Clever. I can, of course, use port 25 all I'd like so long as the connection is to bellsouth's smtp server. But, if I do use their smtp server, I'm only allowed to send 100 emails at any given time or else I get blocked. If I want to have unrestricted smtp access, it's available, but only amongst business class accounts -- something that's $400+ a month for the slowest DSL connection (note: a full t1 costs less here, and I'm paying $40/month for their fastest dsl currently). Evidently business's are the only ones who respond to emails on planes ;) I'll make sure to stop at 99, I guess.
What killed me even more was that the supervisor told me that the port blocking isn't disclosed anywhere. Not on sign up and no where on their site. I asked if they could provide me with a list of all services blocked, all quotas, all restrictions that they impose on their users and he told me that they could not. Is it fair for a company to sell internet access with undisclosed restrictions? Seems like thats a little bit misleading.
So here's the question -- Bellsouth's realibility, speed and cost are all pretty good (in fact, I might go as far as to say that they are excellent. At least, so far).The only negative I have so far is this stupid port 25 issue and what appears to be a craptastic tech support group. I have enough "outside" servers where I could probably come up with a proxy solution or something to bypass it all, but I'm tempted to instead give my money to a more deserving ISP (viva la consumer!). I used Cyberonic up in DC, and from what I gather, they service this area as well. Same down speed, double the up (which would probably be nice for video conferencing), no blocked ports or any other nonsense. They also have great support (or did back then, at least). It'll cost me about $20 more a month though, which over the course of a year, is quite a bit to spend over a blocked port issue. That's like, 1.7 gazillion dollars compounded over the rest of my life, I think...
Any thoughts? Any other experiences or solutions/suggestions to offer? I'm not a big cable modem fan as the speeds can be inconssistent and the realibility of brighthouse down here is pretty low. FIOS, in all its glory, isn't yet an option.
Comments...
(Page 1)1. Use a server that uses authenticated SMTP on (or configure yours to use) port 587 which is the SMTP submission port. Or use SMTP over SSL on port 465. Both shouldn't (key word...) be blocked on connections that block port 25.
4:43PM on May 29th 2008 by Chris Scott
2. Dude,
I'm with Chris on this one. Actually, I use SSL connections to gmail for all my mail anyways. The port number for it is 587, like El Guapo mentioned before. Earthlink has done this for years. I guess others are taking it on too.
You know what your real problem is?
Your using DSL. Who uses DSL? Do you have a travel agent too?
9:05AM on May 30th 2008 by Cory
3. I get what you guys are saying, and to be honest, the whole thing is just another reason to use gmail for everything. (they're ssl, and they've earned my trust, so to speak).
The thing is, I'm trying to think about this more broadly. Kat's system admin was cool enough to reconfigure everything to support a different port/ssl/whatever. For a lot of folks, I wonder if thats not the case. I guess I wouldn't have been so taken back by it had they disclosed this information somewhere. It's like a big secret you just have to figure out on your own.
Re. my decision to go DSL -- it's way faster. Like. A lot. The max speed isn't, but what I was getting on brighthouse cable downtown wasn't anything close to what I was paying for, and now I'm living over on the coast on a barrier island. My parents cable here is a joke. Downtown, I'd say I averaged a 2-3 megs a second. I'm getting 6 megs down and 512k up right now and I think I'm paying a little less. And its constant. I know that whatever time of day, I'll be getting 6 megs down. If I switch to Cyberonic, I'd likely go with 8 meg down, 768 up.
And I get a static ip with DSL. I can map domains and all sorts of fun stuff, provided AT&T doesn't block everything of course. For a static ip on cable, you have to be a business class customer. Basically, I can give my static out (or, rather, a domain name) to whoever needs to configure the videoconference stuff at work. Or set up an ftp server so someone can grab project files. Or an svn server for side projects. Or ...
9:23AM on May 30th 2008 by Alex Rudloff
4. Brighthouse Cable is 8Mb/s in Brevard at $39.99/mo + tax/fees which works out to about $42. Can't be beat. Started at 5Mb/s several years ago and they've upgraded it every 18 months or so with no price increase or anything from it's customers. They have a "gamer" plan which is also their business plan (basically) which is 15Mb/s for $55/month if you also order Digital Cable.
As for BellSouth DSL, where do I began. They started this Port 25 nonsense about 2 years ago. My clients here pull their hair out. Can't just setup any "new" POP/SMTP email the regular way. They are forced to send out via their Bellsouth address - even Business DSL customers and then put the "from" and "reply-to" email addresses as their @domainname.com address, which of course flags every spam filter known to mankind. Lame. I don't know what Bellsouth is so fearful of. It's not as if they don't control the connection. You'd think they'd see 500 outgoing SMTP emails being sent on Port 25 so they could *flag* that account for review in case one of their subscribers are using it for spam purposes. Which has to be extremely rare. Instead, everyone has to go through the same learning curve you have (and most non-techies never actually learn it). Mac Users especially pull their hair out using that .mac service thing.
My advice: Go cable. Don't look back. I have 30+ email addresses that I monitor. Most are NOT on oddball ports - most are Port 25. If I had DSL, I'd spend half my waking hours in config hell.
10:31PM on Jun 5th 2008 by Lawrence Salberg
5. my friend with his new laptop dell 1501 is having a problem which i think might have to do with this port 25 you folks are discussing.
All works well except he cannot send out or receive an IM. He has Windows-Vista.
His ISP is Windstream.net. He tried calling windstream, but could never get a techie who he could understand. HE gave up, so we dont't IM because he can emaii me.
Could this have anything to do with this Port 25 thingie??
tom cheek
walnut cove, nc
11:59AM on Jul 16th 2008 by tom
6. Don't bother switching to cable for that. Cable ISPs block port 25 also. Cox here in Gainesville has done it for a few years now.
If all you need is a way to send email through a different outbound server, the postings above are correct: use port 587 (it's properly referred to as the Message Submission service, but it is simply authenticated SMTP). Any mail client published in the past few years should support it, and if your mail service doesn't support it, they are getting behind the technology curve.
- Bob
5:06PM on Aug 6th 2008 by Bob