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jwm2
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9 Messages

Friday, December 1st, 2023 2:49 PM

Comcast E-mail (IMPA) does not play well with VPN

I am running a VPN.  Starting about 3 weeks ago, both of my Comcast e-mail accounts will REFUSE to authenticate when my VPN is active.  Outlook and Apple Mail both demand I re-enter the passwords.  I do - and the authentication fails.  I log into the Xfinity website with the same account credentials successfully (so please do not suggest that I am typing in the incorrect information).  If I turn the VPN off, the Comcast connections work and I start getting e-mail again.  Turn VPN back on:  Comcast e-mail fails.

Why can't Comcast get the act together regarding the use of VPNs.  They had a situation several years ago when they would refuse to allow e-mails to be sent or replied to when a VPN was active.  The "Tech Support" people are useless since all they can do is read from their "cookbook".

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10 days ago

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BruceW

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6 months ago

... Comcast e-mail accounts will REFUSE to authenticate when my VPN is active. ...

VPN's have lots of legitimate uses, but they are also a magnet for spammers and scammers whose activities "poison" the VPN's IPs. Sending email using a VPN is likely to always be iffy.

Please be aware that there are 2 kinds of responses in this Forum: Replies and Comments. When you Comment on a post by scrolling down to "Comment on this post here...", I am notified of your response. But if you select Reply, I am NOT notified and may not be aware of your response.

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user_kntll7

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I'm having the same issue. All my other emails work with a VPN EXCEPT for Comcast. So this response seems inadequate. Why is this an insurmountable problem for only Comcast?

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6 months ago

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jwm2

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@user_kntll7​ 

Three years ago or so I started having problems sending e-mail with Comcast with a VPN.  At the time the "Tech Support" person stated "that's the way it is, too bad so sad!"

So, I purchased an e-mail service (Runbox) and it has functioned flawlessly.  .Mac e-mail functions flawlessly. 

I could still use my client to log into Comcast (IMAP) and receive messages.  But about three weeks ago, Comcast started failing log in authentication with "Wrong Password.  Re-enter password".  Attempts to log-in failed, until I turned off VPN.  VPN turned back on, Comcast fails IMAP authentication.  Cannot RECEIVE or SEND because the account will not authenticate.

"Tech Support" does not understand VPN.  It's "Re-Start Outlook", "Contact Outlook about it" (even though the same thing occurs on MacMail and on my iPhone with MacMail app and Outlook app when my iPhone VPN is active), "Re-Boot Your Computer". 

At some point, Comcast needs to pull on their big boy pants and get some IT people in to answer the question or fix the problem.

(edited)

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6 months ago

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flatlander3

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@user_kntll7​  using an xfinity gateway?  Is "advanced security" on? (check or shutoff with the phone app). 

Maybe you got a cloud edge net nanny issue, and they don't like your VPN host.

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6 months ago

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XfinityEricB

Official Employee

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Hey @jwm2. Sorry to hear your VPN is blocking your email with us from working properly. Given you have access to the with the VPN off, but not when it's on that would make it the VPN causing the issue. Have you had a chance to contact the support for the VPN you are using to see if they know why it would be blocking your email with us? 

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6 months ago

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jwm2

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I call BS!   It is not the VPN.  It is Comcast.  Your "passing blame" is your common defense.   It is your server settings. I have five other e-mail accounts, through different services, all on the same clients and all logging in with IMAP.  every single one of those works flawlessly with the VPN all the time.

Your tech people (three years ago when you had people who understood the technology) stated that Comcast DID restrict the use of VPNs.

(edited)

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6 months ago

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