IMAP, SMTP, and FTP access to my ISP times out.

[ventifacts]

I have a number of domains and associated emails hosted by BlueHost and during the work week access to my email(s) fails with: Connection to server mail.xxx.com timed out.

Everything works fine in the evening and over the weekend, it's just between ~0730 and 1530 on monday-friday that the time-out's occur.  Then, magically, the timeouts stop and everything is fine.

I can get my email via the ISP's webmail interface, can get email on my Iphone if I turn wifi off and can get email consistently all the time using the same mail client on the same account 7/24 using a remote connection in another city.

So, what's the deal Xfinity?  I've spend maybe 3 full workdays getting nothing but "reset the modem" or sorry, our email works so you have to talk with your hosting company....

Using outlook, thunderbird, and Apple mail.

Oh, and did I mention that I have an FTP account with the same hosting company that also times out during this same period!

Anyone have any ideas (besides switching to DSL)?

[Again]

---

@ventifacts wrote:

I have a number of domains and associated emails hosted by BlueHost and during the work week access to my email(s) fails with: Connection to server mail.xxx.com timed out.

Everything works fine in the evening and over the weekend, it's just between ~0730 and 1530 on monday-friday that the time-out's occur.  Then, magically, the timeouts stop and everything is fine.

I can get my email via the ISP's webmail interface, can get email on my Iphone if I turn wifi off and can get email consistently all the time using the same mail client on the same account 7/24 using a remote connection in another city.

So, what's the deal Xfinity?  I've spend maybe 3 full workdays getting nothing but "reset the modem" or sorry, our email works so you have to talk with your hosting company....

Using outlook, thunderbird, and Apple mail.

Oh, and did I mention that I have an FTP account with the same hosting company that also times out during this same period!

Anyone have any ideas (besides switching to DSL)?

---

This isn't a Comcast problem.  You definitely need to talk with Bluehost about this.  It's their servers you're having a problem with, not Comcast's.  Insist they look into it.

[BruceW]

---

@ventifacts wrote: ... Connection to server mail.xxx.com timed out. ... can get email on my Iphone if I turn wifi off ...

---

Using your Comcast connection at a time when connections are failing, what do traceroutes to the mail host and the FTP host show? In Windows, open a Command Prompt window, enter

        tracert -4 hostname

and post the output.

[ventifacts]

Here's a tracert when the server is working correctly on a Saturday morning.  It's the same for all of my domains....they all resolve correctly to box5438.bluehost.com (162.241.216.230).

Tracing route to mail.xxx.com [162.241.216.230]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms RT-AC88U-CDE8 [192.168.1.100]
2 9 ms 8 ms 7 ms cm-1-acr03.boulder.co.denver.comcast.net [96.120.12.201]
3 8 ms 8 ms 9 ms ae-253-1216-rur102.boulder.co.denver.comcast.net [96.110.195.93]
4 8 ms 8 ms 10 ms ae-2-rur01.boulder.co.denver.comcast.net [96.108.139.193]
5 12 ms 8 ms 9 ms ae-29-ar01.denver.co.denver.comcast.net [162.151.50.249]
6 9 ms 9 ms 9 ms be-36011-cs01.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.43.241]
7 16 ms 9 ms 9 ms be-3102-pe02.910fifteenth.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.38.114]
8 12 ms 13 ms 9 ms 173.167.57.142
9 26 ms 26 ms 26 ms kanc-b1-link.telia.net [62.115.120.67]
10 27 ms 27 ms 26 ms dls-b22-link.telia.net [62.115.125.159]
11 32 ms 32 ms 33 ms hou-b1-link.telia.net [62.115.123.107]
12 36 ms 35 ms 35 ms cyrusone-svc067800-lag002969.c.telia.net [62.115.184.145]
13 47 ms 41 ms 36 ms 72-250-192-6.cyrusone.com [72.250.192.6]
14 37 ms 36 ms 35 ms po101.router2b.hou1.net.unifiedlayer.com [162.241.0.9]
15 43 ms 36 ms 35 ms 108-167-150-122.unifiedlayer.com [108.167.150.122]
16 40 ms 36 ms 36 ms box5438.bluehost.com [162.241.216.230]

Trace complete.

Same tracert for my ftp.xxx.com  which is again working now on Saturday......

[BruceW]

---

@ventifacts wrote: Here's a tracert when the server is working correctly ...

---

A trace taken when things are working doesn't tell us where the problem is. A trace taken using your Comcast connection when connections are failing might.

[ventifacts]

I understand and here's the tracert when the connection is not working.  Apparently I have been out doing something else on Saturday mornings as the same blackout window applies today...

Tracing route to mail.xxx.com [162.241.216.230]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms RT-AC88U-CDE8 [192.168.1.100]
2 8 ms 8 ms 8 ms cm-1-acr03.boulder.co.denver.comcast.net [96.120.12.201]
3 8 ms 8 ms 8 ms ae-253-1216-rur102.boulder.co.denver.comcast.net [96.110.195.93]
4 8 ms 8 ms 9 ms ae-2-rur01.boulder.co.denver.comcast.net [96.108.139.193]
5 9 ms 9 ms 12 ms ae-29-ar01.denver.co.denver.comcast.net [162.151.50.249]
6 9 ms 9 ms 10 ms be-36011-cs01.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.43.241]
7 10 ms 10 ms 9 ms be-3102-pe02.910fifteenth.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.38.114]
8 9 ms 9 ms 9 ms 173.167.57.142
9 26 ms 30 ms 27 ms kanc-b1-link.telia.net [62.115.120.67]
10 26 ms 27 ms 27 ms dls-b22-link.telia.net [62.115.125.159]
11 32 ms 32 ms 40 ms hou-b1-link.telia.net [62.115.123.107]
12 36 ms 36 ms 35 ms cyrusone-svc067800-lag002969.c.telia.net [62.115.184.145]
13 37 ms 37 ms 36 ms 72-250-192-6.cyrusone.com [72.250.192.6]
14 36 ms 36 ms 36 ms po101.router2b.hou1.net.unifiedlayer.com [162.241.0.9]
15 36 ms 36 ms 35 ms 108-167-150-122.unifiedlayer.com [108.167.150.122]
16 35 ms 37 ms 37 ms box5438.bluehost.com [162.241.216.230]

As mentioned previously I cannot connect to my ftp server that resolves to the same IP as the mail server during this failure-to-connect window.  Webmail for this account on the bluehost server works just fine.

I also received an error on my Iphone when the connection fails using wifi and Xfinity....

*.bluehost.com issued by Sectigo RSA

Not Trusted expires 2/9/21,4:59:59 PM

...

[ventifacts]

Update after yet another hour with Bluehost....

Yes, From this we can understand that our server settings are working fine without any issue.

So please try to get in touch with the xfinity network and ask them to increase Connection timeout in their network. That will help to resolve the issue.

So can Xfinity increase the Connection Timeout for my account?

[BruceW]

---

@ventifacts wrote: ... here's the tracert when the connection is not working. ...

---

Your trace reaches far beyond Comcast's network. Chances are this is on Bluehost.

---

I also received an error on my Iphone when the connection fails using wifi and Xfinity....

*.bluehost.com issued by Sectigo RSA

Not Trusted expires 2/9/21,4:59:59 PM

---

Check the phone's date, time and timezone settings. If they are correct, then for some reason the phone doesn't trust the site's security certificate. I don't know enough about them to tell you why.

[BruceW]

---

@ventifacts wrote: ... So please try to get in touch with the xfinity network and ask them to increase Connection timeout in their network. ...

---

That's absurd. Connection timeouts are set by the device you a using and the remote device you're trying to communicate with, not by Comcast.

[Again]

Bluehost is dropping the ball and as I said before you need to insist they find out what is going on with their servers.  A while back another Bluehost customer had the exact same problem and it took him multiple calls to Bluehost to get them to admit the problem is on their end and  not on Comcast's.  I'm also a Bluehost customer so when I say call them and give them the information I do know what I am talking about.  Tell them you can provide the tracert to prove that it's not on Comcast's end.

And when you talk with them, make sure you have your Validation Token handy.