Email server

[GeraldW]

I have 2 phones. One on rogers, one on Shaw Mobile.

I have 2 apps on each, Gmail and Outlook for android.

I have 3 shaw email accounts.

Each if my email accounts, from time to time will STOP receiving email. No error, all that happens is i don't receive email i know has been sent  i can send a test from one account to another to confirm its not working. All acounts are less than 90% full. It warns me when I'm over 90%. 

The fix is to  delete the account from gmail or from outlook, and re enter the settings as if a new account. This will solve the issue for anywhere from an hour to a couple days, but the issue ALWAYS returns.   Always.   So i know how to get it working but i cant KEEP it working.

Also on both my phones and apps, less often and seperate from that issue, it will refuse to send. In thus case it knows, and leaves the email in outbox, but nothing will make it send. When one app does it the other also does it. Time is what cures this, eventually, usually several HOURS, it will just start working. 

Also, on my home pc, signing into webmail, i consistently get, "Unable to communicate with the web server". Try several times, eventually, with no change in ID or password, it will connect.

Sometimes, when trying to sign into webmail from my phone, at home, on the wifi, it will freeze before it loads the sign in screen. Try again, same. Turn OFF wifi, it connects just like that.

Sometimes one of my apps will fail to find something i know is there in a search. Shows no match. If i scroll, i can find it. My other phone finds it. Again, temporary fix is to delete the account and re establish it with identical settings.

• So the common denominator is the Shaw Email Server.
• 2 different phones, a pc and webmail ALL experience issues which feel like time out from the server. All these things have happened one time or another in the past but they have become constant in the last 2 weeks. Costing me time and money.
• Any ideas how to fix permanently? Is Shaw working on this? Anyone else having similar issues?

[mdk]

@GeraldW --  on my home pc, signing into webmail, i consistently get, "Unable to communicate with the web server". Try several times, eventually, with no change in ID or password, it will connect.

That error-message has been a frequent topic on many threads within this discussion forum, over the last 12+ months. For me, Shaw must have resolved the problem, because I no longer see the error-message.

the common denominator is the Shaw Email Server.

There are other common denominators:

1. tighten both ends of the coaxial-cable between your cable-modem and the wall-outlet;
2. replace that coaxial-cable;
3. replace the Ethernet cable between your computer and your cable-modem;
4. get Shaw to replace the cable-modem, if you think that its built-in WiFi adapter is "flaky";
5. contact Shaw Support [1-888-472-2222], to get an Agent to remotely logon to your cable-modem, to view the "signal-strength". Any "poor" value can cause intermittent issues. 
6. get the Shaw Agent to schedule a "site-visit" to check the cable between your residence and the nearest telephone-pole, because that cable can "age".

 It will refuse to send. ... usually several HOURS, it will just start working. 

Can you web-surf during these "intermittent" hours that the E-mail cannot be sent/received?

I hope this helps.

[GeraldW]

Yes. Every other net required app works just fine while this is occurring.  And i experience the failures to send and receive while i am on cellular (or wifi, coming home does NOT solve it) with confirmed good connection. First thing I do is check my connection, both in settings and by doing a random google search. Typically one of my email accounts will fail while the others remain working. Example -  If its a failure to receive, my most common issue, i can still use that account to SEND a test email to another account and that test works.

[mdk]

@GeraldW -- receiving E-mail always requires that your device send your E-mail ID & the password, no matter if your device is connected to your cable-modem, or its connected to some cellular network.

However, sending E-mail has different requirements.  If your device is connected to your Shaw cable-modem, then there is no need to "authenticate" -- Shaw detects that you are going through the Shaw cable-modem, and allows the message to be sent. But, if your device is connected via cellular, your device must "authenticate", by sending your ID & password, before the mail-server will accept your E-mail.

So, check whether your device is properly "authenticating".

Having more details:

* WiFi on your device, or Ethernet connection,

* connected to Shaw Internet, or Shaw Mobile, or to some other cellular provider,

* which E-mail ID works,

might be useful to know.

Do you have another device that connects to your cable-modem, and does it show the same symptoms?

[GeraldW]

* connected to Shaw Internet, or Shaw Mobile, or to some other cellular provider

One phone on rogers, one phone on shaw mobile, 2 pc in house with wired connection to shaw modem. Pc just use webmail, the only symptom they experience is the failure to communicate with the server. They both do this. They both connect correctly after a few trys, with no changes in ID/PW.

Transitioning the phones from home to out, or vise versa does not change issues. Failure does not begin when transitioning, nor is it corrected at that time. 

* which E-mail ID works

At some point all of them work. At some point all of them have failed. 

Yesterday, my main email wasn't receiving. I deleted the account, and re created it, like i have been doing. It synced, brought my email up to date, and failed to receive anything after that. Typically it will work for a few hours after I do this.  I threw my hands in the air and went to bed.  This morning, with no further action, it was working and continued to work thru the day....

I've wondered... Shaw gives you up to 10 email accounts. There is a limit of 1 GB per account.  2 of my account are sitting around .85 GB, and the 3rd is around .5.  Is it possible the overall "fullness" of these accounts, even tho none of them exceed the actual limits, is slowing down the email server response? ie taking too long to sort thru and timing out its response?  Not sure how likely this is, given that i have had 2 of the accounts well over 90% for quite a while before and, although these symptoms happened occasionally then, they weren't nearly as common as they are the last 2 weeks. And i can correct the issue temporarily without deleting any history.

[mdk]

@GeraldW -- One phone on Rogers, one phone on Shaw mobile,

Is either phone connected to the WiFi network provided by the Shaw cable-modem? That makes a difference. When exclusively using a phone's cellular connection, the Internet "path" to the mail-server is quite different than when connected through the Shaw cable-modem to the mail-server. 

2 PCs just use webmail, the only symptom they experience is the failure to communicate with the server. They both do this. They both connect correctly after a few tries, with no changes in ID/PW.

Browse other threads, and you'll find many references to this issue. Back over 12+ months ago, it was a common issue.  However, for me, it no longer happens, which implies that Shaw has tried to fix the issue.

failed to receive anything after that.

Have you ruled-out the possibility that the WiFi components in the Shaw cable-modem are "flaky", e.g., intermittently failing.  By the way, which cable-modem do you have: Hitron, XB6, XB7, XB8 ? The XB6 is infamous for running "hot", and having a noisy internal fan.

Is it possible the overall "fullness" of these accounts, even tho none of them exceed the actual limits, is slowing down the email server response? ie taking too long to sort thru and timing out its response? 

If you get the "unable to communicate with server", this issue is NOT dependent on the amount of disk-space within your "quota".  Have you accessed your "Deleted Items" folder, and then deleting all the contents? This will definitely reduce your actual usage of your quota.

Similarly, access your "Sent Items" folder, and "sort-by-size" to put the biggest messages at the top of the list.  Can you delete any of those messages, and then delete them again from your "Deleted Items" folder?

i can correct the issue temporarily without deleting any history.

Deleting entries from your web-browser's "History" does not affect the usage with your quota of E-mail messages.

[GeraldW]

Is either phone connected to the WiFi network provided by the Shaw cable-modem? 

When I'm at home, both phones are attached to the shaw modem wifi. When I'm not at home neither phone is attached to the wifi. If the issue begins when i am one place, it does not change by transitioning to or from the wifi.

Have you ruled-out the possibility that the WiFi components in the Shaw cable-modem are "flaky",

No, I haven't, but due to the above, I don't believe it is my ONLY problem. I may very well have a flakey modem, or signal into the house, given that I have the minor issue at home with my PCs signing into the email server, and my Shaw TV service is pretty crappy, but that could not possibly influence the issue when I'm 20K from home.

I did have one goofy thing happen when at home a week ago. I wanted to sign into WEBMAIL from my phone. Hadn't entered ID/PW yet, just tapped the shortcut I had set, which worked previously. (And since, with no change.)  It started chrome, blank screen, no login shown yet and froze with the progress bar about a 10th of the way. Never moved beyond that. I confirmed that the phone was attached to wifi - yes. I opened a separate chrome screen and confirmed that i could open other websites. Yes. I disconnected the phone from wifi, restarted the link to sign in, no hesitation, in it went. Went back on wifi, froze again. Several times to confirm it wasn't just a fluke. It opened the login just fine on 5G, froze on wifi every time. It was able to consistently reach any other website thru the modem but not Shaw's own server.    ???

I clear my deleted items from trash daily. Always have. About 2 months ago I cleared enough old email, both sent and received, to reduce my quota in the 2 main accounts from 95% to 85%. That is what I meant by clearing historical. Old email. 

[art17]

 iam having same issues  iam pi#-$%&  off at shaw

[mdk]

@art17 -- welcome to this peer-to-peer discussion forum, where volunteers try to help.

The more information that you give about your "same issue", the better the help will be.

So, please share:

• your physical location
• your type and model of device (desktop? notebook? tablet? smart-phone?)
• what operating system? If Windows, it should have updated itself 4 or 5 days ago ("second Tuesday of each month after 10 AM Pacific").
• which cable-modem you have (Hitron? XB6? XB7? XB8?)
• when you experience problems connecting to Shaw Mail, can you connect to other sites, such as Google or www.gov.bc.ca ?
• at what dates/times do you have difficulty connecting?
• any other information that you think may be useful?

i hope this helps.

[argrant]

I continually get the message-"Unable to communicate with log-in server" Why?