Forum Discussion

dwlewis's avatar
dwlewis
New Contributor
2 years ago

Unable to send SMTP emails from Outlook when not connected to cox network.

Once again I am travelling and using hotel Wi-Fi to check my email on Cox using Outlook, and can't send email.  I searched the forum to see if there was a solution posted, but apparently Cox doesn't allow it.  Numerous postings about this issue, but no solutions.  I found a work around several years ago for my travels both inside and outside the USA.

My router has OpenVPN included in the firmware. I've setup OpenVPN on my router, and enabled full tunnel through it so my laptop is tunneling through my home router. I  have full access to my email via Outlook.  I also use the OpenVPN on my laptop and iPhone when travelling in non-English speaking countries for my web searches are in English.

To enable full tunnel on your OpenVPN router export the clientconfig.opvn file from your router.  Open the file and add redirect-gateway def1 as shown below.  It took me a while to figure it out, but it works great and no more issues connecting to Cox servers when I am away from home.

ns-cert-type server
auth-user-pass
verb 3
redirect-gateway def1
<ca>
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----

  • TiffanyR's avatar
    TiffanyR
    Former Moderator
    2 years ago
    Hello Dwlewis,

    I am glad to hear that you found a workaround that works for you. To protect our customers' Cox Email accounts and data while they are traveling outside of the United States, Cox has security checkpoints in place that help provide protection against identity theft, data breaches, and fraud. You can contact us once you have arrived at your destination and we can put in a request to whitelist your location so that you can continue to access your email. It can take up to 48 hours. Please let us know if you have any questions.

    Tiffany R.
    Cox Support Forum Moderator
    • dwlewis's avatar
      dwlewis
      New Contributor
      2 years ago

      I also just figured out today that on my ASUS router I can use the built in Instant Guard VPN and accomplish the same as OpenVPN. I’m traveling in Texas this week and couldn’t send an email on my Cox account without going through my router. Cox has gone overboard with their restrictions. 

      • TiffanyR's avatar
        TiffanyR
        Former Moderator
        2 years ago

        Hello Dwlewis,

        You shouldn't experience any trouble in Texas. These restrictions would only apply if you were traveling out of the country. What do you have set for your outgoing server? Have you tried checking from webmail? www.myemail.cox.net/appsuite Can you check that you are using the following outgoing server settings?

        Server name: smtp.cox.net
        Enable SMTP authentication for outgoing email, and then enter your Cox Email address and password
        Enter one of the following port numbers based on the encryption type
        If the encryption type is SSL or SSL/TLS, then use 465
        If the encryption type is TLS or if your device doesn't support encryption, then use 587

        Tiffany R.
        Cox Support Forum Moderator

  • CuriousJ's avatar
    CuriousJ
    Contributor
    2 years ago

    I have this problem sporadically when at home in the US using Cox internet. I’ve concluded Cox censors my email because the emails that don’t send are typically political in nature.

    • DavidA2's avatar
      DavidA2
      Former Moderator
      2 years ago
      Hi CuriousJ,

      I can certainly understand your concern. I can assure you that we do not block emails due to them being political in nature. If you'd like, you can email us at Cox.help@cox.com with your service address and a link to this forum thread.

      David
      Cox Forums Moderator