"just a little frustrated
Posted on 01/23/2020 1:01:38 PM PST by BTerclinger
I am trying to help some family out who want to use a VPN both while on public wifi, and at home for simple privacy from their ISP.
They are using 2 Mac laptops, 2 older iPhones, 2 iPads, and 1 old android phone. They do not need to use every device at the same time. They have Apple email accounts, gmail accounts, and Outlook and Hotmail email accounts; all email accounts are run through OSX Mail and iOS Mail. Whenever the VPN is enabled on the Macs, Microsoft instantly sends warning notices to the Outlook and Hotmail email accounts demanding verification.
User is forced to click on a link in an email from Microsoft (sent before they lock the user out!) to go online, confirm their backup email program, receive another confirmation email sent to that back up account, and copy and paste a passcode.
Until they do that OSX Mail says "can not verify account name or password” for those accounts. The phrase “automatic syncing” shows up on a Microsoft page they are often taken to. This rarely if ever happens when the Macs are offline and IOS devices check the mail. ExpressVPN touts a Split Tunneling feature on Mac and Windows that can allegedly do the following: Allow every application to use the VPN. One or more applications to NOT use the VPN.
One or more applications as the ONLY applications to use the VPN. On the Mac, it makes no difference what Split Tunneling setting is chosen above; if OSX Mail is open when the VPN is enabled, the Microsoft email accounts get unverified. I tried contacting Microsoft and got passed around to people who don't have a clue. ExpressVPN is telling the customer there’s nothing they can do, it’s a Microsoft issue, and “it proves the VPN is working!”
I thought the point of VPN is to help protect web AND email from being snooped on in public WIFI or by an ISP.
Any suggestions (an alternative VPN?) would be gratefully appreciated.
Ping
"just a little frustrated
I used to use Express but now, I’ve switched to VPN Unlimited. Express wouldn’t allow me to stream Hulu or Amazon. Unlimited enables it. Also, Express has a monthly fee. Unlimited allows a one-time-for-all purchase.
Beyond this, I can’t help.
Do you have Macs with microsoft email accts on that account? Any issues?
I use IP vanish
No, I don’t. Most of my email accounts use google mail or, a few godaddy. Don’t ask why I have more than one email account. They were thrown at me by others.
I have it on TV and tablet and have split tunneling working easily.
Is your tablet an ipad?
ok, thx anyway!
I use Nord with no problems using Windows,Mac or Linux.
Been using Nord for years and HMA before that. I have 8 connections. Express should be comparable.
Unless you frequently travel to China and need to access websites blocked by the Great Firewall, you might be better off with some other VPN.
IF a company is founded somewhere that means they have deep roots to that location. Would you want to use a VPN that started in Hong Kong? That is the question you must ask yourself.
China is one of the world’s worst countries in terms of internet censorship and deep packet inspection. Also, if you are unaware of the situation, a lot of people think Hong Kong is autonomous from China as a government. But if you do your research, like reading this article, you can see that Beijing ultimately has control and say over Hong Kong, which means that pro democracy forces are kept in the shadow of the real power of internet control and censorship and jailed journalists.
Every Chinese VPN is pretty much owned by the government, or just blocked if they are not in compliance. If a Chinese based VPN is operating from Hong Kong, China, then you can be sure the Chinese government OWNS all the data. Here is some text to confirm from their own website archived on the internet via this link in 2009.
Sure, they could have an office in the British Virgin Islands, or say they are based there, but that doesn’t mean the company is controlled there. “Unlike other VPN services, our network is located in Hong Kong, which is Asia’s premier Internet hub and offers rapid data transmission speeds to Mainland China and the rest of the world.”
“A huge advantage of our location in Hong Kong is that we benefit from uncensored and unrestricted Internet access to the outside world”.
It was only in 2010, that ExpressVPN wizened up and stopped promoting themselves as a Chinese based VPN.]
I run into issues with Outlook, and some online services when they try to figure my location from my IP address.
Any account that requires a password to access uses the IP addresses of your unmasked network in it’s recognition algorithm. When you use a VPN you do not appear to be you to the algorithm.
So, you will be asked to prove you are you.
I have Norton VPN and if I attempt to access any account that is password protected while the VPN is active I am always required to prove I’m me.
I deactivate the VPN just to avoid the hassle when I’m at home. But, I jump through the hoops when on public WiFi.
I’m surprised the VPN service allows split tunneling but try this...
Don’t use Outlook or any other Microsoft Email Client, use their webmail service.
For example, I can use Outlook on my laptop or I can go to the webmail service and log in and use that...
I think the problem is the VPN service is routing your traffic thru their network and causing issues with the Microsoft clients....
Using the Webmail version for email would probably eliminate the issue...
Great insight, Zhang Fei.
Thank you.
If you want on or off the Apple/Mac/iOS Ping List, Freepmail me.
Bkmrk.
srmanuel wrote:
“I’m surprised the VPN service allows split tunneling but try this.”
ExpressVPN touts it and promotes it, but as described above in my OP, it doesn’t seem to work with Outlook accounts
“Don’t use Outlook or any other Microsoft Email Client, use their webmail service.”
Thats seems to work, but it means turning off those accounts in OSX Mail and keeping a web page open for each outlook account.
Thanks for the suggestions.
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