Xtra & ADSL authentication

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Xtra & ADSL authentication

bigal_nz

635 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#42808 11-Oct-2009 19:47

Hi guys,

I often find myself helping friends out with there ADSL install, guess thats what it means to be geek amongst my friends?

Anyway....I recently heard, 3rd hand, that Xtra no longer requires authentication on there network, but I also heard that if you dont authenticate, and you want to send/receive email using a 3rd party server, like you would if you had yourdomain.co.nz email type address, that you would be unable to send email if your not authenticated when establishing your ADSL session?

I setup a ADSL modem for a mate recently and Xtra flat out refused to create a ADSL username/password saying I did not need to authenticate. I tried to explain that in the interests of not having a crippled service (going on what I was told above) I wanted to authenticate - anyway they refused.

Can anyone clarify this issue?

I appreciate that for outgoing email for a 3rd party domain you may use the xtra server or you could use the 3rd pary server with auth or out going email, and I also cant remember where that fitted into what I had heard about non authenticated ADSL sessions and 3rd party email addresses.

Hope my question is clear?

Cheers

-Al

PenultimateHop

637 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#263318 11-Oct-2009 20:00

They are moving to using line identification (provided by the DSLAM and BRAS), away from username and password. This significantly reduces the password related calls to the callcentres for support.

All functions should work without needing a username (e.g. port 25 filtering opt-out) because they can be associated with your line.

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bigal_nz

635 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#263323 11-Oct-2009 20:22

Hmmm, this thread seems to address the issue quite well:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=39&topicid=22612

So you need to add the 3rd party address. I cant verify it, but perhaps authenticating may also fix the issue?

-Al

Spyware

3261 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#263340 11-Oct-2009 21:21

ADSL credentials such as user.xadsl@xtra.co.nz and assiciated password are required in router to receive a static public IP address and have nothing whatsoever to do with email services. All email accounts have usernames provided and passwords set so you can receive emails from pop3.xtra.co.nz and send via send.xtra.co.nz using SSL and authentication.

Spark Max Fibre using Mikrotik CCR1009-8G-1S-1S+, CRS125-24G-1S, Unifi UAP, U6-Pro, UAP-AC-M-Pro, Apple TV 4K (2022), Apple TV 4K (2017), iPad Air 1st gen, iPad Air 4th gen, iPhone 13, SkyNZ3151 (the white box). If it doesn't move then it's data cabled.

Lurch

1054 posts

Uber Geek

#263488 12-Oct-2009 13:48

PenultimateHop: They are moving to using line identification (provided by the DSLAM and BRAS), away from username and password. This significantly reduces the password related calls to the callcentres for support.

All functions should work without needing a username (e.g. port 25 filtering opt-out) because they can be associated with your line.

If this is the case then way am I told that the user <username> has the port 25 set as open?

If the above is true maybe this is the problem I'm facing and they havent linked my phone line for the port 25 opt out?

ptinson

677 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#263567 12-Oct-2009 20:57

Your xtra (<user>@xtra.co.nz) user name is for mail, dialup(cough) and Yahoo!Xtra services, it also where you setup alternate email ddresses and create sub account, manage password and the like.

Your xadsl (<user.xadsl>@xtra.co.nz) account is used to assign you static IP addresses and port 25 opt out.

You should not be told you dont need an xtra username/password, its simply not true, you can however do without the user.xadsl if you dont care about such things as mentioned above.

Normally you should be directed to the web site to create an xtra username if you dont have one, however,if you are going through the broadband help desk i think they are meant to run you through that process. I could be wrong on this and someone here feel free to correct me if i am.

Lurch, CTS should be able to run your issue to ground but if everything looks right to them then they may have few optoins, and you might want to respectfully ask for an escalation on your case if the issue appears to be outside something they can fix.

meat popsicle

Blindspot

58 posts

Master Geek

#263634 13-Oct-2009 10:02

well I ported from Slingshot and happily connected to telecom without changing a thing in my router. This suggest that any username will work fine.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29045 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#263652 13-Oct-2009 12:07

Blindspot: well I ported from Slingshot and happily connected to telecom without changing a thing in my router. This suggest that any username will work fine.

now that's a real concern. may i suggest that you're still connected to your slingshot, havent touched your xtra at all, and slingshot will continue to bill you.

hmm ...

ptinson

677 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#263752 13-Oct-2009 21:16

The OP made a comment about the lack of needing to authenticate.

My post above tried to point this out as well (i could have been clearer) unless you want specific things like static IP or port 25 opt out etc.

It is very unlikely, if you have a Telecom account with an active broadband connection that you will inadvertantly be making your way over to the slingshot authentication server/s and racking up charges.
It is more likely that you are connected to your telecom service.

I would be very interested in any reports of this happening though.

meat popsicle

bigal_nz

635 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#263774 13-Oct-2009 21:59

So there is a consensus that Xtra helpdesk should provide a xadsl login if requested?

cbrpilot

890 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

Spark NZ

#263858 14-Oct-2009 12:04

If you have a DSL line with Telecom, they should create you a username if you request it. Suggest you ring and ask again. Once you have a username/password, go to www.xtra.co.nz/port25 and down the bottom of the page there is a link to be able to opt out of port 25 filtering. Also make sure the username and password are config'd in your modem.

My views are my own, and may not necessarily represent those of my employer.

ptinson

677 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#263954 14-Oct-2009 21:18

Of course to confuse matters it depends on how you become a customer, if you call and signup, you will get your useraccount (or should) as a matter of course as you get setup, if you are given the @xtra.co.nz account details and have broadband you will most likely have the @xtra.co.nz account.
Its part of the process.

The same is mostly true for online registration.

The caveat to this is if you sign up in store, you are more likely to have not been setup with an account as happened to one friend. He was meant to be directed to online registartion so that he could create his account but wasn't.

The long and short is yes your right Al, if you have dsl services with Telecom you can request an xadsl username but you should already have one, you just might not be aware of its existence.

Hope i am not confusing the matter, this looks a bit of a ramble.

meat popsicle

Blindspot

58 posts

Master Geek

#264039 15-Oct-2009 10:06

I had an xtra ip address, so yeah i was def connected on xtra.