Email Tech Support

The e-mail server settings are listed below:

Incoming Mail (POP3): pop.alliancecom.net
Outgoing Mail (SMTP): smtp.alliancecom.net

Note: Alliance uses SMTP-Authentication to prevent hackers from using our server.  In your outgoing mail server settings, there should be an option for this.  Please consult the documentation for your email client software.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact technical support by dialing 611 during business hours or by calling 1-888-302-3130 after hours.

• Choose the MAIL application button on your screen
  
  

• Sign in with your Microsoft Account or click “Sign up for a Microsoft Account” 
  
  
• Choose IMAP and Click Connect(shown Below)
  
  
   
• Choose “Show more details” under the Password box 
  
  -> Type your username@alliancecom.net into the Email address box.
  
  -> Type your username into the Username box (Do not put @alliancecom.net after the username).
  
  -> Type your password in the Password box.
  
  -> Type imap.alliancecom.net in the Incoming (IMAP) Email server box.
  
  -> UNCHECK the box beside "Incoming server requires SSL" if it is checked.
  
  -> Type smtp.alliancecom.net into the Outgoing (SMTP) Email server box.
  
  -> Verify that the box next to Outgoing server requires SSL is checked.
  
  -> Verify that the Outgoing Server Requires authentication is checked.
  
  -> Verify that Use the same username and password to send and receive email is checked. Click Connect
  
  

• Choose the MAIL application button on your screen
  
  

• Open Charm Bar by pushing the Windows key and the C key on your keyboard at the same time or hovering your mouse in the top right corner of your screen. Choose settings on the Charm Bar 
  
  
   
• Choose Accounts
  
  
   
• Choose Add an account
  
  
   
• Choose Other account
  
  
   
• Choose IMAP and Click Connect
  
  
   
• Choose “Show more details” under the Password box 
  
  -> Type your username@alliancecom.net into the Email address box.
  
  -> Type your username into the Username box (Do not put @alliancecom.net after the username).
  
  -> Type your password in the Password box.
  
  -> Type imap.alliancecom.net in the Incoming (IMAP) Email server box.
  
  -> UNCHECK the box beside "Incoming server requires SSL" if it is checked.
  
  -> Type smtp.alliancecom.net into the Outgoing (SMTP) Email server box.
  
  -> Verify that the box next to Outgoing server requires SSL is checked.
  
  -> Verify that the Outgoing Server Requires authentication is checked.
  
  -> Verify that Use the same username and password to send and receive email is checked. Click Connect
  
  

Below are the instructions for setting up an Alliance email address in Outlook 2010. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. Click outside of the picture to return them to normal size.

1. Start Outlook. On the FILE tab, click INFO and then ADD ACCOUNT.
   
   
    
2. In the ADD NEW ACCOUNT window, click on MANUALLY CONFIGURE SERVER SETTINGS OR ADDITIONAL SERVER TYPES. Click NEXT.
   
   
    
3. When asked to choose an E-mail service, click Internet E-mail and then click NEXT.
   
   
    
4. The Internet E-mail Settings window will appear. Here, enter the following information:
   
   -> Enter your name and Alliance email address.
   -> Enter your Alliance username and password
   -> Account Type: POP3
   -> Incoming Mail Server: pop.alliancecom.net
   -> Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.alliancecom.net
   
   Click the MORE SETTINGS button.
   
   
    
5. In the INTERNET EMAIL SETTINGS window, click on the OUTGOING SERVER tab. Check the box labeled My Outgoing Server (SMTP) Requires Authentication. Make sure that it is set to Use Same Settings as My Incoming Mail Server. Click OK when done.
   
   
    
6. Click NEXT and Outlook will test your settings. If all of the tests pass, click FINISH to complete the setup. If a test fails, go back and double-check your settings for spelling errors. Also look for spaces at the beginning or end of the username and password.

Below are the instructions for setting up an Alliance email address in Outlook 2007. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. Click outside of the picture to return them to normal size.

1. Start Outlook. Go to TOOLS > ACCOUNT SETTINGS.
   
   
    
2. In the ACCOUNT SETTINGS window, click the E-mail tab and then click NEW.
   
   
    
3. When asked to choose an E-mail service, click Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP or HTTP and then click NEXT.
   
   
    
4. When the Auto Account Setup window appears, check Manually configure server settings or additional server typesand click NEXT.
   
   
    
5. The Choose E-mail Service screen will appear. Choose INTERNET E-MAIL and click NEXT.
   
   
    
6. The Internet E-mail Settings window will appear. Here, enter the following information:
   
   -> Enter your name and Alliance email address.
   -> Enter your Alliance username and password
   -> Account Type: POP3
   -> Incoming Mail Server: pop.alliancecom.net
   -> Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.alliancecom.net
   
   Click the MORE SETTINGS button.
   
   
    
7. In the INTERNET EMAIL SETTINGS window, click on the OUTGOING SERVER tab. Check the box labeled My Outgoing Server (SMTP) Requires Authentication. Make sure that it is set to Use Same Settings as My Incoming Mail Server. Click OK when done.
   
   
    
8. Click FINISH to complete the setup.
   
   

• Open Thunderbird, and choose Create a new Account.
• Choose "Skip this and use my existing e-mail"
  
  

• Type in your Name, full e-mail address, and your password and choose continue (it is your personal preference to leave the remember password box checked or unchecked)
  
  

• Choose Manual Config
  
  
   
• Copy every setting in the picture below except the username in the bottom left. You will need to enter your username in that box and choose done
  
  

• Choose Confirm Security Exception (this allows the incoming server)
  
  

• When sending your first e-mail, you will get an error saying that you are unable to send the e-mail. 
  
  

• Choose Okay and another “Add Security Exception” will pop up for you. Choose “Confirm Security Exception” and this will allow the outgoing server to send e-mail.
  
  

• Thunderbird is now setup and ready to use.

Below are the instructions for setting up an Alliance email address in Windows Live Mail. CAUTION: please ensure that the program you have is Windows Live Mail, and not Windows Mail. Windows Mail is the default email program in Windows Vista, and it has different instructions than Windows Live Mail.

Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. Click outside of the picture to return them to normal size.

1. Start Windows Live Mail. On the left-hand side, click ADD AN E-MAIL ACCOUNT. If this option is not readily viewable, you may need to scroll down or click on MAIL to find it.
    
2. The ADD AN E-MAIL ACCOUNT wizard will start. In this screen, add your Alliance email address, your email password, and your name in the way that you would like it displayed in your emails. Once this information has been entered, click NEXT. DO NOT CLICK THE CHECK BOX AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW.
   
   
    
3. In the next screen, the wizard asks you for your server information:
   
   -> Server Type: POP3
   -> Incoming Server: pop.alliancecom.net
   -> Outgoing Server: smtp.alliancecom.net
   -> Log On Using: Clear Text Authentication
   -> Port: 110
   -> Login ID: your email username
   -> Check My Server Requires Authentication
   
   
    
4. Click NEXT and then click FINISH to complete the setup.

Below are the instructions for setting up an Alliance email address in Windows Mail. CAUTION: please ensure that the program you have is Windows Mail, and not Windows Live Mail. Windows Live Mail has different instructions thanWindows Mail.  Windows Mail is the default email program on Vista.

Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. Click outside of the picture to return them to normal size.

1. Start Windows Mail. Click TOOLS > ACCOUNTS.
   
    
2. In the INTERNET ACCOUNTS window, click the ADD button.
   
    
3. For the account type, select E-Mail Account.
   
    
4. Enter your display name and click NEXT.
   
    
5. Enter your email address and click NEXT.
   
    
6. In the SET UP E-MAIL SERVERS screen, enter the following information:
   
   -> Server Type: POP3
   -> Incoming Server: pop.alliancecom.net
   -> Outgoing Server: smtp.alliancecom.net
   -> Check the box labeled Outgoing server requires authentication
   
   Click NEXT.
   
    
7. Enter your email username and password and click NEXT. Username and password ARE CASE SENSITIVE.
   
    
8. You are finished. At this point you can choose to download your email by checking the box, or you can leave it unchecked and download email the next time you start Windows Mail. Click FINISH to end the setup wizard.
   

• Tap the e-mail icon to open the e-mail application.
  
  

• You will see the Welcome to e-mail setup screen. Tap on the Start button at the bottom of the screen. 
  
  

• This will bring us to the Select Email Provider screen. tap on Other at the bottom of the list.
  
  
   
• This will bring us to the enter your username and password. (The username is the entire e-mail address) After entering in this information tap next at the bottom of the screen.
  
  

• Then we will see the account type screen. Tap on the IMAP option.
  
  

• This will bring us to the Incoming server settings screen. Tap the Next button when you are finished changing the settings.
  
  

• Next we will see the Outgoing server settings screen as seen below. Click the Next button on the bottom after correcting settings.
  
  

• This will bring us to the Inbox settings screen. Leave the Folder poll frequency setting to Manually as seen below. Then tap the Next button at the bottom of the screen.
  
  

• This will take us to the Other Setup screen. Type in your name on the top box as you would like it to appear on outgoing messages. Then type in alliancecom.net for the account name as seen below. Tap the View your inbox button at the bottom of the screen once you are finished. This should take you to your inbox screen, and e-mail setup is complete.
  
  

Setting up email in an  iPad involves the following steps.

1. Verify that your device has Internet access before continuing.
2. In your device, tap the Settings button.
   
   
    
3. In the device settings window, tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars in the left-hand column. In the right-hand column, tapAdd Account...
   
   
4. From the list of email types, tap Other.
   
   
5. Under the Mail field, tap Add Mail Account.
   
   
6. In the New Account window, type in your name, Alliance email address and password. The description field should be filled already. Click Next.
   
   
7. When asked to specify either IMAP or POP3, choose POP3. For the incoming mail server host name, enterpop.alliancecom.net, along with your email username and password. For the outgoing mail server host name, entersmtp.alliancecom.net, along with your email username and password. Click Save.
   
   
8. If you are not connected to the Internet when you set up your email account, or if you have typed in your username or password incorrectly in the previous step, you may see the screen below. If so, click Continue and make sure that you are online and that you spelled everything correctly.
   
   
    
9. At this point, you are done configuring your email account. Press the round button on the bottom of the device to return to the device desktop

Setting up email in an iPhone or iPod Touch involves the following steps.

1. Verify that your device has Internet access before continuing.
2. On your device's desktop, tap the Settings button.
3. In the device settings window, tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars and then tap Add Account.
   
   
4. From the list of email types, tap Other.
   
   
5. Under the Mail field, you will probably see any other email accounts that you have already set up.  You can ignore these, and just tap Add Account.
   
   
6. In the New Account window, click on POP at the top of the screen.  Type in your name, Alliance email address and password. The description field should be filled already. Click Save.
   
   
7. For the incoming mail server host name, enter pop.alliancecom.net, along with your email username and password. Click Save.
   
   
8. For the outgoing mail server host name, enter smtp.alliancecom.net, along with your email username and password. Click Save.
   
   
9. At this point, you are done configuring your email account.  If everything worked correctly, you should see a screen similar to the one below.
   
   

Below are the instructions for setting up an Alliance email address on the Macintosh email program. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. Click outside of the picture to return them to normal size.

• Go to the mail setup screen.
  
  -> From the applications menu, select Email. 
  
  -> If you have a previous e-mail account created, press Menu, then Add account. 
  
  * (Instead of the Email application, some Droid phones use the My Accounts application for setting up e-mail accounts.)

• On this screen, enter your Alliance email address and password. Select MANUAL SETUP.
  
  

• When prompted to select the account type, choose POP or POP3.
   
• Enter the incoming email server settings. 
  
  -> Leave the security type set to None.
  
  -> Depending on the customer's situation, they may or may not want the droid to delete email from the server. In this example, we will leave the option set to Never.
  
  
   
• Enter the outgoing email server settings.
  
  -> Change Security Type to SSL and the port to 465.
  
  -> Instead of "Security type", some Droid phones have check boxes marked Use secure connection and Verify Certificate. Make sure Use secure connection is checked.
  
  
   
• In the Account Options window, you can specify how often your droid checks for new messages. You can also make this account the default account, as well as enable/disable email notification.
  
  
   
• In the last screen, you can specify the account name on the phone, as well as your name. The first box is optional, while the second box is required. Press DONE when finished.
  
  

• Log into your Alliance webmail.
• In the menu on the left, click on MAIL -> FILTERS. Click on 'Vacation' to edit the propterties for this filter.
  
  

• Enter the starting and ending dates, the subject, and the body of the message.
  
  
• Click on the ADVANCED SETTINGS tab.
  
  

If you are traveling outside of the Alliance service area and find that you cannot send email, the local ISP is probably blocking outgoing email on port 25 (the standard SMTP email port).  Many ISPs do this to prevent infected customer computers from sending email out from their network.

To get around this problem, open your email settings and edit the outgoing server configuration.  You will need to enableSSL encryption on the outgoing connection and change the port number from 25 to 465.  These settings can usually be found in the advanced settings (or MORE SETTINGS, in the case of Microsoft Outlook).

If this fails to resolve the problem, then the ISP does not allow any outgoing email that is not from their email servers, or a firewall is blocking the connection to the server.  The next best solution would be to log into Alliance webmail and use that service to send and receive emails while traveling.  The address is http://webmail.alliancecom.net.  Simply log in with your Alliance email username and password.

You can access your webmail in two different ways:

1. Type in the address http://webmail.alliancecom.net in your browser window and hit enter. In the Webmail box, type in your user name (same as your e-mail address) and password. Open, read, save or delete messages, just as you would on your home computer.
2. Click on the Webmail Login tab at the top of the Alliance Web site.  This link will take you to the Alliance webmail login.

The best way to reduce Spam is by adding a Spam filter to your Alliance e-mail address. Spam messages are diverted to a "greymail" box so you can read them if you choose to do so. You can purchase both the virus and Spam filters for $2.50 per month. Dial 611 to have the features added to your Internet account.

You should also purchase additional security software.

In the past several months, numerous emails have been sent to Alliance customers, purporting to be from Alliance Communications.  The subject lines of these emails are usually something to the effect of "Alliance Customer Care", "Dear Alliancecom Account Subscriber", "Confirm your Alliancecom.net Webmail Account to Avoid Closure", "Dear Valuable Customer", etc.  The messages ostensibly come from “Alliance Internet Support”, “Alliance System Support”, “Alliancecom.net Support Team”, or some other variation.  The content of these messages usually warns of a variety of webmail account problems the recipient will encounter if they do not promptly reply:

• Compromised accounts are being restricted
• Account deletion is being conducted in preparation for a system upgrade
• Unused accounts are being deleted
• Mailbox storage limit has been reached
• Accounts are being migrated to a new system
• A maintenance process to fight spam is being conducted
• Webmail is being upgraded

These emails are referred to as a phishing scheme, which can be defined as an attempt by someone to gain access to personal information that they should not have.  In the case of this particular scheme, the sender is targeting ISPs like Alliance, and they are asking the recipient to either reply to the message the his/her email username or password.

Do not respond to these emails, as they are not legitimate.. The best course of action when you receive such an email is to delete it.

Ways to spot these fraudulent phishing attempts include:

• Broken English
• Bad grammar
• Numerous typos
• Messages are not directly addressed to the recipient
• Links in the email contain alliancecom.net on the end, but have other elements that don’t look quite right: e.g.http://www.somephishingguy.ru/email/alliancecom.net
• Emails with FROM: addresses or URLs with hostnames ending in foreign countries or non-AllianceCom.net addressees:  
  e.g. Alliance Support [ viktorb@kgb.ru], Internet Team [ igor@cialis4u.bg], Alliance Web Support Team [support@alliancecom.gnic.fr], etc.

Also, if you subscribe to the Alliance Communications Spam and Virus Filter, these messages will be quarantined.  If you receive a message in your quarantine, purporting to be from Alliance Communications, disregard it.  All email correspondence sent by Alliance Communications to its customers is not filtered by the Spam and Virus firewall.  These messages should be treated like any other spam message and deleted.  Whether you subscribe to the Spam and Virus filter or not, always remember that Alliance Communications never solicits account information from its customers via email.

Here is an example of a recent phishing e-mail:

From: Alliancecom Internet [mailto: helpdesk@alliancecom.net]
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2010 12:01 PM
Subject: Alliancecom Important Information

Announcements

Your ticket has been assigned an ID of [alliancecom.net #788818].
************************************************************************
We will be conducting our regularly scheduled maintenance, to ensure that we provide the highest quality in Internet connectivity and services to customers. Your connectivity and services with us may be interrupted for short periods during the maintenance window. We will also ensure minimal disruption to services where possible.

In order to enable us perform quality maintenance on your Internet access and e-mail service, please you must reply to this e-mail message confirming your Alliancecom webmail account details with us.

Do confirm your account details below.
*******************************************
1. First Name & Last Name:
2. Full User Email Address:
3. Password:
4. Retype Password:
*******************************************

NOTE: Failure to respond to this e-mail message may result to technical problems on your Internet access and e-mail service.

Thanks for your understanding, we wish you a pleasant day ahead.
**************************************************************************

To change your username or password, you may contact our office during busines hours by dialing 611 from any phone with Alliance service or call 605-594-3411.

People with weak passwords often fall prey to hackers and spammers who look to exploit security holes in computer systems.  A weak password on an e-mail account can easily be cracked by a hacker, who can in turn use the account for nefarious purposes such as spamming and identity theft.

A weak password on a Web site can lead to on-line "grafitti"... a situation in which a hacker accesses the Web space and defaces the site.  Also, hackers can access sites and plant worms, trojans, and other forms of malware that can infect the computers of people visiting the site.

A truly strong password should be at least five characters in length, and it should consist of a mixture of numbers, lettters (both upper and lowercase), and symbols.  A good password should also be something that can be remembered.  A password that is written on a sticky note and pasted to a monitor is a security risk.  Spend some time thinking about your password.

Yes.  To set up secure e-mail, your e-mail program must support it.  Please consult the documentation for your e-mail program for support and setup information.  To send and receive e-mail securely via your Alliance e-mail account, use the following settings:

Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.alliancecom.net
Incoming Server (POP3) SSL Port Number: 995
Outgoing Server (SMTP) SSL Port Number: 465