Can't check email with @home service and NetGear router

I just got a NetGear RT311 router for my cable modem and I am trying to set everything up. I connected the cable modem to the router, the router to a hub, and I am only connected from there to one computer right now. I have the internet working fine...(except that it doesn't recognize me as an @home member when I launch the @home start page)....I have AT&T @home service. However, I cannot check my e-mail with Outlook Express. I have all of the settings the way that they are supposed to be: POP3, and then 'mail' for ingoing and outgoing mails. I get the following error message:
The host 'mail' could not be found. Please verify that you have entered the server name correctly. Account: 'mail', Server: 'mail', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 11001, Error Number: 0x800CCC0D
I saw in the forums that others were having similar problems, but I did not understand the answers that you were giving. They were saying something about pinging something from a host computer, but I don't have a host computer......and I don't know what pinging is. I also noticed that some people had to change some of their network TCP/IP settings...like adding Gateways and Enabling DNS, but I don't what any of that is either.
Thanks,
Jim

1. RE: Can't check email with @home service and NetGear router
lbyard Nov-12-00 10:11 PM
In response to message 0

Step 1: Try searching this forum for the last year with @home. Larry

2. RE: Can't check email with @home service and NetGear router
therealcableguy Nov-20-00 09:38 PM
In response to message 1

Do not be so quick to blame your router.Excite@Home has a national problem with their e-mail.Any cable company reselling it to include: Att@Home,Comcast@Home,Cox@Home,Charter@Home and anybody else@Home is having e-mail problems.Have you bypassed the router to verify that is your problem? If you have I can't help.Sorry. If you have not,try that and see if the problem persists and you will know.

3. RE: Can't check email with @home service and NetGear router
millerman61 Nov-26-00 04:28 PM
In response to message 0

The answer to your question has to do with pinging. People are telling you the right thing to do. You need to disconnect the router and connect your modem directly to your nic. The way it was originally installed. Then open a dos window and type ping mail. This will return an ip address. Write the ip address down and type in the dos window ping -d 'whatever the ip address is'. This will return the name of the site. When I did this the site name that returned for me was lh1.rdc1.va.home.com. Use this name for both your pop3 and smtp server names instead of 'mail' for the server names in your account properties in Outlook Express. The reason you use the name of the sight instead of the ip address is sometimes the ip address can change, but the name usually doesn't change. Check to make sure your mail is working right now. If it is, then set your network back up and everything should continue to work right for you.

4. RE: Can't check email with @home service and NetGear router
dbazzz Dec-20-00 03:51 AM
In response to message 3

Thanks for the advice. It worked for me with ICS and a three computer peer to peer network. I have been unable to remove NetBeui though. When I remove it I am unable to access any of the clients on the network.