ARCHIVED: How can I check my IU email from home?

To access your Indiana University email from home, you must first establish an Internet connection, as described below. Then you can choose one of the methods from the Ways to access your email section further down in this document.

Connecting to the Internet

• On-campus Ethernet

  If you live in campus housing at IU Bloomington or IUPUI, you may have access to an Ethernet connection in your room or apartment. For more information, see the Knowledge Base document Connect to the network in IU Bloomington or IU Indianapolis campus housing

  • IU Bloomington: To determine what type of Ethernet cable needed, see Ethernet cables for Bloomington residences.

    If your room uses a standard Ethernet cable, you will need to provide the cable yourself. If your room uses the proprietary IU Ethernet cable and it is not provided upon arrival, TCC is open for IU crossover cable pickups.

  • IU Indianapolis: In Ball Residence Hall, the Campus Apartments on the Riverwalk, North Hall, and the Tower, use a standard Ethernet cable.

  For help or to report a problem with computing in your Indiana University Bloomington or IUPUI campus housing residence, contact the UITS Support Center. At IUB, you can also speak with a consultant in the Information Commons, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Commercial Internet service providers

  For information about Internet service providers (ISPs) in the Bloomington and Indianapolis areas, see the following Knowledge Base documents:

  • ARCHIVED: Finding an Internet service provider (ISP)
  • ARCHIVED: In Bloomington, what are my options for high-speed Internet access?
  • ARCHIVED: What are the ISPs in the Indianapolis area?
  • ARCHIVED: How can I get free access to the Internet?
  
  
• Modem

  If you live off campus and wish to connect to the IU modem pools using your phone line, you will need to have a modem (see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: What kind of modem should I buy to use at IU?) and the appropriate communications software. Students, faculty, and staff may obtain this software already configured for use at IU via IUware.

  Once you have a modem, if you are using Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP, UITS strongly recommends that you purchase the IUware CD and install the PPP Wizard. This will configure your computer and modem specifically for access to IU using PPP. For more information, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: What software is available on the IUware CD?

  If you are using Mac OS or Mac OS X, use Apple Remote Access or Internet Connect to make a dial-up connection. For more information on how to set this up, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: How do I configure my Mac OS PPP client to use the IUB or IUPUI modem pools? or ARCHIVED: At IUB or IUPUI, in Mac OS X, how do I connect to the modem pool?

  To reduce the risk of disconnects, you may want to disable call waiting before making a dial-up connection. For more information, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: How does call waiting affect a modem connection, and how can I deactivate it? If you are calling long distance to IUB, you need to use area code 812. If you are calling long distance to IUPUI, you need to use area code 317.

  At IUB, if you are using a PPP connection, you can dial up using the following numbers:

  • 856-5200 (two-hour connect time)
  • 856-5202 (eight-hour connect time)

  At IUPUI, if you are using a PPP connection, you can dial up using the following number:

  • 278-5620 (four-hour connect time)

  If you have problems with your modem connection, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: What should I do if I have problems with a modem connection?

Ways to access your email

• IU Webmail

  If you have a Cyrus mail account, you can read your email with IU Webmail, a web-based email system available for users at IU. It provides basic email functionality through a simple web interface, allowing you to read email easily from anywhere in the world without having to reconfigure a browser or email client software. It also allows you to send and open attachments easily from your desktop. For more information on using IU Webmail, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: Features of IU Webmail.

• IMAP

  You can use IMAP to access your email on the Cyrus mail system. Setting up an IMAP client is more involved than using IU Webmail, but you may find it easier to use and more functional. Common IMAP clients include Netscape Messenger, Outlook Express, Entourage, and Mac OS X Mail. For information on using these and other IMAP clients, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: Reading your Cyrus mail using a desktop client.

• Accessing your Exchange account

  If you have an Exchange account at IUB or IUPUI, you can access your Exchange email using a web browser. Use the following URL for the Outlook Web Access (OWA) secure site:

    https://www.exchange.iu.edu/

  Alternatively, you can set up Outlook to access the Exchange server. For more information, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: From my home computer, how can I use Outlook to read my IU Exchange account mail?

  Note: In Outlook 2003 or earlier, or with a connection to Indiana University via an outside Internet service provider (ISP) with handheld synchronization software, you must establish a VPN connection before connecting to your Exchange mailbox. See About the IU VPN and ARCHIVED: At IU, using an outside ISP, why can't I connect to my Exchange account with Outlook or BlackBerry Desktop Manager?

  You may also use an IMAP client to access your Exchange account, though you can access only the email portion of your account; calendars, tasks, and other features of Exchange are not available using IMAP clients. For more information, see the Knowledge Base document ARCHIVED: Reading your Exchange mail using a desktop client.