Plusnet authentication problem

[SallyAnderson]

Is anyone else who uses Plusnet for ISP having problems openign Adobe applications?  I can login to my account through a webpage but when Creative Cloud tries to open and links to an authenticaiton wepage https://ims-na1.adobelogin.com/ it doesn't work. This appears to be a Plusnet specific problem. I have two Plusnet accounts in different locations and neither of them work. I cannto open Acrobat Reader or Lightroom etc without being able to authenticate my account. Plusnet doesnt seem to undestand the problem is is at a loss.

[Nancy OShea]

More likely this is a connection and/or browser issue. 

1. Your system must enable TLS 1.2 connections or higher for security reasons.

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/multi/eol-tls-support.html

2. Use a good browser like Chrome or Firefox with latest updates that allows cookies and does NOT have script blockers. 

3. Test Connection to Adobe's Servers:

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-network-issues.html

[SallyAnderson]

Yes, I think I stated that it is a connection issue.

I use Google Chrome. I cannot access Adobe servers using step 3.

I have no idea what Step 1 means but it appears that others on the Plusnet forum with similar issues have resolved the problem by getting a new router. So wondering if that's what it is.

[Nancy OShea]

Before you go down a router rabbit hole, try connecting via another Internet provider, public WiFi for example.

The usual culprits are AV/Firewall.

If you have modern equipment with latest OS and browsers, TLS1.2 connections should be enabled by default.  But not so with older systems & software.

[SallyAnderson]

Firewall is not the issue. I use the most uptodate iOS Catalina. I have spend many happy hours (not) with Adobe agents looking at my computer to identify the issue and they finally decided it was a problem with my ISP.

[SallyAnderson]

PS The problem exists on whichever Apple device I use: iMac, MacBook and iPad. It exists in two locations using two different  Plusnet routers varying in age from 2-6 years. 

[SallyAnderson]

When this problem first started I couldn't even login to Adobe on a webpage. The only way I could login was via a mobile phone hotspot. Now I can login on the webpage but the authentication process required by my Adobe applications (Acrobat Reader, Creative Cloud, Lightroom and Photoshop) simply doesn't work on any device. Plusnet have raised an issue with their. "backroom team" but I suspect that since there appear to be only a few customers experiencing this problem it won't get a lot of attention. Luckily since I didn't close Acrobat Reader or Lightroom on my MacBook, can at least still use them temporarily to do some work.

[Nancy OShea]

Did you try

Solution 2: Reset your hosts file.

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-network-issues.html

[SallyAnderson]

Yes, been through all of that. I have spent umpteen hours myself trying to fix it and had 4 different Adobe agents working on my computer over a period of around a week. Nothing worked with the upshot that it must be my ISP. I wish Adobe and Plusnet could talk to each other.

I'm a press photographer so you can imagine how frustrating this is.

[SallyAnderson]

See here how other Adobe customers who use Plusnet have also had problems.

https://community.plus.net/t5/Broadband/unable-slow-connection-with-Adobe-Creative-Cloud/m-p/1872091...

[NCooke]

Hi. I've had the same issue, can't even log in to the Adobe site. Tried all the advanced fixes per Adobe website. However, it seems only to be a problem when accessing via my Plusnet router / home connection. Tried from same laptop when on holiday using the WiFi provided, and all is OK. Will try adding the DNS details per Sally's post when I get home and see if it fixes it. If so, would this point to a router problem? Nigel

[SallyAnderson · Accepted solution]

It would appear that I have finally - after about a week - solved this problem. Only by a good search around the internet and trying something that I really didn't understand. Someone on the Plusnet forum suggested adding a few DNS codes (no idea what these are). Hopefully this may help anyone else with this obscure problem. So on an iOS system:

System Preferences>Network (click the padlock to unlock if needed)>WiFi>Advanced>DNS>click + to add DNS server and add 212.159.13.49, click + again to add 212.159.13.50. `click + in Search Domains and add *adobelogin.com. Click OK Click Apply.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Sally, thank you very much for posting this information.  Did you ever encounter any specific error messages while trying to contact Adobe servers?  If so, did the same error message persist in multiple web browsers?

[SallyAnderson]

I tended, I think, to get the message 'Unable to reach Adobe servers', otherwise the wheel kept spinning and nothing happened. I only used Google Chrome. TBH I didn't think of changing my default to Safari and trying again but I expect I would have had the same problem as it was a connection issue to the Adobe authentication sites. If you use a different ISP to me, then presumably you'd need different DNS settings to add to those I have put in above.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Ok, thanks for the update and posting the solution that worked for you, Sally.  

We have been seeing a small number of users reporting persistent connection errors, so this could be the common thread.  Many of them also state they have tried the solutions offered by Nancy and listed in https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/common-network-connectivity-issues.html without success.

[tinaresearch]

Yes thankyou so much Sally! I've switched internet provider short term and it has solved the issue so its clearly a plusnet problem.  All very odd. I'll tackle the DNS stuff later when I have more time but thanks once again for taking the time to share. 

[Hadders_R]

Sally.  You are a life-saver.  I've had the same problem.  I couldn't log into any Adobe servers including this community.  This fine worked just fine on MacOS 10.15.7.  I am also using PlusNet.  It all seemed to be triggered by the recent MacOS update ... maybe.  Thanks again for posting the solution.

[Hadders_R]

P.S.  I also have a MacStudio on the latest Mac OS which didn't have the issue - same with iPhone using wifi connection with Safari.  So the problem was limited to my MacBook that cannot be upgraded past Catalina.

[SGCreative]

Yes I had exactly the same issue after installing system 10.15.7 security update on my 2013 iMac pro. I thought I was finally going to have to buy a new Mac! The solution posted by Sally worked like a charm, thanks

[pyeparr]

sally - thank you SO MUCH, ive wasted hours this morning with customer support trying to work out why i couldnt log in to my account through my desktop, before raging on twitter in a despair and then being sent here! I wish i'd have found this at 9.30 am this morning...

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Pyeparr, which operating system are you running on the affected computer?  Are you also using PlusNet as your Internet Service Provider?

[pyeparr]

yes, plusnet is my provider. im running Mac OS Catalina 10.15.7. every time i tried to click a sign in on adobe.com or adobe fonts, or i tried to access the CC application it hung, or gave me a message saying the Adobe servers where unavailable - this was on both my imac and macbook, but when i logged in on my phone it worked. I noticed if I shared a hotspot on my phone I could log in, but not if i was on my home Plusnet wifi (weirdly if i switched back to the wifi after id done the password etc it worked fine until i tried to log out then failed again) . Unfortunately I only found this out after spending 3.5 hours allowing the Adobe online support team to remotely access my mac and delete every adobe file and programme they could find - only to discover they couldnt then reinstall them as i still couldnt access the adobe servers (which was my only quibble in the first place!). All sorted now but a very frustrating morning.  

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Ok, thanks for the confirmation, Pyeparr!  Please do make sure to share your experience with Plusnet.  Hopefully, they can make the required change so that computers running Mac OS 10.15.7 don't have to keep manually adding a Domain Name Server to the Network settings.

I second, Pyeparr's thanks to Sally for posting this solution.  It does appear to be exclusive to individuals using Plusnet and running Mac OS 10.15.7 so far.  I am curious if this affects all computers running Mac OS 10 or only those that have applied all available updates?

[pyeparr]

ive been using plusnet for a year or two, and i only noticed the problem in the last month or so when I couldnt access the fonts site, so it must be something new somewhere. 

[pierrej75299790]

Hi,

running 10.14.6 and same issue for me. Thanks so much Sally for sharing the solution, works a treat 🙂