For rcn.com, astound.net, Grande and Wave addresses
Astound Email App, RCN Webmail App and Astound Email Settings in One Inbox
Astound makes no mail app, and its servers refuse connections from Europe. Inboxes opens your Astound mailbox over IMAP from the United States, beside Gmail and work mail, on any computer you sign in from.
IMAP 993 · Normal password · Nothing to install
In short
There is no Astound email app. The My Astound app pays bills and tracks technicians, and it does not read mail, so an rcn.com, astound.net or mygrande.net address is read either in Astound webmail or in a mail program over IMAP. Astound runs four separate mail platforms under one brand, and the server depends on the address: imap.rcn.com for RCN, mail.astound.net for astound.net, mail.mygrande.net for Grande and mail.entouch.net for Houston. Incoming is IMAP on port 993 with SSL, outgoing is port 587 with authentication, and the password is your ordinary email password, with no app password step. Two traps catch most people. Grande wants only the user name, not the full address. And Astound blocks webmail, IMAP and POP from every EU country, which we confirmed by connecting from Warsaw and from Virginia.
Astound email settings by address
Four Astound mail platforms, four sets of settings
Astound is the combined brand of RCN, Grande, Wave and enTouch, and each kept its own mail servers. Match the part after the @ in your address, then use that card.
DC Metro, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania
RCN legacy
rcn.com, erols.com, starpower.net
- IMAP, port 993 SSL
- imap.rcn.com
- SMTP, port 587, auth on
- smtp.rcn.com
- User name
- Full address, [email protected]
California, Maryland, Oregon, Washington
Astound and Wave
astound.net, myastound.net, wavecable.com and the other West Coast domains
- IMAP, port 993 SSL
- mail.<your domain>
- SMTP, port 587, auth on
- mail.<your domain>
- User name
- Full address, [email protected]
Texas outside Houston
Grande
mygrande.net, grandecom.net
- IMAP, port 993 SSL
- mail.mygrande.net
- SMTP, port 587, auth on
- mail.mygrande.net
- User name
- User name only, no @mygrande.net
Houston
enTouch
entouch.net
- IMAP, port 993 SSL
- mail.entouch.net
- SMTP, port 587, auth on
- mail.entouch.net
- User name
- Full address, [email protected]
West Coast domains each have their own host. Astound lists mail.wavecable.com, mail.myastound.net, mail.wbcable.net, mail.cedarcomm.com, mail.cni.net, mail.broadstripe.net, mail.cablespeed.com, mail.starstreamcable.com and mail.ssctv.net. A starstream.net address uses mail.wavecable.com, and countrycable.net reads from mail.countrycablevision.net but sends through smtp.countrycablevision.net.
Ports and security. IMAP on 993 with SSL, or 143 without it. POP on 995 or 110, though POP moves mail onto one device and suits nobody who reads on a phone and a laptop. Outgoing on 587 with STARTTLS or TLS, or on 25, which many home and mobile networks block. SMTP authentication is required everywhere.
Password. The ordinary webmail password, case sensitive, for both incoming and outgoing. Astound issues no app passwords and uses clear text authentication, so in Outlook leave secure password authentication unticked. There is no password change inside webmail itself; Astound routes it through Forgot password or the My Astound account.
The Astound problem nobody else mentions
Why Astound email stops working in Europe
Astound blocks the whole EU. Its settings article says that since the GDPR rules took effect in May 2018, Astound webmail, IMAP and POP cannot be used from EU countries, and it names all 27, from Austria to Sweden. That covers the browser, the iPhone Mail app and Outlook on a laptop, because each of them connects from wherever you happen to be.
We checked it ourselves. From a connection in Warsaw, imap.rcn.com, mail.astound.net, mail.mygrande.net, mail.entouch.net and mail.wavecable.com all dropped the connection before saying a word. From Virginia, every one of them answered with IMAP4 ready on the first try.
What still works abroad. A client that connects from the United States on your behalf. Inboxes signs in to Astound from US servers, so if you connect the mailbox before you fly, it keeps syncing while you read and reply in a browser in Lisbon or Munich. Astound's list names only EU members; the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway are not on it.
Every way to read an Astound mailbox
Seven routes to Astound email, compared
What separates them is where they run, whether they hold your other addresses, and whether they survive a trip to Europe.
Swipe to see all columns →
| Route to Astound email | Runs on | Holds other accounts too | Works from the EU | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inboxes | Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, in a browser tab | Yes, one merged board | Yes, it connects from the US | 29 dollars a month, five mailboxes, half that billed yearly |
| An Astound email app | Nothing. Astound publishes none | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not distributed |
| My Astound app | iPhone and Android | It reads no mail at all | Not applicable | Included with service |
| Astound or RCN webmail | Any browser | No, one address at a time | No, blocked | Included, with ads unless you switch to the basic HTML view |
| iPhone or Android Mail app | The phone only | Yes | No, blocked | Included with the phone |
| Thunderbird | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes, through Unified Folders | No, blocked | Open source, no license fee |
| Classic Outlook | Windows and macOS only | Yes, several accounts in one profile | No, blocked | Part of a Microsoft 365 subscription |
Server names, ports, login formats, storage and the EU list come from Astound's own Email and Server Settings for All Markets article. The My Astound feature list is from its Google Play listing. The Europe column is our own connection test. At home in the US, Thunderbird and the phone's built in Mail app are honest, no license fee answers if one combined list on one device is all you need.
When the setup fails
Astound email not working in Outlook or on iPhone
An astound.net address pointed at RCN servers. In March 2025 an iPhone 16 owner on Apple's forum described Astound's own instructions sending an astound.net account to pop.rcn.com and smtp.rcn.com, and neither Apple nor Astound support could say why it failed. It connected once the incoming and outgoing servers were both mail.astound.net, on 993 and 587. If your address ends in astound.net, nothing in your setup should say rcn.
The iPhone that only offers POP. The same owner found that iOS guessed POP and hid the IMAP choice. The workaround that worked was to type a wrong address first so iOS showed both options, pick IMAP, then correct the address. Choose IMAP whenever you can, or the phone and the laptop will each hold half of your mail.
Grande and the full address. Grande is the exception to Astound's own rule: the login is the user name alone. Type [email protected] and the server answers as if the password were wrong, so people reset a password that was fine all along.
Error 554 5.7.1 Authentication Failed, must login. Astound's article gives this one directly: the program is sending without signing in. Turn on authentication for the outgoing server and use the same user name and password as incoming. While you are in there, use port 587 rather than 25, which many home and mobile networks block.
Our note on the best email client for Astound email picks a program for each of these situations, including the one where you travel.
Setting it up
Astound email in a desktop app, in three steps
No installer and no Astound software. The connection lives with us rather than on each device, so every computer you open it on shows the same board.
Step 1
Find your card above
Match the domain after the @ to one of the four platforms and note the server and the user name format. Grande means user name only.
Step 2
Add Astound, then the rest
Enter the server, port 993 and your normal Astound password. Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, iCloud and your own domain join the same way, each with its own login.
Step 3
Read it anywhere
Every message gets a category and a spam verdict as it arrives. Open the board from home, from the office, or from a hotel in Europe where Astound itself would turn you away.
Where a browser client fits
What you get with Inboxes
The job Astound has no product for, which is holding an Astound address and every other mailbox in one list, on any computer, in any country.
Astound beside everything else
Your rcn.com or astound.net address in the same stream as Gmail, Yahoo and your own domain, sorted by arrival with the source account on each row.
Mail that follows you abroad
The connection to Astound runs from the US, so the EU block that stops webmail and every phone app does not reach the board you read.
One setup, every machine
Outlook and Thunderbird are configured per computer. Here the mailbox is connected once, so the desktop, the laptop and a Chromebook mail app all show the same board.
Replies from the right address
A message sent to your rcn.com address is answered from it. Forwarding into Gmail breaks that unless you also set up Send as, which Google removes for outside addresses in January 2027.
No ads in the way
Astound webmail shows ads unless you drop to its basic HTML view. The board shows your mail and nothing else.
Sorting across all of them
An address that has been live since the RCN days collects statements, renewal notices and newsletters. A category and a spam verdict land on every message as it arrives.
Where this is the wrong answer
What Inboxes does not do
It does not change Astound's mailbox. Storage, spam filtering on Astound's side and account rules all stay with Astound. A full 5 GB mailbox still bounces new mail; we cannot add space to it.
It cannot bring back a closed address. WOW! addresses in Astound markets closed on May 1, 2025, and Astound's page says mail not forwarded before then was lost. If the address no longer signs in to Astound webmail from the US, it will not sign in here either.
It does not use OAuth anywhere. We connect with a user name and password over IMAP, which suits an Astound address perfectly and rules out others. An outlook.com, hotmail.com or Microsoft 365 work address will not connect here. Astound, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, iCloud, Zoho and own domain mailboxes all do.
No calendar, no contacts, no offline mode, and no permanent tier that costs nothing. It runs in a browser tab, and plans start at 29 dollars a month for five mailboxes. If you never leave the US and one combined list on one computer is the whole problem, Thunderbird or your phone's Mail app will do it with no license fee. The case for paying starts when you read on several machines, travel, or want the volume itself cut down.
FAQ
Questions people ask about the Astound email app
Is there an Astound email app?
No. Astound publishes a webmail site and the My Astound app, and My Astound only handles the account: bills, AutoPay, technician arrival, voicemail and contact details. It does not open a mailbox. To read an rcn.com, astound.net or mygrande.net address in an app you add it to a mail program over IMAP, on a phone or a computer.
Is there an RCN webmail app?
No. RCN webmail is the browser site Astound runs for rcn.com, erols.com and starpower.net addresses, and there is no RCN branded app for phones or computers. Any mail app that speaks IMAP can open the same mailbox with imap.rcn.com on port 993 and your full rcn.com address as the user name.
What are the Astound email server settings?
It depends on the address. rcn.com uses imap.rcn.com and smtp.rcn.com. astound.net uses mail.astound.net for both directions, and each West Coast and Maryland domain has its own mail.<domain> host. Grande uses mail.mygrande.net, and enTouch in Houston uses mail.entouch.net. Incoming IMAP is port 993 with SSL everywhere, and outgoing is port 587 with authentication.
What are the RCN email settings?
Incoming IMAP imap.rcn.com on port 993 with SSL, or 143 without it. Outgoing SMTP smtp.rcn.com on port 587 with TLS, or port 25, with SMTP authentication turned on. The user name is your full address, for example [email protected], and the password is your normal email password, which is case sensitive. The same values cover erols.com and starpower.net.
What are the RCN email settings for Outlook?
Choose manual setup and IMAP. Incoming server imap.rcn.com, port 993, SSL. Outgoing server smtp.rcn.com, port 587, TLS, and tick that the outgoing server requires authentication with the same settings as incoming. Enter the full rcn.com address as the user name. Astound lists clear text authentication, so leave secure password authentication (SPA) unticked.
Why is my Astound email not working?
The three causes we see most: the program is pointed at pop.rcn.com or smtp.rcn.com for an astound.net address, a Grande account typed the full address where Grande wants only the user name, or you are in the European Union, where Astound blocks webmail, IMAP and POP entirely. An error 554 5.7.1 on sending means SMTP authentication is switched off.
Why does Astound email not work in Europe?
Astound says that since the GDPR rules of May 2018 its webmail, IMAP and POP cannot be used from EU countries, and it lists 27 of them, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Ireland. We tested it. From Warsaw every Astound mail server dropped the connection, and from Virginia the same servers answered at once.
Can I check my Astound email while traveling in Europe?
Not directly. Astound blocks webmail and IMAP from EU countries, so a phone mail app on hotel Wi-Fi in Paris or Rome will fail. Inboxes connects to Astound from servers in the United States, so a mailbox you connect before the trip keeps syncing, and you read it in the browser wherever you are.
Do I need an app password for Astound email?
No. Astound does not issue app passwords. Third party programs sign in with your full address and the same case sensitive password you use for webmail. If a program rejects it, check the server name and the user name format first, because the password is rarely the problem.
Why does my Grande email login fail in Outlook?
Because Grande is the one Astound platform that wants only the user name, not the full address. Astound lists the Grande login format as just the username, with mail.mygrande.net or mail.grandecom.net as the server. Settings sites copy the full address rule from the other Astound domains, and the login fails in a way that looks like a bad password.
Which email domains does Astound support?
Astound lists astound.net, myastound.net, rcn.com, mygrande.net, entouch.net, wavecable.com, cedarcomm.com, broadstripe.net, cablespeed.com, starstream.net, starstreamcable.com, ssctv.net, wbcable.net, countrycablevision.net and cni.net. The rcn.com settings also cover the older erols.com and starpower.net addresses. WOW! addresses in Astound markets closed on May 1, 2025.
How much storage does an Astound mailbox have?
Astound lists 5 GB as the standard webmail storage, and 10 GB for wavecable.com and astound.net webmail. When the mailbox fills, new mail bounces. Astound suggests ticking the option not to keep a local copy when you forward, which only helps if you forward everything elsewhere.
Can I read Astound email and Gmail in one app?
Yes, in any IMAP client. The Astound address connects with its normal password and Gmail with a Google app password, and both land in one list with the source account marked. Nothing is forwarded, so replies still leave from the rcn.com or astound.net address the message was sent to.
Related
Keep reading
Your Astound address, at home and abroad
No Astound app to find and no EU block to work around. Add the Astound address once with its normal password, then put Gmail, Yahoo and your own domain on the same board.