1. AndyVG's Avatar
    I have a private blackberry v7 on which I want to get my work emails.
    Work says they only support activesync and I can't get it on a blackberry v7.
    Vodafone says I can enable BES privately for �10 a month and then get the emails.
    Does anyone know if that will work please?
    I can't try on my current PAYG and want to know if it will work before signing up for anything (the �10 is ok with me as I'll get an allowance).
    Many thanks.
    05-18-14 07:02 PM
  2. zocster's Avatar
    Welcome to CrackBerry! You don't need BES, BIS is enough. As long as your exchange server supports OWA then you'll be fine.
    05-18-14 07:51 PM
  3. AndyVG's Avatar
    Thank you very much for replying! I'll find out if they support OWA, they only told me about activesync.
    05-19-14 04:41 AM
  4. Omnitech's Avatar
    In addition to OWA (which may not work the same for newer versions of Exchange - ie 2010 and 2013), there are some 3rd-party apps that can be installed on BBOS devices for Exchange ActiveSync support. Here's one of them:

    NotifySync - BlackBerry Activesync - BlackBerry Sync for MS Exchange Kerio Zimbra
    05-19-14 06:09 AM
  5. AndyVG's Avatar
    Thanks Omnitech too! I'd have to pay for any extra software myself (allowance only covers cost through phone bill) so that would be a bit too expensive for me. Apparently my work does support OWA though, I think it will be Exchange 2010. I'm trying to set it up on my blackberry but it keeps asking for 'enterprise activation' and I don't seem to get any other options to set up another email account. It's a blackberry 9790 by the way in case someone knows a way around that. I haven't activated anything, currently it's only on PAYG but I'm planning to change that.
    05-19-14 07:59 AM
  6. Omnitech's Avatar
    Thanks Omnitech too! I'd have to pay for any extra software myself (allowance only covers cost through phone bill) so that would be a bit too expensive for me. Apparently my work does support OWA though, I think it will be Exchange 2010. I'm trying to set it up on my blackberry but it keeps asking for 'enterprise activation' and I don't seem to get any other options to set up another email account. It's a blackberry 9790 by the way in case someone knows a way around that. I haven't activated anything, currently it's only on PAYG but I'm planning to change that.
    I posted in the business users section with a link to this post so perhaps someone with more experience with I with BB7 and Exchange will chime in here.
    05-19-14 04:04 PM
  7. AndyVG's Avatar
    I got as far as getting to the right set up screen for OWA but it doesn't work, I'll have to double-check with my work for the correct details I think...
    05-19-14 06:23 PM
  8. AndyVG's Avatar
    Now my work is saying they don't support OWA, though it seems I had the right URL and since it locked me out of my work account when I tried, I guess it did get through but then just didn't allow me to connect.
    So I presume I'm back to trying getting BES myself and connecting to activesync that way, assuming that's even possible. Unless someone has another idea of what I could try please?
    Any help is greatly appreciated!
    05-20-14 09:17 AM
  9. blueyestm's Avatar
    You can't use imap them if they don't support OWA?
    05-20-14 12:33 PM
  10. AndyVG's Avatar
    Thanks for your reply! I tried selecting IMAP and POP but that doesn't seem to work either. My work is not helping or giving me much information other than for activesync, so I guess it's not enabled...
    05-20-14 05:24 PM
  11. Omnitech's Avatar
    Now my work is saying they don't support OWA, though it seems I had the right URL and since it locked me out of my work account when I tried, I guess it did get through but then just didn't allow me to connect.

    Yep, there's no guarantee they support that, and my understanding was that the way the old BBOS devices connected to MS Exchange using BIS was actually via WebDAV, which was removed by Microsoft starting with Exchange 2010, the last version that supported it was Exchange 2007.


    So I presume I'm back to trying getting BES myself and connecting to activesync that way, assuming that's even possible.
    You cannot just "get a BES yourself", that has to be part of the company's email infrastructure.


    Thanks for your reply! I tried selecting IMAP and POP but that doesn't seem to work either. My work is not helping or giving me much information other than for activesync, so I guess it's not enabled...
    While modern versions of MS Exchange technically support both POP and IMAP, I'd imagine most MS Exchange admins have those features turned-off (they're disabled by default), and probably don't want to support them either.

    If I were you I would check out the following two products - and make sure you ask them if you can use their product without having admin access on the server side, but just as a user. (As long as you have access credentials)

    AstraSync - BlackBerry ActiveSync Compatibility - Sync BlackBerry with Exchange ActiveSync Server
    NotifySync Overview | Notify Technology
    05-20-14 07:25 PM
  12. AndyVG's Avatar
    Thanks Omnitech, that's really very helpful!
    Re OWA I found that I can actually use that in my browser when connected to the work network, so I guess something must be enabled, but I'm pretty sure we're using 2010 so I guess it wouldn't work on the BB7 anyway from what you say.
    Ok, I'll abandon the thought of 'BES', it's what the Vodafone shop suggested, they might not know what they are talking about.
    If IMAP and POP are not usually enabled then I'm pretty sure my work won't have it enabled.
    So I guess I'm back at either buying a BB10 or one of the products, thanks for the tip to ask them first if that would even work.
    05-21-14 03:50 AM
  13. Omnitech's Avatar
    Thanks Omnitech, that's really very helpful!
    The pleasure is mine.


    Ok, I'll abandon the thought of 'BES', it's what the Vodafone shop suggested, they might not know what they are talking about.
    Unfortunately not an uncommon problem with carrier staff, I'm afraid.



    If IMAP and POP are not usually enabled then I'm pretty sure my work won't have it enabled.
    Well it wouldn't hurt to ask if they have IMAP enabled (you really don't want to use POP), but just don't be surprised if they say no, and are not going to change that just for you.

    The other thing is, as I recall, is that IMAP support on legacy devices is not so hot either.
    05-21-14 04:07 AM
  14. blueyestm's Avatar
    You know at this point, I'd forward that email to another one you can get on your phone so at least you can read the emails coming in lol
    05-21-14 06:37 AM
  15. AndyVG's Avatar
    @blueyestm: Yes, that's a good point, although technically I'm not allowed to do that with work emails of course.

    @Omnitech: I've asked about IMAP now, waiting to hear, otherwise I think I'll install the trial version of AstraSync and see if that would work...
    05-21-14 07:04 AM
  16. AndyVG's Avatar
    I just heard back, they don't support IMAP either, no surprise I guess.
    I now installed the trial version of AstraSync and it seems to connect to the mail server, but then it goes to 'sync settings' and fails at 'checking available folders' with an 'error 500: Access denied'...
    05-21-14 08:56 AM
  17. Omnitech's Avatar
    I just heard back, they don't support IMAP either, no surprise I guess.
    I now installed the trial version of AstraSync and it seems to connect to the mail server, but then it goes to 'sync settings' and fails at 'checking available folders' with an 'error 500: Access denied'...
    Time for Astrasync tech support.
    05-21-14 02:59 PM
  18. AndyVG's Avatar
    I see, so you think this is a problem with AstraSync? I thought it would be a permissions problem at work, I was trying to get them to check. I hadn't thought of checking with AstraSync, I'll try that as well, thanks.
    05-21-14 05:15 PM
  19. Omnitech's Avatar
    I see, so you think this is a problem with AstraSync? I thought it would be a permissions problem at work, I was trying to get them to check. I hadn't thought of checking with AstraSync, I'll try that as well, thanks.

    It could be an issue on either side, but since calling Astrasync doesn't unnecessarily use up more of your email admins time and Astrasync has a vested interest in helping you overcome obstacles, they might give you some ideas why you would see such a message.

    In general, if your credentials were good enough to give you an initial connection, you should not get an "access denied" error later. So this could be a sign of some other issue, or a configuration issue on your employer's side, etc. You may have some delegated mailboxes setup on your account that you didn't know about until using this connection method, all sorts of possible answers. I'm just a fan of keeping the pestering of the corporate I.T. staff down to a minimum unless you really need to, in case they start getting an attitude about an employee that wants to "do things different" and then stop trying to help you. Some I.T. people are accomodating and helpful, some are not.
    05-21-14 10:31 PM
  20. AndyVG's Avatar
    Good point, I phoned AstraSync now and they suggested to try 'testconnectivity.microsoft.com' which works, and then they couldn't suggest anything else. They say no extra configuration server side is needed, so I guess there isn't much anyone can do. My work certainly wouldn't investigate their logs to see what went wrong. I could try NotifySync to see if that works but that's quite a lot more expensive and I doubt my work will pay for that... Maybe I'll try it anyway just to see, they do a trial version as well.
    05-22-14 10:19 AM
  21. AndyVG's Avatar
    PS: I can't log on to the AstraSync forum either to see if anyone else had this problem...
    05-22-14 10:34 AM
  22. Omnitech's Avatar
    Good point, I phoned AstraSync now and they suggested to try 'testconnectivity.microsoft.com' which works, and then they couldn't suggest anything else. They say no extra configuration server side is needed, so I guess there isn't much anyone can do. My work certainly wouldn't investigate their logs to see what went wrong. I could try NotifySync to see if that works but that's quite a lot more expensive and I doubt my work will pay for that... Maybe I'll try it anyway just to see, they do a trial version as well.
    A Microsoft Exchange server has a long list of configuration options that can be made to allow or block connections.

    This includes features that look for information sent by an email client about what hardware and software it is running, and it can block connections based on hardware model, OS version, or specific device. (ie allow you to connect, but not allow your wife to connect with the same hardware/software but just a different serial number on her phone)

    Since NotifySync running on a BBOS device is likely a hardware/software combination that your email administrators have never seen before, they may intentionally or unintentionally be blocking it from connecting.

    So at this point I would suggest contacting them, telling them that you've tried this 3rd-party ActiveSync solution, and ask them to check if they might have something in their configuration that is blocking this particular hardware/software. They should be able to review their logs to verify this, if they are so inclined.
    05-22-14 02:35 PM
  23. AndyVG's Avatar
    Thank you so much for your help Omnitech! I shall ask them nicely to check, armed with this information, fingers crossed.
    Omnitech likes this.
    05-22-14 05:36 PM
  24. AndyVG's Avatar
    No luck I'm afraid. They told me that my type of device is not allowed. I assume it is not worth trying NotifySync either in that case (currently I'm trying AstraSync)...
    05-23-14 08:50 AM
  25. Omnitech's Avatar
    No luck I'm afraid. They told me that my type of device is not allowed. I assume it is not worth trying NotifySync either in that case (currently I'm trying AstraSync)...

    That's strange - I'd have to review the prior posts but if they were absolutely strict about precisely which devices can connect (not just "go get something with Activesync"), why didn't they tell you that before?

    Did they define what they mean by "type of device"? Was it down to the model number or just "Androids", "Samsungs", "iPhones", etc?
    05-23-14 08:52 PM
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