To request a UUPlus Personal (single-user) satellite email account, you have two options. The first option is to request an account remotely from the Personal software. During the configuration process, UUPlus Personal can request an account remotely. All you have to do is fill out a form and call into the UUPlus server. If the requested username is not taken, then the account will be created automatically. The second option is to contact the UUPlus sales team and request an account over the phone or through email.

SOHO accounts cannot be created remotely. To request a UUPlus SOHO (multi-user) satellite email account, please contact our sales team via phone (+1.805.534.1425) or visit the form on our contact page.

How can I obtain or upgrade my UUPlus software?

The latest client software (Personal and SOHO) is available for download from our website. You can also request a CD containing Personal, SOHO, and the documentation from UUPlus Support.

To download Personal or SOHO (click here).

To request a UUPlus CD, please call (+1.805.534.1425) or email sales@uuplus.com.

What kind of satellite phones do you support and which phone is best for me?

The UUPlus software works with Iridium, Globalstar, Inmarsat (Mini-M / M4 MPDS), ACeS, Motient, and Thuraya satellite networks. Any data capable phone connected to these networks can be used. In addition, we support cell phones, most modems, and Codan HF modems.

The satellite phone which best suits you is dependant on your needs and location. The Iridium and Inmarsat are global networks whereas the ACeS, Motient, and Thuraya networks provide regional coverage. Globalstar is location and country specific. Terrain may also be an issue. If you are traveling at the poles, the Inmarsat network may not be able to provide you service, while the Iridium network should work over the poles since its satellites are in a polar orbit. Conversely, at the equator, the Inmarsat might be able to provide better coverage, especially if you are connecting from a forested region. On the ocean, either one works fine. For more information on the various satellite phones click here.

How does the UUPlus software work?

The UUPlus software is essentially a dialer specifically designed for high latency, low bandwidth connections typically found in satellite, cellular, and HF networks. The typical user composes their email in a POP/SMTP compatible mailer such as Eudora, Outlook, or Pegasus Mail and then "clicks the send button." At this point, the mail is transferred to their UUPlus software via SMTP the same way email is sent to standard mail servers. However, once the mail is received by UUPlus Personal, it then waits in the outbound mail queue until a connection is made with the UUPlus Server. Usually this is done simply by the user clicking on "the call button" in UUPlus Personal.

Further, prior to every connection made between UUPlus Personal and UUPlus Server, all mail (outbound from the UUPlus mail server and outbound from the UUPlus client (Personal or SOHO) is batched together into a single file and then compressed. All attachments are stripped out and compressed separately for the maximum compression ratio possible. When the user initiates a call, the satellite phone is initialized and a call is made to the UUPlus mail server located in California. Once the call has been successfully negotiated, both client and server will announce whether they have mail and if so, the size of each others batched file. They will then begin transmitting. As each side finishes, it announces it is done and waits for the other side to finish. When both sides say they are done, the connection hangs up.

Mail downloaded from the server is uncompressed and unbatched by the client. Any attachments are put back into the original message and the mail is then routed to the appropriate mailbox within the UUPlus client. The mailbox can be accessed directly by using the small UUPlus built-in mailer or any POP/SMTP compatible email software via POP3 protocol. Once a user receives their email (with Eudora, Outlook Express, etc) the user can do anything with it they want, just as if they had retrieved it from their ISP, company mail server, etc.

How do I configure my email software to work with UUPlus?

Instructions for configuring Eudora, Outlook, Outlook Express, and Pegasus Mail can be found in the Quickstart section here.

You can connect to the UUPlus mail server in several ways:

Connecting through your satellite phone.

1. If you can obtain access to a web browser such as at an Internet Cafe, you can access your mail by logging into our new webmail client interface. Please note if you do check your mail from a web browser in a public place, be sure to logout and close the browser when you are finished.

2. Connecting through a landline. If you are in an area with landline access and wish to connect to the UUPlus mail server through the landline, you can select your internal modem from within UUPlus Personal. Connect speeds via landline should be significantly higher than from a satellite phone.

3. Connecting through a local ISP. If you can access the Internet through a local ISP, then you have two options. The first is you can POP your mail from the UUPlus mail server. The mail server name is mail.uuplus.com. This method will only let you get your mail not send any mail. The second option is to use the UUPlus VPN (Virtual Private Network). The UUPlus VPN creates a secure link through the public Internet to the UUPlus mail server. Connecting through the VPN allows you to send and receive email securely, just like you would over the satellite phone.

I have several different Internet accounts. Is it possible to access those accounts through your system?

The UUPlus server can be configured to fetch mail from any POP accessible mail server. This feature can be remotely administered from UUPlus Personal located on your computer. Not all mail servers allow POP access. For instance, Hotmail and Yahoo (unless you pay for it) do not. If a fetch is activated on your account, the UUPlus mail server will fetch that mail from that account once an hour. It will also only fetch mail that is under your max message size limit.

The UUPlus mail server needs the following information to fetch your mail:

This information in encrypted on our server. The other option is to put an auto forward on your other Internet email accounts to your UUPlus email account, if the mail server lets you.

Can I use your software for website downloads or other general Internet access. If so, what is the effective connection speed?

The UUPlus Satellite Email Service only provides email access. Our software cannot be used to browse the web. Aside from the Inmarsat M4 and F77 units, surfing the web from a satellite phone is slow and very expensive. To learn more about browsing the web from your satellite phone, contact your satellite phone's service provider.

Do you have a Macintosh version?

We have just released a beta version for Mac OS X for both Power PC and Intel. Please go here for more details. There are no plans for a OS 9 or older version.