Various iChat connectivity and functionality problems

iChat users may, at times, experience problems in which the program does not connect to the chat service or exhibits lack of certain functionality such as video or audio conferencing. These problems include:

• Upon connecting, iChat logs in and out rapidly then gives an error about too many connection attempts being made.
• lack of video chat capability, though other chat options seem to work.
• No buddies showing as available when both users are clearly signed in.

There are various fixes for these problems that can be attempted. These fixes include changing network settings in for the iChat preferences and the system software, as well as changing router settings.

Fixes

Delete iChat's preferences file This seems to have worked for some people who are getting the "too many connection attempts" error upon logging in. To do this, go to the user preferences folder (/username/Library/Preferences/) and remove the following files:

• com.apple.iChatAgent.plist
• com.apple.iChat.plist
• com.apple.iChat.AIM.plist
• com.apple.iChat.SubNet.plist
• com.apple.iChat.Jabber.plist
• com.apple.menuextra.iChat.plist

Then restart the computer (or logout and log back in) to ensure the iChat background agent gets restarted, and then open iChat again to retry the connections.

NOTE: Upon doing this, custom settings and account information in iChat will be removed, and users will have to re-enter the information.

Change iChat's port to 443 The default port configuration for iChat is port number 5190 with SSL disabled. Users have had success changing the port to 443 and trying both with and without SSL enabled. To do this open iChat's preferences and select "Accounts". Select the desired account and in the "Server Settings" tab there should be the options to change the port number and toggle SSL.

NOTE: These settings can only be changed if the users is logged out of AIM.

Turn off internet sharing Several users have noticed that Apple's internet sharing feature to allow other computers to use the same internet connection as the host computer can interfere with certain aspects of iChat, namely video conferencing. This problem may not be directly related to the internet sharing feature itself, but if another connected computer has programs running that use or interfere with the ports or other network resources required for video conferencing, then this feature will not work properly. While users could track down the offending computer, the first step (and easy temporary fix) is to turn off internet sharing and attempt the video conferencing again.

Enable UPnP on the local router UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) is a feature most routers have that allows for automatic configuration for setting up devices and services local networks. In concept this is similar to Apple's Bonjour service, in that it automates much of the setup required for seamless network access. While this feature should be enabled by default on most routers, there are various reasons it can be turned off. Consult the router manual for the instructions to turn UPnP on, or at least ensure it is enabled.

Resources