Frequently Asked Questions

More often that not we are frequently asked the same questions or similar questions by a large number of users or those that are interested in our service. This FAQ will hopefully answer many of the common questions that you may have relating to your IRC Bouncer. We have split these into sections which can be quickly navigated to using the contents section below.

General

This section relates to questions that are generic to the service and don't fall into any other category.

Is this service free and will I ever have to pay for anything?

This service is 100% free and we intend to be able to keep it this way for as long as possible. We do not ask or force anyone to pay for our service but if you would like to contribute, it is possible to donate. Information on this can be found on our Donation Page.

I need an IRC Bouncer for my IRC Bot, is this possible?

In theory yes this is possible as long as the bot complies with our Terms of Service however you do need to be aware that as your bots features are client side, they will not work when the bot disconnects from the IRC Bouncer.

Requesting

This section relates to questions that have been asked regarding requesting an IRC Bouncer and the process involved.

How do I request an IRC Bouncer

In order to request an IRC Bouncer, you will need to join the #bnc4free on one of the networks we have a service bot operating in. These networks are listed on our Official Networks list and we have linked each network to the webchat to make it easier.

Once you have joined the channel, you will need to request your bouncer using the ‘!request’ command in the channel. You will be asked to fill in the following fields:

Field	Description	Example Value
Username	This will be the username that you will use to login to the bouncer. Please note that this doesn't have to be your nickname, realname or anything you would normally use on IRC as you'll be able to set these up in your account once it has been accepted	MyUsername
Email Address	The email address that we will send your details to once the request has been processed. Please note as per our Terms of Service, this must not be a disposable email address.	its.me@example.com
IRC Server	The IRC Server that you wish to be connected to. Note that this must not a network listed under "Prohibited Networks" on our known and prohibited networks list	irc.libera.chat
IRC Port	The IRC Port that will be used to connect to the IRC Server. (Typically 6667, or +6697 for SSL)	+6697

The command you will enter in the IRC Channel should look like the following:

Once you have entered this into the channel, you will be sent an email containing a verification code of which also must be entered onto IRC in order to validate your email address. The command you need to enter will typically look like the example below:

!verify 0e12c4544ddff0b3e9a0b5c984d19de0

Once you have completed this, your request is officially pending review from the staff team. You will receive an email when the request has been accepted or rejected.

I don't want everyone to see my email address/request. Can i request privately?

Absolutely, You can join the channel ##bnc4free on the Espernet or LiberaChat network where the channels are moderated so that only our staff team and our services bot can see your request.

Is it possible to request by email?

At this time, it is not possible as we are working on a system that will be able to read the emails sent in a specific format and automatically input the data into our request system. We will update you once we have this up and running!

I haven't received an email with a verification to verify my request. Can you resend it?

We are able to resend the verification email to you so that you can verify you're request but this can only be resent to the email you requested with initially. We will not send the email to an alternative address. Please also ensure that you have checked all your email folders (not just Inbox, Junk, Deleted etc...) as in some cases it is possible that an email filter may have placed the message elsewhere. If you are unable to locate the email, please feel free to email support or poke us in #bnc4free on one of our Official Networks and we'll resend it for you.

How long does it take for my request to be processed?

We aim to have processed requests within 24 to 48 hours of the request being email verified. In some cases this is not always possible to due bank holidays such as Christmas and other events. In rare circumstances we may take considerably longer to process a request if we believe that the bouncer may be used for abuse as we often check with networks if this is the case. If we haven't processed your request within 72 hours, please feel free to email support or poke us in #bnc4free on one of our Official Networks and we'll look into it.

How can I request/add more networks to my account?

Each account can currently have up to 3 networks. Usually this will be the network you initially requested when your account was setup and 2 additional networks. To request additional networks you will need to join the #bnc4free channel on one of the networks we have a service bot operating in. These networks are listed on our Official Networks list and we have linked each network to the webchat to make it easier.

Once you have joined the channel, you will need to request your bouncer using the ‘!network request’ command in the channel. You will be asked to fill in the following fields:

Field	Description	Example Value
Username	This will be the username of the account you have with us	MyUsername
IRC Server	The IRC Server that you wish to be connected to. Note that this must not a network listed under "Prohibited Networks" on our known and prohibited networks list and cannot be a network that you already have on your account	irc.rizon.net
IRC Port	The IRC Port that will be used to connect to the IRC Server. (Typically 6667, or +6697 for SSL)	+6697

The command you will enter in the IRC Channel should look like the following:

!network request MyUsername irc.rizon.net +6697

Once you have entered this into the channel, you will be sent an email containing a verification code of which also must be entered onto IRC in order to validate that it is the account owner that has requested the additional network. The command you need to enter will typically look like the example below:

!network verify 0e12c4544ddff0b3e9a0b5c984d19de0

Once you have completed this, your network request is officially pending review from the staff team. You will receive an email when the request has been accepted or rejected.

I have mistyped my email address when I made the request what should I do?

Send the request again using the request command and the correct email address. Your pending request with the incorrect email address will automatically expire within 7 days if not verified and will not prevent you from being accepted for an account.

Accounts

This section relates to questions about your account and the various configuration settings.

I have forgotten my password, How can I get it reset?

If you have forgotten your password and need this to be reset, Please ask us to reset it in the channel #bnc4free on one of our Official Networks or send us an email from the email address you used for your account to support. Please note if you are requesting a reset on IRC, we will send you an email so that we can confirm you are the account holder.

I have configured Allowed Hosts and no longer have access to the hosts I specified, How can i get this fixed?

If you have misconfigured the 'Allowed Hosts' setting in your account or no longer have access to the addresses you have configured there, Please ask us to reset your allowed hosts in the channel #bnc4free on one of our Official Networks or send us an email from the email address you used for your account to support.

How can I change my realname, ident or nickname?

If you run /whois on your own nickname, it should look something like this:

   [MyNickname] (ident@some.host.name): My Realname
   [MyNickname] irc.server.network :Some IRC Server
   [MyNickname] End of WHOIS list.

To change your realname, nickname or ident permanently on a network so that the values are set if you reconnect to the IRC Network, you will need to load the controlpanel module using the following command:

 /msg *status loadmod controlpanel

Once the module is loaded, to change your nickname use the following:

 /msg *controlpanel setnetwork nick $user $network MyNewNickname

Replacing MyNewNickname with the nickname of your choice. You can also change your nick while connected to the network using:

 /nick MyNewNickname

To change your ident use the following:

 /msg *controlpanel setnetwork ident $user $network MyNewIdent

Replacing MyNewIdent with the ident of your choice. Once it has been set, you will need to reconnect to the IRC network using:

 /msg *status jump

To change your realname use the following:

 /msg *controlpanel setnetwork realname $user $network MyNewRealName

Replacing MyNewRealName with the realname of your choice. Once it has been set, in a majority cases you will need to reconnect to the IRC network using:

 /msg *status jump

On some networks you may be able to set your realname to the new realname until you next reconnect to IRC by using:

 /setname MyNewRealName

These settings can also be changed via the webpanel

How can i change my password?

You can change your password by using the webpanel or by using the controlpanel module. To change your password using the module, use the following command:

   /msg *controlpanel Set password <new password>

I keep getting the message "Connection reset by peer"

This error usually occurs when you try to connect to the SSL port of the bouncer (1339). On most clients, you must use port +1339, including the plus before the port number in order to use SSL. Some other clients do not require the plus before the port to be specified but may have a tickbox if using a client such as HexChat which needs to be ticked to enable SSL or a -ssl or -tls command line argument if using a client such as Irssi.

You can find out how to connect using SSL for your client here

I keep getting the message "Closing Link: [Please try again later - reconnecting too fast]"

This means exactly what it says in the message, you are reconnecting too fast. This is normally triggered by 3 failed logins within 1 minute and when triggered will prevent you from authenticating to the bouncer for 5 minutes. This can also be triggered if your host is listed on a DNS Blacklist or your account has been disabled as these are classed as failed logins.

I keep getting the message "Closing Link: [Your host is listed on (DNSBL Name). Please visit (DNSBL Link) for further information]"

Unfortunately this means that the IP address you are using is listed in one of the many DNS Blacklists that our bouncer users. The reason that the IP/Host is blacklisted usually means the IP is a proxy, vpn, TOR exit node, exploitable host or has been used for abuse at some point. We do not have any control over IP's that are added to the DNS blacklist. You may be able to request removal of the IP from the DNS Blacklist by following the DNS Blacklist link displayed in the message.

I am getting the message "Closing Link: [Your account has been disabled. (Reason: (a reason))]"

This message means that your account has been disabled and normally means that you have violated the Terms of Service. A brief reason for why the account has been disabled is usually given in the message. For further information on why your account has been disabled or to have the account re-enabled should you feel that this is a mistake, you will need to email our Support Team

When I try to access the webpanel, I get the error "Access Denied - This session does not belong to your IP."

This normally means that you are trying to access the web panel from a web browser you have used before but your IP address in the meantime has changed. This most commonly occurs with users who have a dynamic ip or when your using a portable device that connects to different wireless access points or mobile networks. To resolve the issue, you will need to clear your cookies. Further information can be found below:

• Clear Cookies on Firefox
• Clear Cookies on Firefox (Mobile Devices)
• Clear Cookies on Chrome
• Clear Cookies on Chrome (Mobile & Android Devices)
• Clear Cookies on Chrome (iPhone & iPad Devices)
• Clear Cookies on Microsoft Edge
• Clear Cookies on Internet Explorer
• Clear Cookies on Safari (iPhone & iPad)

When I try to access the webpanel, I get the error "The connection was reset"

This normally happens if you have tried to access the webpanel using HTTP (rather than HTTPS) on the bouncers SSL Port. The bouncers web panels can only be accessed in the following ways:

• Bouncer Non-HTTPS¹: http://servername.bnc4free.com:1337/
• Bouncer HTTPS¹: https://servername.bnc4free.com:1339/
• Generic Webpanel²: https://panel.bnc4free.com/

¹ Replace "servername" with the relevant server name (e.g apple)
² Logs in to the selected server name using HTTPS

I'm going to be away for a while, will my account be deleted?

Generally, your account should be fine and will remain if you are aware for a period of time however if you will be away for 60 days or more, your account will be removed in accordance with our inactive accounts policy mentioned in our Terms of Service. Your account will only be deleted if there have been no logins during that period, logging in for even a few minutes once in the 60 day period is sufficient enough for the account to be considered active.

Note: If your account is on one the more popular networks (LiberaChat, Rizon, EFNet, IRCNet... this list is not exhaustive), the account is normally deleted after 30 days of inactivity rather than 60 days.

If you plan to be away more than 60 days (or 30 days for popular networks) and IRC access will not be possible, please let our Support Team know and we will ensure that the account is not removed prior to your return.

What is the maximum number of lines the bouncer can keep in its channel or query buffer?

Our bouncers are currently set to keep a maximum of 1000 lines for each channel and query you receive while away. Buffers for individual channels, all channels and queries can be changed via the webpanel or using the controlpanel module.