In a previous post, I talked about how OSX Lion has helped make sharing my office’s internet connection over wifi easier. When I have my Mac broadcasting the connection, I can help cut down on the costs of 3G data by using WiFi on my iPhone and iPad when I’m at work. But when it comes to using iMessage as a replacement for text messaging, this creates a problem.

You see, unbeknownst to me, my company’s network blocks the ports that iMessage uses to send and receive data, thereby disabling my ability to receive messages from anyone on iMessage. The fact that this happened without my knowledge was a big problem.

I planned on meeting a friend for lunch and she said she’d message me when she was finished her meeting. Almost half an hour went by with no messages and I thought her meeting was going long. When I left my desk to use the washroom, my iPhone went out of range of my Mac’s WiFi and switched back to 3G. Boom! I get three messages from my friend saying she’s finished her meeting, asking to meet her somewhere and then wondering where I went.

What are your experiences using iMessage over a company network or public WiFi? Have you had the same problem? Leave a comment.