Sending & receiving Plusnet emails from a non-Plusnet broadband connection

[#1]

Sorry to add to this, but does your other provider also provide an email service which you configured? If so, are you selecting the Plusnet server, @WNL ?

[#2]

Hello @MisterW 

Unfortunately, your suggestion doesn't seem to work, but thanks anyway.

Neil

[#3]

Hello @Browni 

Thanks, I have tried using port 587 with STARTTLS encryption for the outgoing server, with authentication, with no success, but thanks for the suggestion.

Neil

[#4]

Hello @jab1 

The other provider only provides a broadband service, no email, so that shouldn't be an issue, but thanks for suggesting that.

Neil

[#5]

OK Neil - it was just a thought. Still confused though, because authentication should work. As I said, I've had it set on Thunderbird for close on 16 years, through a move from Windows to Linux, and it has worked via any ISP you could name - I've used it on all the big ISPs connections and a couple of smaller ones.

[#6]

@WNL  I'll concur with @jab1 here , smtp authentication does work, like John I use it on all my mobile devices and they have worked on every network I've connected to.

To be clear , the credentials you need for the outgoing (smtp ) server  are , your PlusNet account name and password. They are the same ones you use to access the member centre here https://www.plus.net/member-centre/login , so I suggest trying to login there with ones you are using, to confirm they are correct , then explicitly set those in the outgoing server settings

[#7]

Hello @MisterW and @jab1

I am not doubting that what you suggest works, it is just that I haven’t been able to get it to do so so far.

@MisterW, just to clarify, the email account I am trying to access isn’t in the name of the account solely, ie it is in the form “name@account_name.plus.com”. Are you saying that I should use the “account_name” and “account” password in the outgoing server settings (which are used to access the broadband account on the link you sent) and not the user name (account_name+name) and email password?

Neil

[#8]

@WNL I think you may have cracked it. The username required is the account name - the one immediately after the '@' ONLY, no '.plus.com',and the P/W is the account P/W.

Try it and see.

[#9]

Hello jab1

Thanks, will do. I would never have thought of that! Fingers crossed…

Neil

[#10]

Are you saying that I should use the “account_name” and “account” password in the outgoing server settings (which are used to access the broadband account on the link you sent) and not the user name (account_name+name) and email password?

@WNL both SHOULD work. However it's usually simpler to use the account one. Most people ( you seem to be the exception!) don't understand about mailboxes and passwords. 

[#11]

@MisterW, @jab1

Thanks, but saying I understand is a gross exaggeration!

Nope, latest suggestion doesn’t work. I altered the outgoing server to account_name and account_name password using the PlusNet broadband and can send and receive. However, when I switch to the Airband fibre broadband using the same settings it doesn’t work.

One thing I didn’t mention is the error message I get when a text email is sent as part of the setting up process, which is “The connection to the server was interrupted”. As far as I am able to tell there is no actual interruption to the fibre broadband service, so not sure what the message means.

Neil

[#12]

@WNL in reality there are a number of reasons why the server may reject access from 'off network' connections. One problem is that most email clients are not very good at itemising the 'real' reason, rather they report a generic failure.

Would you be able to go through the 'Testing SMTP authentication' procedure as described here https://community.plus.net/t5/Library/Testing-SMTP-Authentication-using-Telnet/ba-p/1322433 . That would give us the exact reason for any failure independent of the email client.

NB you MAY need to install telnet on your system first

[#13]

@MisterW thanks. Well that “solved” the problem! It comes back with “535 …authentication rejected as source IP has a poor reputation”. Seems our new broadband provider has some issues.

Looks like we are stuck with switching connections if wanting to use Plusnet email.

Thanks for all the help you all have given.

Neil

[#14 · Accepted solution]

@WNL that's a pain, but at least we know it wasn't really an authentication problem.

Assuming your allocated IP remains fairly static , then the problem ought to go away sooner or later. The other option would be to force the connection to drop and see if you get allocated a different IP.

[#15]

@MisterW 

I have marked this problem as "Fixed" in that I now know what the issue is, even if an immediate solution is not available.

Thanks again, Neil