Settings for Free-Online relay.free-online.net mail server no longer working

[#1]

Free-Online relay.free-online.net mail server

Neither port 587 (recommended) or 25 with STARTTLS, or port 465 with SSL/TLS settings (as per https://www.plus.net/help/email-guides/how-to-set-up-plusnet-email) work.

Attempting to send just results in being asked to provide correct password. The password is already the correct one (which works for receiving emails, and for logging in to plusnet webmail).

[#2]

What user ID format are you using for relay.free-online.net?

[#3]

If this is a secondary mailbox, the credentials must be accountname+mailboxaddress

[#4]

I have said it is no longer working, because it was working for all accounts, formerly using port 587, and when that stopped working it worked with port 465.

There is nothing wrong with the user ID. Let's say the Plusnet account holder has username fred, so the primary email account username is:

fred@fred.free-online.co.uk

Then, usernames for other email accounts are, for example, bill@fred.free-online.co.uk, jo@fred.free-online.co.uk.


There are various options when adding new email accounts such as use existing mailbox, use new mailbox and password, etc. It's possible the issue is related to setting up the mailboxes with a different password to the primary account. The other day I added a new mailbox, and set passwords on it and other existing mailboxes to unique passwords. After changing the passwords, I confirmed all email accounts successfully received email in the email application, but I cannot be sure I checked successful sending of email.

Webmail works successfully with unique passwords for all accounts, but it seems that having unique passwords prevents successful sending of emails using an email application.

Non of the Free-Online email accounts are my main email account, so whilst they are handy to have, they are not essential. It is surprising that they are still available to me at all, especially as I have never been a Plusnet customer.

[#5 · Accepted solution]

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@Jemand wrote:

Then, usernames for other email accounts are, for example, bill@fred.free-online.co.uk, jo@fred.free-online.co.uk.

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At the time of posting, be assured that for secondary mailboxes on Free-online the login userID (for SMTP and POP3) would be fred+bill or fred+jo whereas fred@fred.free-online.co.uk will work as you are finding out.  There is however an 'aberration' in that secondary email address login will work for the IMAP server.

I'm running tests across all of the brands and can give you chapter and verse on what does and does not work.  The userID (login name) is clearly indicated on the mail box setup confirmation page as the preferred credentials ...

The diagnostics below verify that on a secondary mailbox, using the email address as the credential does not work consistently.

IMAP works with email address...

curl.exe -v imaps://mail.free-online.net -u townman@*****.free-online.co.uk

Enter host password for user 'townman@******.free-online.co.uk':
* Host mail.free-online.net:993 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.193
*   Trying 91.204.208.193:993...
* schannel: disabled automatic use of client certificate
* Connected to mail.free-online.net (91.204.208.193) port 993
< * OK IMAP4 ready
> A001 CAPABILITY
< * CAPABILITY IMAP4 IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS AUTH=PLAIN
< A001 OK completed
> A002 AUTHENTICATE PLAIN
< +
> *****
< A002 OK LOGIN Ok.
> A003 LIST "" *
< * LIST (\Marked \HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX"
* LIST (\Marked \HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX"
< A003 OK LIST completed
* Connection #0 to host mail.free-online.net left intact

SMTP (off network) and POP3 do not work with email address...

curl.exe -v pop3s://mail.free-online.net -u townman@******.free-online.co.uk

Enter host password for user 'townman@******.free-online.co.uk':
* Host mail.free-online.net:995 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.193
*   Trying 91.204.208.193:995...
* schannel: disabled automatic use of client certificate
* Connected to mail.free-online.net (91.204.208.193) port 995
< +OK POP3 ready <1946894191.1745578823@mail.enmail.co>
> CAPA
< +OK Capability list follows
< TOP
< USER
< UIDL
< SASL PLAIN LOGIN
< .
> AUTH PLAIN
< +
> ******
< -ERR Login failed.
* closing connection #0
curl: (67) Login denied

Whereas account+mailbox does work...

curl.exe -v pop3s://mail.free-online.net -u ******+townman

Enter host password for user '******+townman':
* Host mail.free-online.net:995 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.193
*   Trying 91.204.208.193:995...
* schannel: disabled automatic use of client certificate
* Connected to mail.free-online.net (91.204.208.193) port 995
< +OK POP3 ready <1467405771.1745578863@mail.enmail.co>
> CAPA
< +OK Capability list follows
< TOP
< USER
< UIDL
< SASL PLAIN LOGIN
< .
> AUTH PLAIN
< +
> *****
< +OK logged in.
> LIST
< +OK POP3 clients that break here, they violate STD53.
1 4179
* Connection #0 to host mail.free-online.net left intact

[#6]

Thanks for your detailed response. That resolves the issue.

Note that at this time secondary email addresses can successfully be used for login on the SMTP server providing the password is the same as for the primary account. (As the primary and secondary email accounts are all used by one person, one password for all is suffcient.)

[#7]

Errrmm ... only if you are connected to the Plusnet network.  If not, they do not work.

That is why ON NETWORK email address for secondary mailboxes appears to work for an IMAP client, but will certainly not work for SMTP when off network.

accountname / accountname+mailbox will always work whatever the connection for all free-online mailboxes.

[#8]

What I have stated is based on personal experience. I am not on the Plusnet network.