Some Common SMTP Problems
SMTP, if only the simple also meant simple to use. These are just some of the most common problems people encounter when using SMTP:-
The Problem - I've tried dozens of SMTP servers but only seem to be able to connect to my ISPs?
The Cause - Some ISPs are a real pain in the ass! In some sort of "it only makes sense to them" judgement call your ISP has decided to only allow e-mail
to be routed through their SMTP server. Get used to lots of timeouts and the serious issue of no e-mail whatsoever when their server goes down. This can be fixed by contacting your ISP
and asking them to stop restricting your internet access or by using a server that has more than just port 25 open!
The Problem - My ISP has made me use their SMTP server (see above), but I've took my laptop on vacation and now I can't send e-mail?
The Cause - Possibly even more annoying than the first problem. Some ISPs restrict access to their SMTP server to only connections made via their service. So if your laptop, iPhone or any other device connects using another
service (airport, hotel, cruise ship Wi-Fi) it won't be able to use their server. The only solution to this is to send your e-mails when on vactaion through another server (SMTP2Go for example).
The Problem - I've tried using GMails SMTP server to send messages from another account but the recipient has complained because the mail looks like it's come from my GMail account?
The Cause - Yep, Google do this. They include a lot of header information in messages routed through their SMTP that identifies which GMail account logged in to send it. Some e-mail clients can get really confused by this information.
The Problem - I want to send GMail/Hotmail from my device but it doesn't support the secure methods needs to connect to the Hotmail and GMail SMTP servers?
The Cause - Some older devices do not support SSL, they certainly don't support TSL. In order to send on behalf of these accounts through your device you need to relay the messages through another non SSL server.