SMTP Away from Home

When you're away from the usual Internet connection at your home or office, your existing SMTP setting in Mail probably won't work and you won't be able to send outgoing email.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): the standard by which email is delivered on the Internet.

When you use your home/office connection, the SMTP server at your ISP recognizes you and sends your messages. But when you take your laptop to a different network or connection, your SMTP server isn't recognized and your computer can't send messages out. Instead, a sheet drops down from the title bar of your message, as shown below.

One solution is to use web-based email, such as .Mac Mail (see Chapter 4). This works just fine, but we prefer the convenience of sending email straight from our email client (Mail), just as if we were at home. Plus, you may own a domain name that you prefer to have appear in the return address of your message ([e-mail], for instance), instead of a provider's name (such as [e-mail])

To do this, you can subscribe to an inexpensive SMTP service that relays your outgoing email though their servers. Search the web for "SMTP services," or check out SMTP.com or AuthSMTP.com.

When you sign up with an SMTP service, you'll register your email address with the service. Enter the SMTP service provider's information into your Server Settings (shown on the following page). When you're on the go, you can choose this SMTP setting to send mail out from the email address you registered with.

Choose an SMTP plan that meets your mobility needs. A wide range of plans are available that offer choices in duration (one month to several years) and the number of email relays allowed per day or per month. If you're a casual Road Warrior who just wants to keep in touch, the smallest, most affordable plan should be adequate.

SMTP Server Settings

After you sign up for SMTP service and register an email address with them, all you have to do is enter that service's SMTP information in your Server Settings. The steps below are based on an SMTP.com account. The setup procedure for other providers is similar.

SMTP.com:

A one-month account that allows up to 50 email relays per day costs $9.99.

AuthSMTP.com:

A one-year account that allows up to 1000 email relays per month costs $24.

Visit the providers' web sites for detailed and current information.

1.	Open Mail Preferences (from the Mail menu, choose "Preferences...").
2.	Click the "Accounts" button in the toolbar.
3.	From the Accounts list on the left side of the window, select the email account you want to use while on the go.
4.	Click the "Account Information" tab, if it isn't already.
5.	From the "Outgoing Mail Server" pop-up menu, choose "Add Server...." You'll see the drop-down sheet shown below.
6.	In the "Outgoing Mail Server" field, type "SMTP.com" (or whatever address your chosen service says to use).
7.	In the "Server port" field, type "2525" (or whatever port number your chosen service says to use).
8.	Follow the instructions from your SMTP provider (if any) for the other settings. (No other settings were required for our setup.)
9.	Click OK. When you close the preferences, you'll be asked to save the setting.

SMTP.com (or the address of whatever service you chose) is now added to the "Outgoing Mail Server" menu in the "Accounts Information" window (shown above and also on the following page).

Now, when you're on the go, before you send a message, choose "smtp.com"(or whatever your service's address is) from the "Outgoing Mail Server" pop-up menu (shown below).

If you forget to change the Outgoing Mail Server address, the sheet shown below appears and tells you Mail cannot send the message. However, now that you've added the SMTP address, you can choose it from the sheet's popup menu, as shown below (if you're using the email account you registered). After you select "smtp.com" (or whatever your service's address happens to be), click "Use Selected Server." Your message is sent right away and you get to enjoy that Road Warrior thing.