Possible to send from NTLWorld accounts, with secured SMTP?

[Chris_Noble]

Hello,

First my apologies if this has been answered before, I couldn't seem to find the Search button on the forum.

I'm on VirginMedia Cable with an ntlworld.com address - I've set up a few mailboxes on the account.

My wife is taking her laptop to a conference next week, and will be using open wireless networks for connectivity. With the release of Firesheep and the ease with which it allows password sniffing, I'm trying to work out whether it is possible to let her send e-mail

1. Using the existing SMTP server
2. But secured so that password and contents aren't sent in the clear.

We use smtp.ntlworld.com as the server.

I've found some documentation on the Virgin site suggesting that I should be able to use SSL and password authentication with the server, but I've never got that to work.

Any tips, gratefully received.

Chris.

p.s Probably not relevant, but we are using Mac OS X and Apple's Mail.app.

No, I don't want to use Web Mail.

[Kymmy]

The hotel/wifi should provide an smtp address

[Chris_Noble]

Originally Posted by Kymmy

The hotel/wifi should provide an smtp address

And that would be fine, except that the e-mail contents are sent in the clear and fairly easy to sniff by anyone else attached to the same Wireless. I'd prefer to use a secured SMTP server.

[BenMcr]

The ntlworld smtp server only allows connections from the Virgin network. This won't change until the beginning of next year

Can you not use webmail?

[Chris_Noble]

Theoretically, yup she can use Web mail, but she has never used it and has a variety of folders and rules set up in the local client that she uses. Just seems a shame to have to break the workflow if there was another way.

Perhaps someone could tweak the instructions on the Virgin Media support page here with a note that says 'Actually, these settings won't work until next year'.

[BenMcr]

I thought this was pretty clear:

Email settings for addresses ending in @ntlworld.com

You are currently able to send messages via your e-mail software only if you are connected to the Virgin Media network. Please remember to enable SMTP authentication (as per the settings above) in order to minimise any possible disruption in your service.

[Chris_Noble]

Yup, you're absolutely right - I missed it lurking at the bottom. Apologies

For what it's worth I've never managed to get the SMTP authentication working, using the settings on that page. Using my primary e-mail address and password just gives an authentication error, so I leave it unauthenticated and on Port 25

[BenMcr]

Ahem

Some customers who access their @ntlworld.com email account with certain clients, such as Outlook 2007, may need to switch off SMTP authentication - only if they're experiencing difficulties sending email using the settings given above. They can do this by unticking 'My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication'

[Chris_Noble]

Yes right. How vague can we get? Is Mail.app one of said clients? Who knows.