why two email setup pages?

[#1]

I'm trying to setup POP email in Plusnet after giving up with gmail refusing to send emails.

Why are there two different POP email setup pages?

At www.plus.net/help/email-guides/how-to-set-up-plusnet-email
                              IMAP     POP
Incoming server     imap.plus.net     mail.plus.net
Incoming port        993     995
Outgoing server     relay.plus.net     relay.plus.net
Outgoing port        587 (recommended) or 25     587 (recommended) or 25
STARTTLS           Yes     Yes
SMTP Authentication (only needed if you're sending emails from a non-Plusnet Internet connection)*     Yes     Yes

But at community.plus.net/t5/Email/How-to-get-your-e-mails-through-a-e-mail-client/td-p/1598809
                              IMAP     POP
Incoming server     imap.plus.net     mail.plus.net
Incoming port        143     110
Outgoing server     relay.plus.net     relay.plus.net
Outgoing port        587 (recommended) or 25     587 (recommended) or 25
SSL/TLS               No     No
SMTP Authentication     Yes     Yes

I'm using Thunderbird so I assume I should be using the latter. What should the security settings be if not SSL/TLS, SMTP isn't an option?

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Hi @pursebearer  the first set are the secure settings if you wish to use SSL/TLS, the 2nd set are the non SSL set.

I'd recommend you use the first set with SSL selected for either IMAP or POP and STARTTLS using port 587 for SMTP

[#3]

Besides which, one is in the general help space in the user portal accessible by everyone, whereas the other is an answer within the forums, where people who join the forums ask the same question repeatedly because they did not go read the help page in the user portal.

[#4]

Thankyou for the explanation. The second set of settings worked, but the first give me "Connection to server mail.plus.net timed out" when trying to collect mail. I am not in the UK at present, is this relevant?

After finding that my previous ISP talktalk couldn't handle emails when I'm outside the UK, I then switched to using gmail which was fine for years until I had an SSD crash which forced me to restore everything from backup. Then gmail refused to send emails, disputing that it was me sending them. So having switched ISPs to Plusnet in the meantime, I'm hoping that I can now ditch gmail.

[#5]

am not in the UK at present, is this relevant?

Both sets of settings will also check IP reputation , which could be a problem with foreign ips.

The fact that the first settingsvdont work tends to imply that you haven't selected ssl security.

[#6]

Or that the caveat on when SMTP needs authentication has not been understood fully.  Too often people set up devices at home, which work fine and then taken them somewhere else and find they do not.

Personally I would not offer guidance which discusses the restricted circumstances in which non-authenticated SMTP server access might work.  Keep it simple, always use authenticated SMPT settings.

[#7]

I changed STARTTLS to SSL/TLS and it worked. Many thanks for your assistance.

[#8]

I take it that was on the IMAP / POP3 server?

SMTP on port 587 must be STARTTLS.

[#9]

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): The fix has been changed to @MisterW  as per message #2.