Using BT STMP server for own domain names

[sej7278]

Seeing as how even as business customers we don't get weekend support, I thought I'd try these forums (why are we paying twice the consumer price for no extra service?)

I'm trying to send email from my own domain name via smtp.btconnect.com

I know I have the authentication setup properly as sending from my @btconnect.com email address works fine.

So why am I getting "Not permitted" back from the mailserver when I try to send from my own domain name, my other ISP's don't have a problem with this.

Also, why is there no encryption on either POP3 or SMTP with Business Broadband? No STARTTLS, SSL or even secure-auth, hell we're using our main account credentials to send/receive emails and anyone could sniff it off the wire!

[dave]

Not sure why you think you don't get weekend support, as the support desk is open both Saturday and Sunday. Did You try calling them?

Anyway, your issue is the result of an anti spamming measure that BT employ on their smtp server. If you want to be able to send using your own domain, you will need to call and ask for your domain to be allowed for mail relay.

Once ownership of the domain has been verified, your domain will be added to the whitelist for sending.

See http://btbusiness.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9/c/2048,2050,2057 for further info.

With regards to encryption, no idea why they don't do this. But I have never come across many proiders that do (other than Gmail).

[sej7278]

Not sure why you think you don't get weekend support, as the support desk is open both Saturday and Sunday. Did You try calling them?

i meant live support over the internet really, trying to spell seven domains over the phone to india is not easy, copy'n'paste into a window would be better, plus I don't really want to phone an 0845 number (I'm currently abroad) so i sent an email in the end.

Anyway, your issue is the result of an anti spamming measure that BT employ on their smtp server. If you want to be able to send using your own domain, you will need to call and ask for your domain to be allowed for mail relay.

Its a pretty poor system really, if a customer spams, then cut them off, don't make other customers have to put up with complications. It's not really doing us a service anyway, its to save BT's bandwidth that's all.

I can't see every BT Internet consumer-grade customer is registering their domains with BT.

Once ownership of the domain has been verified, your domain will be added to the whitelist for sending.

Yes, and I expect that will be an arduous process with BT not believing that I own the domains as they're not registered to my business premises or something stupid.

With regards to encryption, no idea why they don't do this. But I have never come across many proiders that do (other than Gmail).

That's because most ISP's don't require authentication (as you're on their ADSL line so already authenticated) so there's no need for encryption as no passwords are sent.

I'd just like to know why everything to do with BT Business Broadband is like wading through treacle fighting bureaucracy at every stage, only to be disappointed with the service when it finally works.

I think I'll just use my own SMTP server which has encryption and secure authentication, instead of the one I'm paying BT to be able to use.

[EbenWilson]

BT are miles behind on this across all their web sites.

They used to have a white list through which you registered your domain name for mail relay. And you will still find pages across their - utterly confusing array of - websites that suggest you can do this. You can't. And we have complained formally to them and OFCOM about them continuing to suggest that you can.

They no longer allow this - instead you have to join up with something called - I think - SmartWeb which forces you to move towards their MSoft 365 server service. Trying to get MSoft 365 email to work on any local email clients other than Outlook (and even that is difficult) is darn near impossible.  

I have spoken to a few people in their technical department about this, and they have all given me the impression that they are totally fed up with this decision by BT.  And that hundreds of email users are simply moving away - presumably with their broadband connections as well. We are considering it.

I think BT wants in the end to be a company that digs holes and pulls copper and fibre. It isn't really competent at poividing internet services.  That realisation starts when you phone their technical support and the first thing they ask you for is your phone number.  You would have thought it might be something they know, they own the phone system!