Cheap good SMTP server / service?

[~misfit~]

Hi to those still lingering...

I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a few accounts that were
originally intended to be disposable but I ended up using some for registrations etc. that I still use.

When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the package and I was able to set
the default outgoing server to SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in 2018 I stayed with them as an
ISP but they said they didn't offer email with their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail)
but would continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.

Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix email server I'll be charged an
extra $5 / month so I thought I might as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I
use through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the server won't accept any of my
other email domains. I have several Orcon email addresses from way back when they were giving free
'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with those, they've been devolved into
webmail only. I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from' those addresses.

I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other than the SMTP server) So I
figure if Voyager are going to charge me another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options. If
I ever change providors I'll need to find another anyway.

TIA for any help or advice.

Cheers,

[Ralph Fox]

Post by ~misfit~
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix email server I'll be charged an
extra $5 / month so I thought I might as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I
use through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the server won't accept any of my
other email domains.

Have you tried this already?

Gmail Help: Send emails from a different address or alias
<https://support.google.com/mail/answer/22370>

How to send emails from a different address or alias in Gmail
<https://support.cloudhq.net/how-to-send-emails-from-a-different-address-or-alias-in-gmail/>

[malone]

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a
few accounts that were originally intended to be disposable but I
ended up using some for registrations etc. that I still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the
package and I was able to set the default outgoing server to
SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in
2018 I stayed with them as an ISP but they said they didn't offer
email with their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail) but would
continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix
email server I'll be charged an extra $5 / month so I thought I might
as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I use
through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the
server won't accept any of my other email domains. I have several
Orcon email addresses from way back when they were giving free
'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with those,
they've been devolved into webmail only.

Are you sure?

I' m using mail.orcon.nz port 25 for my Orcon POP service with no
difficulty. And, like you, my Orcon addresses were acquired in the early
days when they were all "free"

Post by ~misfit~
I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from'
those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other
than the SMTP server) So I figure if Voyager are going to charge me
another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options. If I ever
change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.
Cheers,

And, on a separate issue, my Orcon address is now not my main email
address, but I do use it quite a lot. As Orcon appears to change
ownership every few months, I'm worried that a new owner might suddenly
terminate that "free" service? That'll be pretty inconvenient for me.
What do you think? When Orcon provided free web sites as well they
terminated that service without a "by your leave". They gave me no
notification at all and I suddenly lost everything on Orcon's web servers.

Should I make preparations for that sort of thing happening with mail?

[malone]

Post by malone

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a
few accounts that were originally intended to be disposable but I
ended up using some for registrations etc. that I still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the
package and I was able to set the default outgoing server to
SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in
2018 I stayed with them as an ISP but they said they didn't offer
email with their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail) but
would continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix
email server I'll be charged an extra $5 / month so I thought I might
as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I use
through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the
server won't accept any of my other email domains. I have several
Orcon email addresses from way back when they were giving free
'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with those,
they've been devolved into webmail only.

Are you sure?
I' m using mail.orcon.nz port 25 for my Orcon POP service with no
difficulty. And, like you, my Orcon addresses were acquired in the
early days when they were all "free"

Post by ~misfit~
I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from'
those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other
than the SMTP server) So I figure if Voyager are going to charge me
another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options. If I ever
change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.
Cheers,

And, on a separate issue, my Orcon address is now not my main email
address, but I do use it quite a lot. As Orcon appears to change
ownership every few months, I'm worried that a new owner might
suddenly terminate that "free" service? That'll be pretty inconvenient
for me. What do you think? When Orcon provided free web sites as well
they terminated that service without a "by your leave". They gave me
no notification at all and I suddenly lost everything on Orcon's web
servers.
Should I make preparations for that sort of thing happening with mail?

Sorry - correction. The Orcon SMTP server is mail.orcon.net.nz

[Your Name]

Post by malone

Post by malone

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a few
accounts that were originally intended to be disposable but I ended up
using some for registrations etc. that I still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the
package and I was able to set the default outgoing server to
SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in 2018
I stayed with them as an ISP but they said they didn't offer email with
their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail) but would continue to
maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix
email server I'll be charged an extra $5 / month so I thought I might
as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I use through
Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the server won't
accept any of my other email domains. I have several Orcon email
addresses from way back when they were giving free 'lifetime' email
addresses but there's no smtp service with those, they've been devolved
into webmail only.

Are you sure?
I' m using mail.orcon.nz port 25 for my Orcon POP service with no
difficulty. And, like you, my Orcon addresses were acquired in the
early days when they were all "free"

Post by ~misfit~
I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from'
those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other
than the SMTP server) So I figure if Voyager are going to charge me
another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options. If I ever
change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.
Cheers,

And, on a separate issue, my Orcon address is now not my main email
address, but I do use it quite a lot. As Orcon appears to change
ownership every few months, I'm worried that a new owner might suddenly
terminate that "free" service? That'll be pretty inconvenient for me.
What do you think? When Orcon provided free web sites as well they
terminated that service without a "by your leave". They gave me no
notification at all and I suddenly lost everything on Orcon's web servers.
Should I make preparations for that sort of thing happening with mail?

Sorry - correction. The Orcon SMTP server is mail.orcon.net.nz

I wouldn't get too attached to those. Vodafone had free email, then
they decided they couldn't be bothered so changed it to a simple
forwarding service (while still charging the same), then decided they
couldn't be bothered with that either and just ditched email completely
(while again still charging the same). X-(

[malone]

Post by Your Name

Post by malone

Post by malone

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a
few accounts that were originally intended to be disposable but I
ended up using some for registrations etc. that I still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the
package and I was able to set the default outgoing server to
SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in
2018 I stayed with them as an ISP but they said they didn't offer
email with their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail) but
would continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix
email server I'll be charged an extra $5 / month so I thought I
might as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I
use through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but
the server won't accept any of my other email domains. I have
several Orcon email addresses from way back when they were giving
free 'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with
those, they've been devolved into webmail only.

Are you sure?
I' m using mail.orcon.nz port 25 for my Orcon POP service with no
difficulty. And, like you, my Orcon addresses were acquired in the
early days when they were all "free"

Post by ~misfit~
I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send
'from' those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other
than the SMTP server) So I figure if Voyager are going to charge me
another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options. If I ever
change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.
Cheers,

And, on a separate issue, my Orcon address is now not my main email
address, but I do use it quite a lot. As Orcon appears to change
ownership every few months, I'm worried that a new owner might
suddenly terminate that "free" service? That'll be pretty
inconvenient for me. What do you think? When Orcon provided free web
sites as well they terminated that service without a "by your
leave". They gave me no notification at all and I suddenly lost
everything on Orcon's web servers.
Should I make preparations for that sort of thing happening with mail?

Sorry - correction. The Orcon SMTP server is mail.orcon.net.nz

I wouldn't get too attached to those. Vodafone had free email, then
they decided they couldn't be bothered so changed it to a simple
forwarding service (while still charging the same), then decided they
couldn't be bothered with that either and just ditched email
completely (while again still charging the same). X-(

Yes. Vodafone's behaviour was extraordinarily arrogant. But, to give
them some credit, they did give us all due notification about what they
were going to do. In Orcon's case they just chopped the web hosting
service without any warning. Presumably their view was that because it
was "free" they didn't need to let us know beforehand. My concern is
that with that sort of culture at Orcon they may very well just abruptly
stop the "free" email.

[Your Name]

Post by malone

Post by Your Name

Post by malone

Post by malone

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a few
accounts that were originally intended to be disposable but I ended up
using some for registrations etc. that I still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the
package and I was able to set the default outgoing server to
SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in 2018
I stayed with them as an ISP but they said they didn't offer email with
their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail) but would continue to
maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix
email server I'll be charged an extra $5 / month so I thought I might
as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I use through
Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the server won't
accept any of my other email domains. I have several Orcon email
addresses from way back when they were giving free 'lifetime' email
addresses but there's no smtp service with those, they've been devolved
into webmail only.

Are you sure?
I' m using mail.orcon.nz port 25 for my Orcon POP service with no
difficulty. And, like you, my Orcon addresses were acquired in the
early days when they were all "free"

Post by ~misfit~
I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from'
those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other
than the SMTP server) So I figure if Voyager are going to charge me
another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options. If I ever
change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.
Cheers,

And, on a separate issue, my Orcon address is now not my main email
address, but I do use it quite a lot. As Orcon appears to change
ownership every few months, I'm worried that a new owner might suddenly
terminate that "free" service? That'll be pretty inconvenient for me.
What do you think? When Orcon provided free web sites as well they
terminated that service without a "by your leave". They gave me no
notification at all and I suddenly lost everything on Orcon's web servers.
Should I make preparations for that sort of thing happening with mail?

Sorry - correction. The Orcon SMTP server is mail.orcon.net.nz

I wouldn't get too attached to those. Vodafone had free email, then
they decided they couldn't be bothered so changed it to a simple
forwarding service (while still charging the same), then decided they
couldn't be bothered with that either and just ditched email completely
(while again still charging the same). X-(

Yes. Vodafone's behaviour was extraordinarily arrogant. But, to give
them some credit, they did give us all due notification about what they
were going to do.

Vodafone said email was for life. Then they said forwarding was for
life. Then a few months later they said "nope, we can't be bothered".

It's just typical arrogance from ISPs and other big business comanies
in general). Back in the days of using dial-up, there were issues with
their login server for MacOS 9 and earlier users, issues carried over
from the ihug days every time the server software was updated. Phoning
up the "help desk" simply resulted in them trying to fix my computer,
using Windows procedures. Eventually they realised there was actually a
problem at their end and said it would be fixed ... months and many
phone calls later, after continually being told it would be fixed
"soon", they finally said they weren't going to bother fixing it.

Post by malone
In Orcon's case they just chopped the web hosting service without any
warning. Presumably their view was that because it was "free" they
didn't need to let us know beforehand. My concern is that with that
sort of culture at Orcon they may very well just abruptly stop the
"free" email.

Well, Orcon is now owned by the same people as Slignshot ... probably
THE most arrogant and badly run ISP there is. The Slignshot salesman
even went around door to door *forcing* people into changing over,
resulting in numerous complaints. The only reason they stopped doung
that was due to Covid lockdowns.

[~misfit~]

Post by malone

Post by malone

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a few accounts that were
originally intended to be disposable but I ended up using some for registrations etc. that I
still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the package and I was able to
set the default outgoing server to SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of
email accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in 2018 I stayed with
them as an ISP but they said they didn't offer email with their service (as apparently everyone
uses gmail) but would continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix email server I'll be
charged an extra $5 / month so I thought I might as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail
account that I use through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the server
won't accept any of my other email domains. I have several Orcon email addresses from way back
when they were giving free 'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with those,
they've been devolved into webmail only.

Are you sure?
I' m using mail.orcon.nz port 25 for my Orcon POP service with no difficulty. And, like you, my
Orcon addresses were acquired in the early days when they were all "free"

Post by ~misfit~
I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from' those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other than the SMTP server) So I
figure if Voyager are going to charge me another $60 a year for access to it I'll check
options. If I ever change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.
Cheers,

And, on a separate issue, my Orcon address is now not my main email address, but I do use it
quite a lot. As Orcon appears to change ownership every few months, I'm worried that a new owner
might suddenly terminate that "free" service? That'll be pretty inconvenient for me. What do you
think? When Orcon provided free web sites as well they terminated that service without a "by
your leave". They gave me no notification at all and I suddenly lost everything on Orcon's web
servers.
Should I make preparations for that sort of thing happening with mail?

Sorry - correction. The Orcon SMTP server is mail.orcon.net.nz

I wouldn't get too attached to those. Vodafone had free email, then they decided they couldn't be
bothered so changed it to a simple forwarding service (while still charging the same), then decided
they couldn't be bothered with that either and just ditched email completely (while again still
charging the same).   X-(

Telecom did a similar thing years back, swapped email users over to Hotmail (or was it Yahoo!?) and
then they went tits-up.

[Ralph Fox]

Post by ~misfit~
Telecom did a similar thing years back, swapped email users over to Hotmail (or was it Yahoo!?) and
then they went tits-up.

Yahoo. Then they brought their email back to NZ. Telecom/Spark still
provides email. I pay $5.95/month for an xtra.co.nz email account.

[~misfit~]

Post by Ralph Fox

Post by ~misfit~
Telecom did a similar thing years back, swapped email users over to Hotmail (or was it Yahoo!?) and
then they went tits-up.

Yahoo. Then they brought their email back to NZ. Telecom/Spark still
provides email. I pay $5.95/month for an xtra.co.nz email account.

Yeah when I wrote "Hotmail" I thought I was wrong and it was Yahoo. Thanks for the info about
Spark's email.

[~misfit~]

Post by malone

Post by malone

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a few accounts that were
originally intended to be disposable but I ended up using some for registrations etc. that I
still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the package and I was able to
set the default outgoing server to SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of
email accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in 2018 I stayed with them
as an ISP but they said they didn't offer email with their service (as apparently everyone uses
gmail) but would continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix email server I'll be charged
an extra $5 / month so I thought I might as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account
that I use through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the server won't accept
any of my other email domains. I have several Orcon email addresses from way back when they were
giving free 'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with those, they've been
devolved into webmail only.

Are you sure?
I' m using mail.orcon.nz port 25 for my Orcon POP service with no difficulty. And, like you, my
Orcon addresses were acquired in the early days when they were all "free"

Post by ~misfit~
I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from' those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other than the SMTP server) So I
figure if Voyager are going to charge me another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options.
If I ever change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.
Cheers,

And, on a separate issue, my Orcon address is now not my main email address, but I do use it
quite a lot. As Orcon appears to change ownership every few months, I'm worried that a new owner
might suddenly terminate that "free" service? That'll be pretty inconvenient for me. What do you
think? When Orcon provided free web sites as well they terminated that service without a "by your
leave". They gave me no notification at all and I suddenly lost everything on Orcon's web servers.
Should I make preparations for that sort of thing happening with mail?

Sorry - correction. The Orcon SMTP server is mail.orcon.net.nz

Noted, thanks. Is it accessed via password? I have different passwords for my different Orcon email
accounts so that could be why I used the Actrix service. I'll try some config changes tomorrow
(probably). Then again, as you say, how reliable is the free Orcon thing going to be in the future?
Maybe I should be looking for a more permanent solution.

[malone]

Post by ~misfit~

Post by malone

Post by malone

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a
few accounts that were originally intended to be disposable but I
ended up using some for registrations etc. that I still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the
package and I was able to set the default outgoing server to
SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in
2018 I stayed with them as an ISP but they said they didn't offer
email with their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail) but
would continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix
email server I'll be charged an extra $5 / month so I thought I
might as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I
use through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but
the server won't accept any of my other email domains. I have
several Orcon email addresses from way back when they were giving
free 'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with
those, they've been devolved into webmail only.

Are you sure?
I' m using mail.orcon.nz port 25 for my Orcon POP service with no
difficulty. And, like you, my Orcon addresses were acquired in the
early days when they were all "free"

Post by ~misfit~
I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send
'from' those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other
than the SMTP server) So I figure if Voyager are going to charge me
another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options. If I ever
change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.
Cheers,

And, on a separate issue, my Orcon address is now not my main email
address, but I do use it quite a lot. As Orcon appears to change
ownership every few months, I'm worried that a new owner might
suddenly terminate that "free" service? That'll be pretty
inconvenient for me. What do you think? When Orcon provided free web
sites as well they terminated that service without a "by your
leave". They gave me no notification at all and I suddenly lost
everything on Orcon's web servers.
Should I make preparations for that sort of thing happening with mail?

Sorry - correction. The Orcon SMTP server is mail.orcon.net.nz

Noted, thanks. Is it accessed via password? I have different passwords
for my different Orcon email accounts so that could be why I used the
Actrix service. I'll try some config changes tomorrow (probably). Then
again, as you say, how reliable is the free Orcon thing going to be in
the future? Maybe I should be looking for a more permanent solution.

Yes. Same password as the POP mail server.

The general view seems to be that I shouldn't rely on the stability of
the "free" Orcon mail service in the future. I do have my own domain,
but I tend to use Orcon when I think the address will become available
to spammers. As a sort of filter. But I'll now begin the gradual process
of changing all my Orcon addresses.

[Gordon]

Another angle. Might be of some use.

Viladi, the browser has a mail client built in.

https://vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi-4-0/#Vivaldi_Mail_Beta

tutanota.com is also a mailbased company. Free for personal use and limited
space. (1GB) Pay for more space or accounts.

https://tutanota.com/pricing
https://tutanota.com

Not sure where the messages reside on this one. Nevertheless they are into
encryption full time.

[~misfit~]

Post by Gordon
Another angle. Might be of some use.
Viladi, the browser has a mail client built in.
https://vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi-4-0/#Vivaldi_Mail_Beta
tutanota.com is also a mailbased company. Free for personal use and limited
space. (1GB) Pay for more space or accounts.
https://tutanota.com/pricing
https://tutanota.com
Not sure where the messages reside on this one. Nevertheless they are into
encryption full time.

Thanks Gordon, I'll look into both. Probably after I get my first bill from Voyager with the extra
$5 charge (I'm quick to procrastinate...)

[~misfit~]

Post by malone

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a few accounts that were
originally intended to be disposable but I ended up using some for registrations etc. that I
still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the package and I was able to set
the default outgoing server to SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in 2018 I stayed with them as an
ISP but they said they didn't offer email with their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail)
but would continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix email server I'll be charged
an extra $5 / month so I thought I might as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account
that I use through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the server won't accept
any of my other email domains. I have several Orcon email addresses from way back when they were
giving free 'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with those, they've been
devolved into webmail only.

Are you sure?
I' m using mail.orcon.nz port 25 for my Orcon POP service with no difficulty. And, like you, my
Orcon addresses were acquired in the early days when they were all "free"

Ok thanks. I remember when I first joined Actrix I set Tbird to use the Actrix service. Maybe I
confused myself and the Orcon one was still available the whole time...

Post by malone

Post by ~misfit~
I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from' those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other than the SMTP server) So I
figure if Voyager are going to charge me another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options.
If I ever change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.
Cheers,

And, on a separate issue, my Orcon address is now not my main email address, but I do use it quite
a lot. As Orcon appears to change ownership every few months, I'm worried that a new owner might
suddenly terminate that "free" service? That'll be pretty inconvenient for me. What do you think?

Yeah, me too (though I mainly use gmail for 'mission critcal' stuff now). I guess they could just
stop them any time unless it was written in as an unbreakable clause when Seeby Woodhouse
originally sold it.

I have a friend who uses her original free orcon address via the web portal and she's constantly
having to delete spam as the mailbox fills up regularly otherwise. There doesn't appear to be any
decent spam controls and the box is small, maybe 5 or 10MB. I've got Tbird set to retrieve and
delete from server so I don't have issues but do get a lot of spam (which Tbird deals with quite well).

Post by malone
When Orcon provided free web sites as well they terminated that service without a "by your leave".
They gave me no notification at all and I suddenly lost everything on Orcon's web servers.
Should I make preparations for that sort of thing happening with mail?

Better safe than sorry. I don't like the lack of privacy that's involved with Gmail but at least it
should be there for the forseeable future. If I were more affluent I'd have my own domain and not
have to rely on anyone's 'free' service.

Cheers,

[Gordon]

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a few accounts that were
originally intended to be disposable but I ended up using some for registrations etc. that I still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the package and I was able to set
the default outgoing server to SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in 2018 I stayed with them as an
ISP but they said they didn't offer email with their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail)
but would continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix email server I'll be charged an
extra $5 / month so I thought I might as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I
use through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the server won't accept any of my
other email domains. I have several Orcon email addresses from way back when they were giving free
'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with those, they've been devolved into
webmail only. I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from' those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other than the SMTP server) So I
figure if Voyager are going to charge me another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options. If
I ever change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.

Well this is not sounding good as I am with Voyager ex Actrix.

Does not one need the ISP to have the STMP server as otherwise the mail does
not get sent. Anti spam measure.

So I have a separate hosted e-mail account. The mail comes in via it and goes
out via the STMP server at Voyager. This has been working well for
several/many years.

There are mail only hosting plans avaliable but these need a domain name
which pushes the cost up. Webhostingnz has domains at $20/year and mail at
$2/mth ($24/yr) so total is $44/year. Less than the $60, but not a great
deal. GST incl in the above prices.

Openhost.co.nz also offers e-mail only. Their prices are higher than
webhostingnz. $24/year + GST and $40+GST for the domain name for 1 year.
Drops to $159.80 +GST for 10 years.

Both offer STMP

https://webhostingnz.com/services/email-hosting/

[Gordon]

On 2021-07-28, Gordon <***@leaf.net.nz> wrote:

[snip]

Post by Gordon
Does not one need the ISP to have the STMP server as otherwise the mail does
not get sent. Anti spam measure.

Just done a test post from my mail hosting account and it worked.

Thus no need to use the Voyager one which is good.

[~misfit~]

Post by Gordon
[snip]

Post by Gordon
Does not one need the ISP to have the STMP server as otherwise the mail does
not get sent. Anti spam measure.

Just done a test post from my mail hosting account and it worked.
Thus no need to use the Voyager one which is good.

Cool. Here's a copy of the email I got from Voyager: (this is the first email I've received on the
Actrix address for years, I never swapped to my 'free' Actrix email address as swapping addys is a
PITA, hence me wanting to keep access to my Orcon accounts. I only ever got official Actrix emails
on it.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Upcoming price change to your free Actrix email service

Hello ,

You are receiving this email because you have an @actrix.co.nz email address which was provided for
free with your services through Actrix.

WHAT’S CHANGING

From 1 September, we’re making the following changes to your Actrix email service:

Free email accounts will be charged $4.95 per month (inc GST), per email
Upgraded spam and virus protection for your email
4x increase to mailbox storage, now 1000MB (1GB)
Additional storage can be added for $4.95 per 1 GB, per month

This will affect the following email services:

<redacted>

If you're happy with your email service, there is nothing for you to do and changes will be applied
automatically from 1 September. For more information, please continue reading.
Why are we doing this?

Modern email services are costing more to operate and support, due to the size and volume of
messages being sent, and the increasing need for sophisticated software to filter messages and
protect from spam and viruses.

Many other NZ Internet providers have shut down their free email services, but we know there’s a
significant burden to changing your email address. We think you’ll love the upgrades we’ve made,
and improvements we’re planning to make in the future and we’re charging a nominal fee to cover the
cost of running this service. Of course, our local support team will continue to be available over
the phone to help you with your email when you need it.

Other advertising-supported options are available, for those less-concerned about their privacy and
willing to make the change. Learn more about changing here.
About our email service upgrades


New supercharged protection for your email

The enterprise grade email filtering by Spam Experts is included with all email hosting plans and
protects against spam, viruses, phishing, malware, ransomware, and other email-based threats.

Since implementing Spam Experts, the new spam filter has delivered a 400% improvement in the amount
of spam being detected.

You'll find messages that the filter has classified as spam in the folder called 'Spam' in your
Email Client (like Outlook), or otherwise by logging into Webmail and looking for the Spam folder.

More storage, for more email

The original size of an Actrix mailbox was 250MB. Over the coming weeks we will be upgrading and
increasing mailbox sizes by four times, to 1000MB (1GB). This means you'll be able to store more
email on the server and receive larger attachments.

We still recommend deleting any old messages and keeping your inbox as tidy as possible to assist
with fast loading when you check your email.
Billing changes

Effective 1 September 2021, an Actrix 1GB mailbox will be billed at $4.95 inc GST per month ($4.30
+ GST). Additional storage above 1GB is billed at $4.95 inc GST per month, per 1GB upgrade.

These changes will take effect during the month of September, on the next billing day for your account.

If you're currently paying for a mailbox storage upgrade, your billing will reduce to the standard
$4.95 inc GST charge per 1GB mailbox from 1 September 2021, since all mailboxes will include 1GB of
storage. If you're paying for an upgrade above 1GB, you'll pay an extra $4.95 inc GST per month,
per 1GB upgrade.
No longer require your Actrix email?

If you no longer need your mailbox and would like to cancel, simply reply to this email and let us
know which service to cancel. Please include the billing reference (starting with V11) from the
information below to help us identify the service.

<redacted>

Important things to know before you cancel:

Please ensure you no longer require the email account, and that you have downloaded or
forwarded any emails you might need before requesting cancellation. Click here to learn how to
check your email.
Your cancellation request is considered immediate and your email account, and all emails
stored on the server will be deleted within 1 - 2 days.
If you cancel in error, we may be able to recover from backup within 7 days. A fee of $85 +
GST will apply to recreate and restore your email (per email account).
Any billing changes will take effect on the next billing day for your account.

Need further assistance?

To learn more about these changes and find answers to commonly asked questions, click here to read
our Frequently Asked Question (FAQ).

If you wish to discuss these changes further, simply reply to this email or call our local support
team between 8am and 10pm, 7 days a week on 0800 477 333.
Warm Regards,
voyager signature

[~misfit~]

Post by Gordon

Post by ~misfit~
Hi to those still lingering...
I use Thunderbird for email and over the years have accrued quite a few accounts that were
originally intended to be disposable but I ended up using some for registrations etc. that I still use.
When I was with Actrix (ISP) they had a free email address with the package and I was able to set
the default outgoing server to SMTP.actrix with password authentication. My multitude of email
accounts all use this no problem. When Voyager took over Actrix in 2018 I stayed with them as an
ISP but they said they didn't offer email with their service (as apparently everyone uses gmail)
but would continue to maintain the actrix email server for legacy customers.
Now I'm being informed that if I want to continue to use the Actrix email server I'll be charged an
extra $5 / month so I thought I might as well explore alternatives. I have a gmail account that I
use through Tbird and it can use the gmail smtp for outgoing but the server won't accept any of my
other email domains. I have several Orcon email addresses from way back when they were giving free
'lifetime' email addresses but there's no smtp service with those, they've been devolved into
webmail only. I can receive mail with Tbird but need an smtp service to send 'from' those addresses.
I never did use the 'free' Actrix email account (for anything other than the SMTP server) So I
figure if Voyager are going to charge me another $60 a year for access to it I'll check options. If
I ever change providors I'll need to find another anyway.
TIA for any help or advice.

Well this is not sounding good as I am with Voyager ex Actrix.

If you're using their email service then you should have (or get) an email. I had a run-around when
Voyager (Seeby Woodhouse owned, he of the original Orcon) took over from Actrix. They didn't want
to continue supplying email and tried to talk me out of it. I said it'd be a deal-breaker and would
look elsewhere for an ISP and they said they'd keep the email servers running 'for the time being'.
That was in 2018.

I send my mail using smtp.actrix.co.nz and the password I set up when I joined Actrix way back when.

Post by Gordon
Does not one need the ISP to have the STMP server as otherwise the mail does
not get sent. Anti spam measure.

No, there are security measures in place, either a password or sometimes IP-locked. Gmail's SMTP
uses something called "OAuth2" authentication for sending.

Post by Gordon
So I have a separate hosted e-mail account. The mail comes in via it and goes
out via the STMP server at Voyager. This has been working well for
several/many years.

I use Orcon's pop3 server for incoming mail but have been sending via smtp.actrix.co.nz.

Post by Gordon
There are mail only hosting plans avaliable but these need a domain name
which pushes the cost up. Webhostingnz has domains at $20/year and mail at
$2/mth ($24/yr) so total is $44/year. Less than the $60, but not a great
deal. GST incl in the above prices.
Openhost.co.nz also offers e-mail only. Their prices are higher than
webhostingnz. $24/year + GST and $40+GST for the domain name for 1 year.
Drops to $159.80 +GST for 10 years.
Both offer STMP
https://webhostingnz.com/services/email-hosting/

Thanks for that, I'll look into it.

[~misfit~]

On 27/07/2021 10:30 pm, Ralph Fox wrote:

<nothing showing up for me>

I don't know if it's at our end or mine, I've seen this occasionally in other groups.

[Ralph Fox]

Post by ~misfit~
<nothing showing up for me>
I don't know if it's at our end or mine, I've seen this occasionally in other groups.

You can still read my post on Narkive or Google groups.
NK: <https://nz.comp.narkive.com/xgJDuseE/cheap-good-smtp-server-service#post2>
GG: <https://groups.google.com/g/nz.comp/c/GKPMMFiR5yk/m/ijcbFC8lAwAJ>

[~misfit~]

Post by Ralph Fox

Post by ~misfit~
<nothing showing up for me>
I don't know if it's at our end or mine, I've seen this occasionally in other groups.

You can still read my post on Narkive or Google groups.
NK: <https://nz.comp.narkive.com/xgJDuseE/cheap-good-smtp-server-service#post2>
GG: <https://groups.google.com/g/nz.comp/c/GKPMMFiR5yk/m/ijcbFC8lAwAJ>

Thanks, this one came through. The Narkive link didn't work but the GG one did.

The two links in your original post seem to be about using the Gmail interface to send from a
different account and (at least as far as I can tell) won't help me (I'm using Thunderbird as a
collector / collator for my many disparate email addresses).

Cheers,