Verizon DSL - SMTP outgoing mail won't work!

Hello,

Webmail does not use the SMTP needed when using any mail client, so that does confirm anything.

I would suggest contacting Verizon for advice on Port number to use, and about whether SSL is required on the authentication. It might be worth trying SSL before calling. In some areas, a port other than 25 is needed. I experienced this helping a friend set with Verizon at his Florida home, but can't find the link for that specification.

I've had a similar problem with Verizon. It seems to be a compatibility glitch with Mail since I have no problem with Outlook in Virtual PC. My Verizon account worked in Mail for a week then failed. I tried everything I could think of but ended up starting from scratch (A call to Apple support brought me to the same conclusion). The following fixed the problem BUT it started again a week later so I think I may have to try another email client. Bummer, I like some of the features in Mail.

Delete: ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist
Move: ~/Library/Mail folder to the Desktop
Open Mail, recreate account and import old email from "Mail" folder on desktop

If I could only get smtp.mac.com to work I wouldn't need Verizon's crappy smtp server.

I don't know if this makes a difference or not, but I use SMTP:outgoing.verizon.net:my account name (that's my Verizon account name after the colon) and it works fine. It took me some experimentation before I hit on this.

Yes, yesterday I had the same problem and it still persists today.

Yes, I did have to type my outgoing server address in manually, because what appeared automatically did not have the complete information. But if you've got the complete SMTP address in there, and it's still not working, I'm stumped.

Eric,

Agreed, given that it sometimes works.

However, with that same given, we need to consider the MTU (maximum transmission unit) setting, and configuration. How are you connected to your ADSL -- modem only, or modem/router? If the latter, what brand of router?

Verizon is known in some areas to have some issues with the default MTU setting.

Check and report the MTU that has been automatically arrived at by your Mac -- see:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107962

However, with some brands of routers, the MTU can be set in the router, if you are using one.

Same thing just happenned to me with my SBC account and .Mac account. It was fixable at first by restarting the Mail app, but has gone completely now. Kinda tells me that it is totally computer related. I'm thinking corrupt file somewhere, but not sure what files could possibly do this. Maybe you have a similar thing going on.

This may sound bizarre but I picked it up from another page on the web and it seems to have worked so far. Here's what I did:

Go to dslstart.verizon.net, click on "My Account" and Log in.

Change the name for the default email account. Verizon allows you to do this once. The original posting I read said to create a sub-account.

I also changed the password to something I could remember.

Change the smtp information in Mail to reflect the new User Name and Password.

Hopefully this will work for you also.

This problem has been driving me nuts as well until I discovered a setting in mail preferences under the composing tab. There's a choice for 'Sending New Mail from: Account of last viewed Mailbox'. I switched that setting and was then able to send mail from a Verizon DSL sub account. It's another thing to look at.

Alas it only lasted a week (again). It's like there's a switch that turns it off over the weekend.

I don't want to use a verizon email account. I just need to be able to use the smtp server to send things from my own non-verizon account that I own the domain for. I bought that so I would never have to worry about changing email addresses when changing ISPs.

I use a Verizon DSL account to access different email addresses and the internet. Even though I don't use the address, I have the Verizon account set up in Mail.

Mail settings: Under Account info (POP type), use your verizon.net email address. The Incoming mail server is mailbox.verizon.net; the user name is your email address before the @ symbol; the password is your email password. The Outgoing mail server is smtpout.verizon.net. Leave the Server settings submenu at default using port 25. Under the Advanced tab, use port 110, SSL unchecked, with password authentication.

My Network preferences are set up as follows:
Under TCP/IP, use DHCP. Enter your verizon email account as the DHCP Client ID. Settings in the DNS server area: the first line is my IP address, the second line is 255.255.255.0 (not sure if it's necessary to fill in this area). Ignore PPPoE. I have AppleTalk active for my local network, not necessary if you don't use multiple computers. Proxies: Passive FTP Mode checked. Ethernet: configured automatically.

Hope this helps,

Julie

This problem has been driving me nuts as well until I discovered a setting in mail preferences under the composing tab. There's a choice for 'Sending New Mail from: Account of last viewed Mailbox'...

THIS is the kicker. (Randall Miller is officially a genius.) I screwed with this for a week and nothing else worked. Change the setting to Mail>Preferences>Composing>SEND NEW MAIL FROM ACCOUNT: Joe Smith <joesmith@verizon.net>

I'm not very tech-savvy (despite being a tech writer for 20 years), but my guess is that, when you have the setting at "Send New Mail from Account: Account of last view mailbox", Mail keeps the bad settings in some buffer and refers to them. Once you FORCE Mail to use the (corrected) outgoing server settings, it works every time. (Or at least this morning.)

That said, some of the other info presented above is wrong. (Sorry.) I have four mail accounts on three servers, and the settings vary wildly. Some servers require their name to be "mail.joesmith.com" and others just "joesmith.com". Some servers require the User Name as "joe" and some require "joe@joesmith.com".

Here are my Verizon settings that work (so far) after a week's fiddling.

In Mail>Preference>Accounts, I have:

Account type: POP
Description: Verizon
Email address: joe@verizon.net
Full name: Joe Smith
Incoming mail server: incoming.verizon.net
User name: joe
Password: *** (the general verizon account password)

Mail server: outgoing.verizon.net (although this magically is rendered as outgoing.verizon.net:joe)

Server settings...
outgoing.verizon.net (no sign of the joe addition)
Server port: 25
Unchecked Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
Authentication: Password
User name: joe
Password: *** (general Verizon account password)

Added note: The Verizon Mac techie thought it was entirely due to a Keychain Access problem. Maybe. For good measure, I went into Keychain Access and deleted ALL my keychains. You might try that too. I can't tell if it's relevant.

I hope this helps.

Note Verizon is the WORST computer company I've seen in 20 years. Their website is a sprawling mess subdivided into fragments. There is no general logon password. Searches only search part of the site. There is very little tech help. If you send email to tech support, they send you a generic useless message. If you complain to billing, same reply. If you call on the phone, you'll be tracked not to help but to lists of MORE options and services to buy. It's even deceptive, such as "If you're having problems, you should try Verizon Encore", which is just another pay-for crap service. They have a robot to answer tech questions, and it's useless. If you can navigate the phone tree to tech support after 20 minutes, you'll get a Windows guy, who will then forward you to a Mac guy, another 20 minute wait, and he wasn't much help.

Verizon needs to get whacked with a class action suit. I switched to them from Comcast, which now runs dog-slow, but Verizon isn't much better.

Clayton Emery