Setting up a mail client and the outgoing SMTP set...

Question

If you switch to BT and you already have email accounts set up in a mail client such as Mac Mail, you will not find any help from BT to set up correct outgoing SMTP mail server settings. Most other ISP's are usually very helpful with this but BT have a policy that is designed to make things very difficult to use anything but a BT email account. They claim that it is "To protect our email server from abuse by spammers". However, the solution to this has potentially quite the opposite effect as you will not be able to enable SSL for it to work!!
OK so the first thing to do is create a new 'MY BT' account and then go to 'email' and create a new BT email account. Keep a note of address and password as you will need this later.
Go back to the main BT home page and click on mail. You should land on a page that has the new 'BT Mail Account' in the left column and above a purple tool bar with 'Settings at the end. Click on 'Settings'.
In the left column, underneath 'Mail' click on 'Accounts'
Click 'Add' and fill in the details of your 3rd party (Non BT) account. They encourage IMAP only but I used 'POP" with no problems as I have no intention of using the BT mail client.
In 'Mail settings' fill out the mail server details from your email provider or where your site is actually hosted. For example if you are using 000webhost.com then they will advise 'mx.000webhost.com' or may be 'mail.yourwebsitename' 
The correct port to enter is the port listed in your web client. For me with Mac Mail then this is listed in preferences and if you check this then also double check that use SSL is NOT checked
Enter the email user name and password of your 3rd party account
Make sure in 'Security' that 'Requires SSL' is NOT checked
Then save the account
Click on the 'Email' link in the purple tool bar and there now under the 'BT Mail Account' should be your 3rd party account. Click on it and it should now load your email. If it doesn't then you will have to try again the steps above as there is no point in going any further if the BT client cannot access your account.
OK if it is working then go to your email client (Mac Mail in my case) and in preference set up your 3rd party account as follows.
Incoming mail server is as the info from your host ( like as in 'mx.000webhost.com' above). Enter user name and password for the 3rd party account.
Now set up an Outgoing mail server (SMPT). I just called it BT with the server name 'mail.btinternet.com'. In the advance section click use default ports. It actually uses 465 if you do not have a default option.
Do NOT enable SSL
Set Authentication to 'Password'
Then in user name enter the details of the NEW BT account you opened for user name and password.
And that's it. Well it works for me! I got no assistance whatsoever from BT in trying to solve this. I asked to cancel my new BT infinity service after only 5 days when it proved so difficult to get an email client like mac mail to work. I had 4 calls from them and even the 'Tech Experts' had no idea what I was talking to them about!

Answer 1

Melski wrote:
Ah yes Thank you Oliver that is a better solution. However all the settings in the BT client have to remain as no SSL. If you change to use SSL there you will not be able access the 3rd party email account.
Your email client cannot handle SSL for SMTP (BT) and non-SSL for POP3 (000webhost)?
Oliver.