IDNet Email Address Format

[Wolfy]

My first post here so hi all! 

I'm thinking of joining IDNet.  Just looking at their arrangements for email addresses.

The address format I've had at previous ISPs is:
      <anything-you-like>@<your-isp-username>.isp.com.

Seems that Idnet can't offer that degree of flexibility is that so?  Seems to only allow:
     <anything-you-like-that-isnt-taken-already>@idnet.com

I've read the IDNetters page here:
http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=2303.0;wap2
If I create say four IDNet email addresses for myself will I end up with four POP3 mailboxes or just one?
From the IDNet website it would seem I would get four, just wanted to check that as need a POP3 for each member of the family.

Thanks!

[esh]

Yes you will get 4 boxes, and yes, you can only configure the prefix of the address, not any subdomain (to my knowledge). Each box will have 100MB.

[Wolfy]

ok, thanks for the quick answer esh. 
Shame they don't do subdomains but maybe I can live with that. 

[Simon]

Can't add to the above, except to say...

[Simon]

Oh, and by the way, I think you could have:

<anything-you-like>[dot]<your-isp-username>@idnet[dot]com, if that's any help.

[Wolfy]

Thanks for the welcome Simon.

Oh, and by the way, I think you could have:

<anything-you-like>[dot]<your-isp-username>@idnet[dot]com, if that's any help.

Yes, I did think about that idea, but presumably I'd still need to request each individual adrs?
i.e. I couldn't request a POP3 for:
    *[dot]<your-isp-username>@idnet[dot]com
where * is a wildcard, hence set it up once and thereafter use whatever I want before the first dot?
I suspect the answer would be no. 

[Simon]

I think you're right.    It would still have to be individual accounts, but I guess you could set up a forwarding system if you wanted them all in one inbox. 

[jameshurrell]

A suggestion: you could buy yourself a cheap domain name and create your required email addresses there as simple forward addresses. Then forward your domain email to your free IDNET mailboxes and then configure your email client with your domain email address as the reply address.

You'll never have to worry about how the ISP mailbox is named ever again -i.e. if you move ISP, you just change where the domain email gets forwarded to. That way you aren't tied to an ISP simply because of the email address you are provided with for free. I have several clients that don't want to move ISP (even though they can get cheaper and/or better service elsewhere) simply because they don't want to lose the ISP mail address they have been using for 10 years.

[Ray]

  Wolfy.

[Rik]

Welcome aboard, Wolfy.

Just to add to the picture, you can choose POP3/IMAP and secure versions for each email account, you can use authenticated SMTP, and each machine can be set up differently to suit its purpose, eg I set my main machine as POP3, but the rest are all IMAP and the portables are set to use auth-SMTP. That way, the portables will work over any network without having to change server, and the main machine acts as a central repository and clears out the mail boxes when I run it.

[Wolfy]

Many thanks for the suggestions guys.  I think I shall go with James' idea of domain name forwarding to get over my multiple email address issue.
Rik - thanks for the info.  Im afraid though that IMAP, auth-SMTP and "secure versions" don't mean anything to me at this stage, I'll have to read up about them.

Cheers all ! 

[Rik]

Simple version. IMAP leaves mail on the server, and any number of machines can access it. When you delete the local copy of the mail, or the server copy, the deletion will be mirrored on all other machines. Secure connections simply use encryption as the mail is sent and received, making it harder to intercept. Authenticated SMTP (the server you send mail from) requires a login (handled automatically by your email client) before accepting the mail for transmission. If you're connected via IDNet you don't need to use it, if you're not, then you do - so it's easier to set portable machines up to use auth-SMTP.

[Wolfy]

Marvelous, thank-you very much Rik. 

[Rik]

NP. Take a look at 1&1 for your domain mail, btw.