Washington Apple Pi

A Community of Apple iPad, iPhone and Mac Users

E-Mail Setup

Video Tutorials

Initial Setup

Troubleshooting

Updated April 2017

Configuring your software for wap.org e-mail

Note: No setup is necessary to access your e-mail via web browser. Simply visit <https://mail.wap.org> with your account name and password.

Download a configuration profile

Fastest and easiest: read about pre-packaged downloadable settings for your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Incoming mail using POP

The Post Office Protocol (POP) is the traditional means of retrieving messages from an Internet mail server onto a single private computer. Most Pi members access their e-mail using POP.

Incoming Mail Server: mail.wap.org
Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): Yes
Authentication: MD5 Challenge-Response
User Name: (e.g.) jane.member
E-Mail Address: (e.g.) jane.member@wap.org

Note the use of encryption (SSL) and secure authentication here. These options, set in the Advanced tab of your account settings, are very important privacy and security precautions. Especially where connected to a public or foreign network.

Tip: Upgrading to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion puts these settings to the test. Members who had been using the dangerous Password authentication method found that Apple intervened, changing their settings to try Microsoft NTLM instead. That option doesn't work here; make sure to select MD5 Challenge-Response.

Incoming mail using IMAP

The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is a modern alternative to POP which accesses mail directly on the server rather than downloading it to any single computer. This allows equal, even concurrent access from multiple computers or mobile devices.

Tip: IMAP is most useful with a TCS Explorer subscription, due to the online storage provided. Some TCS Classic subscribers may have trouble keeping their In Boxes sufficiently tidy to avoid running out of space.
Incoming Mail Server: mail.wap.org
Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): Yes
Authentication: MD5 Challenge-Response
User Name: (e.g.) jane.member
E-Mail Address: (e.g.) jane.member@wap.org

Note again the use of encryption (SSL) and secure authentication, as explained above for POP-based mail connections.

Outgoing mail using SMTP

The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is used to send outgoing mail, regardless of whether you choose POP or IMAP for incoming mail.

Outgoing Mail Server: mail.wap.org
Server port: 587
Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): Yes
Authentication: MD5 Challenge-Response
User Name: (e.g.) jane.member

Note the use of server port 587 here, instead of the default 25. This change invokes the more appropriate "SMTP Submission" variant of the protocol. This is especially important when accessing the server from behind certain ISPs and public hotspots which block simple SMTP connections in an effort to combat spam.

Tip: A common mistake is to enter this port number for the outgoing SMTP protocol into one's settings for the incoming POP or IMAP protocols. Doing this would prevent you from retrieving new mail.

Good Luck

That's it! Be safe out there. Remember, expert help is always available on the TCS Support board.

Document revision: February 2, 2021🦦 (added profiles)