I have a wireless ip surveillance camera.  I had it set up to send me an email every 30 minutes using smtp email from my isp.  The camera does not support SSL, but my configuration worked for a couple years.  I think my isp might have changed their smtp, because they were having a lot of spam problems, and after recently rebooting the camera, it is now not sending emails, but I can still access it via IP.

So, in searching for non ssl email servers, I found aspmx.l.google.com.  I tried it with the camera and it worked.

The SSL and email server thing is over my head - what exactly is it doing, and is using the aspmx.l.google.com as a non SLL smpt server safe?    What could happen?

mitt

Your ISP may very well have changed their smtp server settings, its not uncommon.  When your camera used to successfully send you its emails, was the "from" address from which it sent them to you a valid authenticated address?

Some servers allow only properly authenticated mail to be sent (as in you cant just create bullshitname@yourisp.com without log in credentials.)  You could try setting your camera's email address with your own email address and log in credentials, so that it sends you email apparently from.... you.  Since your own email still functions this could be a workaround if the reason for the recent non-functioning is that of authentication.  Or it maybe that they now require smtp (outgoing) server authentication where they previously did not.  (I have two different ISPs, one requires smtp and pop authentication, the other only repquires pop authentication).

I dont know anything about aspmx.l.google.com, but non-SSL simply means that you're using an unencrypted service.  I could more easily hack your security camera pictures to show you that I wasnt there  .

Quote from: mitt on December 28, 2011, 07:32:23 PM

The SSL and email server thing is over my head - what exactly is it doing, and is using the aspmx.l.google.com as a non SLL smpt server safe?    What could happen?

it determines whether the link and subsequent traffic between your camera and the smtp server is encrypted and reduces the possibility that intercepted traffic would be useful to anybody that eavesdropped.

So basically a .jpg attachment of my door wouldn't be a big concern to me if it was eavsdropped. 

I will call my isp today and see what gives with their smtp.

I experimented a little more last night, and in the camera configuration removed my email account password to see if it would still work.  Using the aspmx.l.google it was still sending email from and to the same gmail account name.  Gmail is flagging it as spam, but I can still get it in the spam folder.

mitt

my guess is that the camera had cached the IP address of the smtp server and wasn't resolving it against DNS.

when you rebooted, it dumped the cache and had to resolve it again.

you had access to one SMTP server that was friendly and and then when it rebooted it picked up an unfriendly one.

most of those services use either a bulkhead smtp server or a bank of them.

Was the camera using a user/pass to authenticate SMTP?  It looks like STMP AUTH has grown in popularity, it used to be that you only authenticated to get mail (POP) not send it (SMTP).  And this is how spam was born .  Your ISP may have just implemented AUTH for sending mail. 
I like using Google services, but if you needed options there are plenty of open SMTP servers out there, along with SMTP freeware you can install on a PC you keep up during the day.  Also, I think if you unflag your camera mail once in Gmail it will unflag it for subsequent email.