If you are anything like us, you will often find yourself on the go, but needing to send and recieve emails. Changing your ISPs regularly (in our example, to Vodafone 3G) might mean that you cannot use the SMTP server you have set in your favourite mail program.

There is a way around this however - you can use Google's Gmail as your SMTP server - that way you will be free of your ISP's grip over outgoing mail.

You will first need to set up a gmail account - any address will do.

Here is how it is done within your normal email client:

1. In your email client software, set the ougoing SMTP server to smtp.gmail.com
2. Set the username on the SMTP server to yourgmailemailaddress@gmail.com and make sure "Use username and password" is checked.
3. Ensure "TLS" is selected under "Use secure connection"
4. Set the Outgoing SMTP port to 465.

It has been noted that Google have replaced the 'sent from' address with your gmail address. There is a way around this. The solution is to go into your gmail Settings, then accounts and make an account other than your gmail account the default. This will re-write the From field with whatever the default account's email address is.