Email Sending Options in Hop

Hop supports three methods for sending emails. Choose the option that best suits your organisation's requirements.

Option 1: Send Emails Using the Hop Email Provider

With this option, emails are sent through Hop's email service and are delivered from our unmonitored mailbox.

Requirements

• No changes are required to your SMTP configuration.
• A member of the Hop team must enable the ACS setting within your configuration.

Benefits

• Quick and simple setup.
• No DNS changes required.
• Managed entirely by Hop.

Option 2: Send Emails Using Your Custom Domain

With this option, emails appear to come from your organisation's domain while being sent through Hop's ACS (Azure Communication Services) infrastructure.

Requirements

1. A member of the Hop team must enable the ACS setting.
2. Hop will raise a technical request for the creation of the required domain configuration.
3. The Hop technical team will provide DNS records that must be added to your domain.
4. Once the DNS records have been successfully configured and verified, enter your custom domain within the SMTP Server settings.

Outcome

• Emails are sent on behalf of your organisation using your own domain.
• Delivery is handled through Hop ACS.

Benefits

• Improved brand consistency.
• Greater trust and recognition for recipients.
• Maintains the reliability of Hop's email delivery service.

Option 3: Send Emails Using Your Own SMTP Server

With this option, Hop sends emails through your organisation's existing SMTP server.

Requirements

• Provide the SMTP server details, including:
  • SMTP host/server address
  • Port number
  • Authentication credentials (if required)
  • Encryption settings (TLS/SSL)

Benefits

• Full control over email delivery.
• Uses your organisation's existing email infrastructure.
• Suitable for organisations with specific compliance or security requirements.

Configuring SMTP Servers

SMTP servers are used to send emails to guests from within Hop.

If you need to send different types of emails from different email addresses, you can configure multiple SMTP servers using the SMTP Servers section.

Adding an SMTP Server

1. Navigate to SMTP Servers.
2. Click + Add.
3. Complete all fields using the settings from your email provider or email client configuration.
4. Save the configuration.

Important: The values entered must exactly match the settings provided by your email service provider.

SMTP Server

Enter the outgoing mail server address provided by your email provider.

Examples:

• smtp.gmail.com
• smtp.office365.com

SMTP Port

Enter the port number used by your email provider.

Recommended settings:

SMTP Username

The username used to log in to your email account.

This is typically the full email address.

SMTP Password

The password associated with the email account.

Sending Email Address

The email address that will appear as the sender when emails are sent from Hop.

Enable SSL

Enable this option if your SMTP server requires SSL encryption.

Ensure that the correct SMTP port is configured when SSL is enabled.

Microsoft 365 / Office 365 Authentication Issues

If you are using a new Microsoft 365 tenant and are experiencing SMTP authentication issues, follow the steps below.

Disable Security Defaults

1. Sign in to Microsoft 365 using an administrator account:
   • https://www.microsoft365.com/?auth2
2. Open the Azure Portal:
   • https://portal.azure.com
3. Select the menu icon (☰) in the top-left corner.
4. Navigate to:
   • Azure Active Directory
   • Properties
5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Manage Security Defaults.
6. Set Security Defaults to Disabled.

Disable MFA for the SMTP Account

1. Return to the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre.
2. Select Admin from the left-hand menu.
3. Open Multi-factor Authentication.
4. Locate the SMTP account being used by Hop.
5. Ensure that Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is set to Disabled for that account.

Alternative: Use an App Password

If your organisation cannot disable MFA for the SMTP account, you can create an App Password (also known as an App Passcode).

An App Password allows SMTP authentication without requiring interactive MFA prompts and can be used in place of the account's standard password when configuring the SMTP server within Hop.

Note: App Passwords are only available when supported by your Microsoft 365 security configuration and authentication policies.

Gmail SMTP Configuration

If you are using Gmail as your SMTP provider, you will need to generate an App Password and use this instead of your normal Gmail password when configuring SMTP settings in Hop.

Creating a Gmail App Password

Step 1: Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

If 2FA is not already enabled on the Google account:

1. Sign in to the Google Admin Console:
   • https://admin.google.com
2. Navigate to:
   • Security
   • Authentication
3. Enable:
   • Allow users to turn on 2-Step Verification
4. Sign in to your Google Account:
   • https://myaccount.google.com
5. You should now see the 2-Step Verification option within your account settings.
6. Follow the prompts to enable 2-Step Verification.

Step 2: Generate an App Password

1. Open your Google Account:
   • https://myaccount.google.com
2. Select Security.
3. Under Signing in to Google, select 2-Step Verification.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select App Passwords.
5. Enter a name that will help you identify where the password will be used (for example, "Hop SMTP").
6. Click Generate.
7. Google will display a 16-character app password.
8. Copy this password and store it securely.

Step 3: Configure Hop

When configuring the SMTP server within Hop:

• Use your Gmail address as the SMTP Username.
• Use the generated App Password as the SMTP Password.
• Do not use your normal Google account password.

Recommended Gmail SMTP Settings

Common SMTP Troubleshooting

If emails are not sending successfully, check the following:

Verify Login Credentials

• Confirm the username and password are correct.
• Try logging directly into the email account through the provider's web portal (such as Gmail or Outlook).
• Ensure there are no leading or trailing spaces in the username or password fields.

Check SMTP Port Configuration

Try an alternative SMTP port if the connection fails.

Common ports include:

If you receive a timeout error, the SMTP port is often the cause. Try using port 587 if it is not already configured.

Microsoft 365 Authentication

• Ensure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is disabled for the SMTP account, or
• Use an App Password if MFA must remain enabled.

Gmail Authentication

Google no longer supports SMTP authentication using only a username and password.

To use Gmail as an SMTP provider:

1. Enable 2-Step Verification.
2. Generate an App Password.
3. Use the App Password within Hop's SMTP configuration.

IP Whitelisting

If your mail server restricts incoming SMTP connections, ensure the Hop sending IP address is whitelisted:

65.52.143.196

Firewall and Network Restrictions

If connection issues persist:

• Verify outbound SMTP traffic is allowed by your firewall.
• Confirm your email provider permits SMTP connections from external applications.
• Check whether SSL/TLS settings match the configured SMTP port.

Troubleshooting Checklist

Before contacting support, verify the following:

• SMTP server address is correct.
• SMTP port is correct.
• Username and password are correct.
• No extra spaces have been entered.
• SSL/TLS settings match the selected port.
• MFA/App Password requirements have been configured correctly.
• Hop IP address has been whitelisted if required.
• You can successfully log in to the mailbox directly through the provider's web portal.