DIY Email setup

It sounds like a trivial question, but how do you setup an email address?

In some cases you might get email bundled as a service from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) who you buy your broadband from. Alternatively many people will opt to use one of the many web based email platforms like gmail, yahoo, or Outlook etc. Or you might even do both.

Both these routes can work well, and are very simple to setup. They are often also "free" (at least in the sense it is less obvious how you are paying for them!)

Why DIY?

While using web mail or your ISPs default mail service may seem like the "path of least" resistance, there are some down sides getting your email service like this.

ISP bundled email

Using the ISP service usually means that the ISPs name is included in the "domain" bit (i.e. what comes after the "@") of your email address. That means that "your" email address is tied to the ISP domain name. If you change ISP, then you potentially lose access to your email address as well.

ISP bundled email services might only have limited storage capacity, limiting how many messages you can hold in your mailbox at one time. An ISP service may also not allow creation of multiple email addresses.

Webmail

Email accounts with webmail providers, probably have more storage capacity than one included from your ISP, but again they will often include the name of the provider in the domain - meaning that you don't "own" the address and can run into the same problem losing the address if you move to a new provider.

Alternative ways to get email?

A popular way to get an email service is to register your own internet domain name, and the add a service to that.This article explains why you might want to do that, and then goes through step by step what you need to do.

Advantages of using your own domain

Using your own domain means that you "own" the name - you still need to rent the domain, and renew it every year or so - but generally you can keep it for as long as you want. You can also change email providers at will but still retain the same email addresses, and create email solutions that exactly match your needs.

You also get to present a more professional, or a more personal "brand" to the world...

"equiries@rapidplumbers.com" will present a more professional image than "rapidplumbers@aol.com", and "joe@theretiredfisherman.co.uk" might be more relatable to your friends than "joebloggs243@gmail.com"

Having your own hosted email can also be a little bit more secure - since it is less obvious to the casual viewer where they can go to try and login to your email!

You will likely be able to get large mailboxes, multiple mailboxes, and also some handy extras like creating address aliases (i.e. new email addresses that forward to one or more mailboxes). This can be handy for handing out a unique address to a contact or business without using your actual email address. When mail is sent to it, it will be delivered to your mailbox. Adding a layer of indirection like this also means that if an address starts getting lots of spam because a company sold your address to a data broker, you can just change the alias to block it!

How to setup an email system

What you will need

You will need a domain name. Typically you would register this at any one of many domain registrars. They will then give you access to a control panel that will let you administer the domain, and in particular make changes to the records held in the Domain Name System (DNS). The DNS records are what tells the outside world where to direct things like email, or how to find a web site (if you have one) etc.

You will need a mailbox provider. This may be a service also offered by the domain registrar, but it does not need to be - it can be a third party, and often it is better when it is (see comments about bundled services above!)

Lastly you will probably want some email software to run on your computer or phone that will let you access your email.