Most e-mail clients (programs) like Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail use two common Internet protocols for retrieving mail: POP3 (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP (Internet Mail Access Protocol). Almost all e-mail clients and servers support these Internet protocols for transferring messages.
Accessing Wayne Connect
It has become common practice for people to check their e-mail from multiple locations or devices, such as a work computer, home computer, laptop in a cafe, or a smartphone.
With Wayne Connect, the most convenient method of use is the Web interface. If you must use an e-mail client for your mail, C&IT strongly recommends that you use an IMAP connection instead of POP, because it provides consistent use of Wayne Connect from multiple computers or devices.
Below are facts to help you decide what is best for you.
Characteristics
What's the difference?
Advantages
Disadvantages
IMAP
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is a standard Internet protocol for accessing e-mail on your computer.
IMAP requires an active Internet connection to view messages.
E-mail messages are received and stored for you on a mail server.
You can view just the header information (sender and subject of a message) without having to download the message.
You also can create and manage folders on the mail server.
POP
Post Office Protocol (POP) is a standard Internet protocol for receiving e-mail.
POP does not require an active Internet connection to view messages, only to download them to your computer.
E-mail messages are received and stored on the mail server until you check your mail.
When you check your mail, messages are immediately downloaded to your computer and, unless you specify to leave messages on the server, they are deleted from the server.
IMAP
IMAP provides a consistent use of Wayne Connect, or other e-mail system, from multiple computers or devices -- allows you to synchronize messages between your e-mail client (or device) and the mail server.
IMAP can be thought of as a remote file server because all of your messages and folders are stored on a mail server.
IMAP requires an Internet connection to read e-mail messages.
POP
POP can be thought of as a "store-and-forward" service. Your mail is sent to a server where it is stored until you request it through your e-mail program (check your mail). The mail is then forwarded to the e-mail program on your computer.
POP allows you to read messages while you are not connected to the Internet.
IMAP
You can view just the header information (sender and subject of a message) without having to download the message.
You can delete large messages without having to download them locally.
Since messages remain on the mail server, you can access your mail from multiple locations and devices. IMAP provides a consistent use of e-mail and calendars in Wayne Connect.
Because messages remain on the mail server, you don't have to worry about losing your messages if your computer crashes.
POP3
After you check your mail, messages are downloaded immediately, therefore you do not need to be connected to the Internet to read your e-mail.
IMAP
Unlike POP, IMAP requires continual access to the mail server during the time that you are working with your mail. This means you must be connected to the Internet.
You may go over your disk quota because messages are stored on the server, but this is not likely with the 10GB of space available on your Wayne Connect account.
POP3
Because POP downloads all the mail on the server at once, occasionally you may be unable to receive messages successfully because POP hangs or disconnects when trying to download large messages.
If you are traveling, or check your mail from multiple locations, you will not be able to view any of your old mail because the messages only exist on the computer on which you originally downloaded your mail.
