Is it possible?

For example, I have two ntlworld email accounts, both of which are accessible via IMAP. I'd like the mail from those accounts to be read from my Gmail account. In other words, it's almost as if I'd like Gmail to be an IMAP client accessing the ntl email box via IMAP.

As I have several accounts, I'd like to use Gmail as a single port of call for all my mail, and, if this is possible, I can then pick up all my mail via a single Gmail IMAP connection on Thunderbird, and my local Thunderbird mail will mirror what's on Gmail.

I can do it manually via Thunderbird, but I'd like to find out if it's possible for it to be done automatically, server side, somehow

Are they not accessible using pop3, would seem odd to have IMAP but not POP3? I know you can use GMail to collect pop3 mailboxes, you then get all of the imap functionality through GMail any way.

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=21288

You might be able to set a redirect on the ntl accounts to automagically forward the mail to gmail.....

You can get gmail to download messages from any POP account. If you also set it to leave a copy on the server, you can also access it though the normal IMAP at a later date, although any mail downloaded though your IMAP first though, won't appear in gmail.

To set it up, go to Settings, Accounts & Import, then click on Add POP3 Account.

Add your username and password, and set the POP server to pop.ntlworld.com - Make sure It's on port 110.

Simples

Yeah, I know I could do it over POP, get gmail to pick up my other mail via POP and then have it all under Gmail.

I would have preferred IMAP as I can then always go to the ntl mailbox and have an up-to-date view there.

All of this has stemmed from my xavimages domain email not being accessible from certain places because the webmail server runs on a strange port and firewalls block it...

Surely if you set it to leave a copy of the messsage on the server, it will still be accessible on your IMAP later?

Yup, but it won't be synced. I was hoping for a perfect system!

I've tried what you describe before Xav, and never got it to work as well as intended

As for your domain mail, an option worth considering is to grab a Google Apps account for that domain, and alter the domain's MX records to use Google Apps for handling mail. You then end up with a Gmail interface for your own domain, where everything works as intended :yes:

OK, you don't get your 'single portal' ideal, but it's nicer than what you have at the moment :yes:

Cheers,

Steve