Blue Iris NVR text alerts: email-to-SMS setup
Blue Iris is Windows NVR software with flexible email alerts. Because you control the message text with macros, you can make the resulting SMS extremely clean.
What you’ll need
- An NVRtxt account and an endpoint (created in step 1).
- A mailbox for the recorder to send from — a free Gmail/Outlook account with an app password works.
- Access to your Blue Iris recorder’s settings (web interface or local monitor).
- The phone number(s) that should receive the texts.
- 1
Create your NVRtxt endpoint
In your NVRtxt dashboard, add an endpoint and choose the “generic” template. NVRtxt generates a unique inbound address for it, like
front-door-a1b2c@alerts.nvrtxt.com. - 2
Set up an email account to send from
NVRtxt receives your alert emails, but your recorder still needs a mailbox to send from. The simplest option is a free, dedicated Gmail or Outlook account with an app password — most NVRs can’t do modern sign-in, and an app password works around that. You only set this up once and can reuse the same sending account across every recorder and endpoint.
Provider SMTP server SSL port STARTTLS port Gmail smtp.gmail.com 465 587 Outlook.com smtp-mail.outlook.com — 587 Microsoft 365 smtp.office365.com — 587 Yahoo Mail smtp.mail.yahoo.com 465 587 Tip: turn on 2-Step Verification for the account, then generate an app password and use that 16-character value as the SMTP password — typed without the spaces Google shows (they’re display-only, and some recorders reject them). Use the account’s full email address as the user name. - 3
Configure Blue Iris email (SMTP) settings
Blue Iris → Settings → Email tab: configure your outgoing mail account (SMTP server, port, SSL, user name, app password).
- Use a sending mailbox you control (Gmail/Outlook with an app password, or your own SMTP).
- Use the "Send a test message" option on the Email tab to confirm before relying on it.
- 4
Turn on email for the events you want texted
Camera → Settings → Alerts → "On alert…" → Email, choose the configured account, and set the To address to your NVRtxt endpoint. Build the subject/body from macros like &CAM, &MEMO, and the date/time.
- 5
Set the recipient to your NVRtxt address and send a test
Set the recorder’s recipient/receiver to your NVRtxt endpoint address, then use the built-in Test button. A test email should reach NVRtxt within seconds — you’ll see it appear in your Activity log.
- 6
Add phone numbers and confirm delivery
In NVRtxt, open the endpoint and add the phone numbers that should receive alerts in E.164 format (for example
+15555550123). Trigger a real event and watch the Activity tab — each alert is logged as received → parsed → sent. Recipients can reply STOP to opt out anytime.
Tips for Blue Iris
- Macros are your friend: a subject of "Motion: &CAM" produces a tidy one-line text. Keep it short and you control exactly what the SMS says.
Optional: include a snapshot image
Want the camera image in the text too? In your Blue Iris email or event-linkage settings, turn on “Attach picture” (sometimes labeled “Attach JPEG” or “Image”). Then set this endpoint’s Snapshot option in NVRtxt to Link — a tap-to-view image link that keeps it a low-cost SMS — or Image, which sends the picture inline as an MMS. NVRtxt attaches the snapshot to each alert automatically.
What the text looks like
NVRtxt reads the alert Blue Iris emails and pulls out the event, camera, and time, so your phone gets a single clean line instead of a full email.
The alert email
Subject: Motion: Front Drive
Front Drive motion at 06/29/2026 14:47:03
The text you receive
NVRtxt
Delivered · now
Blue Iris text alerts: FAQ
- Can I make Blue Iris texts say exactly what I want?
- Yes — that’s the advantage of Blue Iris. Use the alert email’s subject/body macros (e.g. "&CAM motion at &ALERT_TIME") and NVRtxt texts that text verbatim.
Other setup guides
Ready to text your Blue Iris alerts?
Create an endpoint, paste the address into your recorder, add your number.