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Hikvision NVR text alerts: email-to-SMS setup

Hikvision NVRs and DVRs can email motion, line-crossing, and intrusion alerts over SMTP. Point those emails at your NVRtxt address and each one arrives as a clean text like "Motion: Driveway (D1) 12:58 PM".

Tuned parser. Template to select: hikvision

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 Hikvision recorder’s settings (web interface or local monitor).
  • The phone number(s) that should receive the texts.
  1. 1

    Create your NVRtxt endpoint

    In your NVRtxt dashboard, add an endpoint and choose the “hikvision” template. NVRtxt generates a unique inbound address for it, like front-door-a1b2c@alerts.nvrtxt.com.

    NVRtxt ships dedicated, label-exact parsing for Hikvision, so alerts come out especially clean.

    Open your dashboard
  2. 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.

    ProviderSMTP serverSSL portSTARTTLS port
    Gmailsmtp.gmail.com465587
    Outlook.comsmtp-mail.outlook.com—587
    Microsoft 365smtp.office365.com—587
    Yahoo Mailsmtp.mail.yahoo.com465587
    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. 3

    Configure Hikvision email (SMTP) settings

    Web interface: Configuration → Network → Advanced Settings → Email. On the local monitor: Menu → Configuration → Network → Email.

    • Set SMTP Server and Port for your sending mailbox (e.g. smtp.gmail.com, 465 for SSL or 587 for STARTTLS) and enable SSL/TLS to match.
    • Tick Authentication and enter the sending mailbox user name and password (an app password for Gmail/Outlook).
    • Set Sender and Sender’s Address to the sending mailbox, then set Receiver 1’s address to your NVRtxt endpoint.
    • Lower the "Email Interval" so alerts aren’t batched, and use the Test button to confirm delivery.
  4. 4

    Turn on email for the events you want texted

    Configuration → Event → Basic Event → Motion Detection → Linkage Action, tick "Send Email", then set the Arming Schedule. Repeat for Line Crossing, Intrusion, and any smart events you want texted.

    • You do not need "Notify Surveillance Center" — only the "Send Email" linkage matters for NVRtxt.
    • Attaching a snapshot is optional; NVRtxt reads the text of the alert and ignores attachments.
  5. 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. 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 Hikvision

  • Some firmware splits email setup between the camera and the NVR — configure it on the device that actually sends the mail (usually the NVR).

Optional: include a snapshot image

Want the camera image in the text too? In your Hikvision 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 Hikvision 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: ALARM-Motion Detected

EVENT TYPE: Motion Detected
EVENT TIME: 2026-06-29,12:58:07
CAMERA NAME(NUM): Driveway 180(D1)

The text you receive

NVRtxt

Motion: Driveway 180 (D1) Jun 29 12:58 PM

Delivered · now

Hikvision text alerts: FAQ

Does Hik-Connect or the Hik-Connect app send the texts?
No. Hik-Connect handles push notifications. NVRtxt uses the recorder’s built-in SMTP email alerts, which work independently of Hik-Connect and turn into real SMS texts.
My Hikvision NVR won’t connect to Gmail. What’s wrong?
Gmail no longer accepts plain account passwords. Turn on 2-Step Verification on the Google account and generate an App Password, then use that 16-character password in the NVR’s SMTP Authentication field.

Ready to text your Hikvision alerts?

Create an endpoint, paste the address into your recorder, add your number.

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